
Best Resume Format for 2023 (+ How to Format a Resume)
Want to choose the best resume format? First, you must understand the differences between the three main types. See examples of various resume formats and make an informed choice.
It’s time to leap into the unknown and start your life for real. Build yourself a solid pair of wings and nail the interview with this on-point high school graduate resume sample.
Here comes a job-winning resume for a high-school graduate. But first—
You have to impress the recruiter. One false move can ruin your career plans.
Next thing you know you’re working in a dead-end job and wondering what hit you.
No!
We can’t let that happen.
Your high school graduate resume has to land you a job you’ve dreamed of.
In this guide:
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Now__
Cara Beldad
Phone: 607-301-7378
Email: carazbeldad@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/carazbeldad
twitter.com/carazbeldad
Summary
Driven high-school graduate with exceptional communication and organizational skills. Eager to join Aardvark Inc. as a Sales Associate. As leader of the Furry Angels Fundraising Group, helped save the lives of 1,500 animals, raising $2,000+ annually.
Education
2015–2019
John Jay High School, Katonah, NY
GPA: 3.8
SAT: 1350
ACT: 30
President, High School Yearbook Committee
Excelled in Business Coursework
Captain of Debate Team 2 Years
Experience
Furry Angels Animal Fundraising Group
Co-Founder, Leader
2016–present
Barvel's Corner Store
Counter Clerk, Cook
2017–2019
Athletics
Lacrosse Team Co-Captain
2016–2019
Hard Skills: marketing, strategy, mathematics
Soft Skills: interpersonal skills, collaboration, communication, time management, problem-solving
Languages: Spanish (Advanced)
You only get one shot.
Your first impression is precious in a high school graduate resume.
Don’t blow it with frazzled resume formatting.
Use these tips:
Expert Hint: Recruiters spend about 7 seconds initially scanning a resume. Make sure yours is formatted in a way that highlights all the important stuff in very little time.
Disaster!
The recruiter just deleted your high school graduate resume.
Why?
You just seemed a little mediocre for the job.
How can you drop jaws instead?
Write an educated resume profile in the form of a resume objective.
Include:
Write it at the end so you don’t struggle with the material.
On a side note—
You may have come across the term resume summary as well.
Generally, resume summaries serve the same purpose as resume objectives, but are suitable for experienced candidates who have several years of professional experience under the belt.
Now, see these high school graduate resume examples:
Oof!
The second of those samples of resume for a high school grad says, “I can get the job done.”
But—
The first gives proof with a shining fundraising achievement.
Don’t have one like that? You don’t have to. I’m about to show you how to find your most attractive features.
Oh, if only I could go back in time.
My high school graduate resume education section was a travesty.
I listed my substandard GPA scores and my relevant corsework. Plus I said, “Oh yeah, and I was on the swim team.”
Dumb, dumb, dumb!
I can’t go back and change that now. But I can keep you from making a costly mistake.
Take my word for it—
Break your resume education section into sections with accomplishments.
Learn from these sample high school graduate resumes:
SAT Score: 1450 (750 Verbal, 650 Math)
Education
John Jay High School, Katonah, NY
GPA 3.8
2015–2019
President, High School Yearbook Committee
Excelled in Business Coursework
Captain of Debate Team 2 Years
Get the point?
You don’t have to use those exact high school graduate resume examples.
But—
Don’t just slap your GPA in there, plus a team sport.
If you’ve got projects, classes, or high school achievements that’ll wow them, show them.
And if not?
Don’t sweat it. Just fill your high school graduate resume with no work experience with other high-flying moments from your life.
Expert Hint: Include your GPA only if it’s 3.0 or above. Otherwise you might hurt your chances.
Do you know what keeps hiring managers up at night?
You’d better.
Otherwise, you won’t know how to write a recent high school grad resume that works.
So—
Here’s what worries hiring teams: finding applicants who’ll really get the job done.
You can prove that’s you by adding relevant experience section to your resume. Think volunteering, internship, freelancing, projects.
Work it like this resume sample for high school graduates:
Experience
Furry Angels Animal Fundraising Group
Co-Founder, Leader
2016–Present
Barvel's Corner Store
Counter Clerk, Cook
2017–2019
Nice.
That entry-level resume for a high school graduate shows a passionate, competent candidate. She probably finishes what she starts, with flying colors.
Expert Hint: Studies show that employers give preference to candidates with previous work experience. To boost your chance of getting hired, dig deep to find your most impressive moments. Then spotlight them in your resume for a high school graduate.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.
Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.
Do you need sports in a high school graduate resume?
Nope.
But—
If you’ve rocked the gridiron, court, or pool, let your dedication shine.
Do it like this no work experience resume for high school graduate:
Athletics
Lacrosse Team Co-Captain
2016–2019
Wow!
I don’t see a run-of-the-mill job applicant when I read that.
I see a hard-working leader who makes good things happen.
You don’t have to put anything else in your fresh-out-of-high-school resume.
But think of it this way—
You’ve got a finite amount of space.
This is your chance to impress them. To show what you’ve achieved.
Your goal?
Pack your resume for high school graduate with the best and coolest things you’ve done.
List things that show you can:
Choose carefully, but—
Only add your most impressive bullet points.
Pick from:
See these examples:
Volunteer Work
Awards
Interests
Additional Activities
What’s wrong with the second of those high school grad resumes?
It’s vague.
Instead of hiking, it could say, “Hiked 20+ 4,000-foot peaks in 2 years as member of Peak Bagger’s Club.”
That’s wow-worthy.
Finally—
What high school graduate resume skills do you need in your application?
See this list of skills to put on a resume:
But—
Don’t list them all. That’s fudging.
Only list skills you can prove in your high school graduate resume.
Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your high school grad resume. Talk about how much you like the company, why, and how the job fits your goals and passions.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Haven't written your cover letter yet? See:
Here’s how to write a resume for a high school graduate:
Write a scholarship cover letter to stand out from the crowd.
Need more career resources? Check these out:
Got questions on how to write good resumes for high school graduates? Not sure how to choose what to put in your resume objective for high school graduates with little experience? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!
Want to choose the best resume format? First, you must understand the differences between the three main types. See examples of various resume formats and make an informed choice.
How to start a cover letter? Just follow our guide and write a cover letter introduction that will sweep your future boss off their feet.
Long story short: if your cover letter looks bad, it will generate zero interest. And there’s more to making it look great than setting the right margins and picking good fonts.