High School Resume Example

Applying for a job or internship as a high school student is intimidating.

Even if you have real work experience, it likely isn’t related to the job you want. Additionally, there’s a good chance many other high school students will apply for the same position.

So how do you make yourself stand out? Here are our top three tips for writing a successful high school resume.

1. Write an outstanding resume objective

A resume objective is a type of resume introduction you can put at the top of your resume. This intro is best for job seekers with little experience, making it perfect for high school students like you.

Before you write your resume objective, read the job ad to see what qualifications the employer is seeking. Then, write a 2–3 sentence paragraph that highlights your:

• relevant skills
• related career goals
• what you can contribute to the company

Hiring managers appreciate applicants who write good resume introductions because they let the reviewer know immediately whether the candidate is qualified.

Here’s an example of a resume objective that emphasizes the applicant’s job-specific strengths:

2. Highlight your volunteer experience and extracurricular activities

Few high school students have a long work history. But there’s no need to panic if you’re writing a resume with no experience.

You can replace the work experience section of a standard resume with a section describing your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, or both.

Here’s an example of a well-written resume volunteer section followed by an extracurricular activities list:

If you need more information to fill your resume, expand on activities you’ve been involved in. Include noteworthy information, like leadership roles you held, or major projects you led and organized, like this:

Heritage High School Student Council

Secretary, 2020 – Present

• Take and distribute detailed notes from 10 student council meetings every semester
• Implemented Trello to manage council projects, saving an average of 3 weeks on each project compared to timeframes for the same tasks in previous semesters

You can also include your hobbies and interests on your resume if they show how you can perform well in the workplace. For example, reading is a good hobby to put on a library page resume because it shows you enjoy and respect literature.

3. Include relevant coursework

If you don’t have many volunteer or extracurricular activities to put on your high school resume, include coursework related to the position you’re applying for. Doing so shows that you have some familiarity with the type of work you’ll do, which makes you easier to train than applicants who have zero background knowledge.

For instance, because the applicant in the resume sample above is applying for a Business Development summer internship, they’ve included related courses they’ve taken in the education section of their resume:

If you’re unsure what classes relate to different jobs, here are some ideas:

• Creative Writing, Rhetoric, and Humanities → Journalism jobs
• Government, Civics, Economics, and Public Speaking → Political or legal roles
• Fundamentals of Math, Algebra, and Accounting → Accounting or finance positions
• Foreign Languages → Customer-facing roles
• Biology, Calculus, and Computer Science → STEM internships