Resume for high school students
Most high school students write their first resume for a part time job, a summer job, an internship, or a program application. Nobody reading it expects years of experience. They want to know that you are reliable, that you can deal with people, and when you are available. School, sports, clubs, volunteering, and jobs for neighbors can show all of that.
What a high school resume needs
Keep it to one page with these parts: your name and contact details, a short summary, education, experience of any kind, activities, and skills. Use a professional email address, ideally your first and last name, rather than a nickname you made years ago. Give your city and state, not your street address, and use a phone number and email a parent or guardian knows about.
If the job has set hours, add a line with when you can work, such as weekends and weekday evenings after school. For many first jobs, availability matters as much as anything else on the page. Federal rules limit the jobs and hours open to younger teens, and many states add their own rules on work permits and school night hours, so check your state labor department before you list your availability.
Education goes near the top
List your high school, the year you expect to graduate, and anything that helps: a strong grade average if you are proud of it, honors, or classes related to the job. A business class for a retail job or a language class for a role with the public are worth naming.
You do not need to list every class. Pick the two or three that connect to the job.
Experience can be informal
Babysitting, pet sitting, mowing lawns, tutoring a younger student, helping at a family business, and selling things online all count as experience. So does volunteering at a food bank, a place of worship, or a school event. Write each one with a title, where, and when, then a bullet or two on what you did.
Use plain verbs: took care of, handled, organized, taught, sold. Say what you did, not just that you were there.
Activities show the traits employers want
Sports show teamwork and showing up to practice. Band or theater shows commitment and working toward a performance. Student government shows responsibility. A club you helped run shows that people trusted you with something.
List the activity, your role, and the years, with one line on what you did if it was more than attending. Leadership roles such as captain or treasurer are worth calling out.
Skills you can actually show
List skills a job would use that you could talk about in an interview: a language you speak, cash handling, a spreadsheet program, basic first aid if you are certified, or social media for a club. Skip general traits such as hard working, because everyone writes them and they prove nothing on their own.
If your state requires a work permit for your age, get it before you start, and list any certificate the job asks for, such as a food handler card.
Keep it simple and get a second reader
Use one column, a common font, and clear headings. Fancy designs can be harder to read, both for people and for application software. Save it as a PDF unless the application asks for a Word file.
Ask a parent, teacher, or school counselor to read it before you send it. A spelling mistake on a short page stands out, and a second reader catches what you miss.
Write a resume as a high school student
Collect everything you have done
School, jobs for neighbors, volunteering, sports, and clubs.
Add contact details and availability
A professional email and the hours you can work.
Write a two line summary
The job you want and one thing you can already do.
Describe each item with a verb
What you did and what came of it.
Have someone read it
A parent, teacher, or counselor, before you send it.
High school resume template and example
Copy the template and replace every bracketed part. The example is for an invented student, so write yours from your own school and work.
Template
[Your Name] [City, State] | [phone] | [email with your name] Available: [days and times you can work] SUMMARY [High school year] student looking for [type of job]. [One line on what you can already do, with proof.] EDUCATION [High School], expected graduation [year] [Honors or classes related to the job, if any] EXPERIENCE [Role], [where] | [when] • [What you did and what came of it] ACTIVITIES [Sport, club, or group], [your role] | [years] SKILLS [Skills you can show, such as a language, cash handling, or a program]
Filled example (invented): first job at a grocery store
Maya Torres [City, State] | [phone] | maya.torres@example.com Available: weekends, and weekday evenings within the hours my state allows SUMMARY High school junior looking for a part time cashier or stocking role. Ran the cash box for my soccer team's bake sales, and the count matched every time. EDUCATION Example High School, expected graduation [year] Honor roll; classes include business basics and Spanish EXPERIENCE Volunteer, Soccer Team Bake Sales | Fall seasons • Set up the table, handled cash, and counted the money with the coach after each sale; the team raised enough for new practice gear. Babysitter, neighborhood families | Since last summer • Watched two children on weekday evenings, including dinner, homework, and bedtime. ACTIVITIES Varsity soccer, player | Two seasons Spanish club, treasurer | This year SKILLS Spanish (conversational), cash handling, spreadsheets for the club budget
Related reading
Questions
- What should a high school student put on a resume?
- Contact details, availability, a short summary, education, any experience including informal jobs and volunteering, activities, and skills you can show.
- Should I include my grades?
- Include a grade average or honors if they are strong, and leave them off if they are not. Many first job readers care more about reliability and availability.
- Can I put babysitting or mowing lawns on my resume?
- Yes. They show responsibility and dealing with people. List them like any job, with what you did.
- Do I need a resume for my first job?
- Many first jobs only need an application form, but a one page resume helps you stand out and makes filling in forms faster.
Where ApplyASAP fits
ApplyASAP is built for people applying to many roles at once. For a first part time job, a short resume like the one above often covers it.
Want to see how one resume lines up with one posting? Try the free resume keyword checker. It runs in your browser and saves nothing.