The High School Resume

With the beginning of the new school year quickly approaching, it might be time to start thinking about college and careers with your child, especially if he is in high school. It is never too early to start preparing for the future, and perhaps the first step to take is developing a resume.

The majority of high school students applying for jobs or college do not have resumes to provide to employers or include in their applications. Therefore, having one completed and ready to be distributed is sure to impress the employer or recruiter, as it shows that the individual is motivated, mature, and professional.

When creating a resume, your child is able to take the time to brainstorm all professional experiences, qualifications, and skills to include. When filling out a job application in person or multiple college applications, it is easy to leave out an important qualification or achievement . Having a resume on hand will make it easier to document this information, and may even provide inspiration for essay topics when applying for scholarships.

In addition, helping your child create a resume early in his high school career will help him identify areas that need improvement. Whether it is a low GPA or a lack of community involvement, organizing the information on paper will give him the opportunity to improve upon those areas before college and scholarship applications are due.

Without a long employment history, it may be difficult to know what to include in a resume and how to organize it effectively. Before helping your child with this task, here the seven things for your child to include when developing a high school resume.

1. Contact Information
As with any resume, be sure your child includes his full name, address, phone number, and email address.
2. Education
Include the full, proper name to the high school attended and the anticipated year of graduation. If your child’s GPA is above a 3.0 have him include it, and if not encourage him to work on improving it before applying for college. Any college courses, advanced studies, or special projects should also be included in the education section.
3. Experiences and Leadership
Help your child brainstorm all his activities, whether academic, athletic, or volunteer as these show character, work ethic, and skills, which are important in both college and on a job. In addition, list any leadership roles your child has taken or positive contributions he has made in any groups he is involved.
4. Summer Jobs and Other Employment History
With the summer coming to a close, it is important to include any summer jobs you child has held. Include the company name, location, job title, as well as the time of employment, for example “Summer 2013” as opposed to the months employed. This section should also include any transferable skills that have been gained from the experiences and are relevant to the target of the resume. This may include any customer service , problem solving, or technical skills.
5. Additional Skills
This section is a great opportunity for your child to communicate any special skills he may possess. This includes computer and technology skills, fluency in a foreign language , or any other skills that make your child unique.
6. Honors and Awards
Include any awards or accomplishments, whether it be most improved athlete, perfect attendance, or honor roll. These awards show that your child is dedicated and hard working, all of which are important characteristics as both an employee and student.
7. Action Verbs
Action verbs are very effective in capturing the reader’s attention and making experiences stand out in a dynamic way. There are hundreds of action verbs that can be used throughout your resume. Some favorites include: captivated, pioneered, maximized, directed, generated, led, served, researched, designed, and trained.

Developing a high school resume will be a rewarding activity for your student. Offer assistance in brainstorming things to include or proofreading the document for accuracy, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. Once the document is complete, encourage your student to update it as he gains new experiences or achievements, and his resume will give him the jump-start he needs to succeed in his future education and career.