9 Steps To Writing A Good Resume For High School And College Students

With students becoming more proactive to explore the industry today, and the latter beginning to welcome younglings to help them understand the dynamics of worklife, doing internships, volunteerships, and freelance projects while in high school is gradually becoming the standard. Hence, it is now essential for students as young as those in classes 9 or 10, to begin understanding how important the resume is a document, and how it can help them land their dream opportunities. And, this article is meant to give you a perspective on just that, as well as provide a few helpful resume writing tips for students!

When you apply for an internship or any sort of work opportunity, the first thing you are usually asked for by the prospective employer is your resume! A resume is one of the most important documents you will ever use in your career. It is a snapshot of your academic and professional journey, regardless of whether you are just starting out or have been working for years. This document includes information about your background and qualifications, as well as puts out the most important, relevant information about you to employers in a clear, simple format. The objective is to quickly convey why your skills and experience make you a unique candidate for the role.

Resume Writing Tips For Students

So how do you go about writing a good resume? Let us find out!

1. Start With Your Name And Basic Information

You should ideally begin your resume with your name and contact information, which should always appear at the top of your resume. Usually, this means adding in:

• Your first and last name

• Your phone number

• Your professional email address

Nowadays, we receive and send resumes digitally, so your address is no longer necessary. However, you can include your city and state if you like. Additionally, you may choose to include other basic information, such as your LinkedIn or personal website URLs, your social media profiles (if relevant to the internship/volunteership/job).

If you're applying for a creative opportunity, you may also want to include a link to your online portfolio. This part should be as lucid as possible. If your contact details are not clearly mentioned, the hiring manager might be able to reach out to you.

Below is an example of how to list your contact information on your resume:

2. Add An Objective Or Summary To Your Resume

In addition to your contact information, you may choose to include your resume summary or objective statement. The objective statement can explain your goals and career objectives quickly, and is ideal for those who have limited professional experience, such as high school students.

Here is a good resume objective:

3. Add In Your Work Experience (Volunteerships, Projects, etc.)

This is the most important part of your resume. When you're in school or recently passed out, you may feel that you don't have much to include in your resume. It's likely, however, that you have more experience and qualifications than you think. No matter how little work experience you have, you may have participated in activities or have done volunteer work that could be listed. Even if you have a hobby, like writing blogs about the books you read or posting beautiful photographs online, this could be relevant to your internship/job application.

As a general rule, if you have a short or no work history, you may modify the name of this section from "Work Experience" to "Relevant Experience”. Describe each of your responsibilities and duties with an action verb to make your resume standout, such as "developed", "saved", "drove" and "spearheaded". Employers have only seconds to read your resume, so make your description as concise and relevant as possible. Also, avoid words like "and" and "the". Such resume writing tips will help you catch the employer’s eye and ensure that your application is given its due attention.

Example:

4. Include Volunteer Work Or Other Experience

When it comes to writing a resume for high school and college students, it is important that you mention any internships, apprenticeships, or volunteer work that you have completed. You can also include freelance work, part-time jobs, and extracurricular activities relevant to the job duties. Ensure that you list your responsibilities and accomplishments as bullet points. These things may be worth adding, particularly if they helped you to strengthen your skillset or align with your dream job.

If you're a recent graduate, you might also include information about on-campus activities such as clubs, organizations, and leadership experiences. This can be framed the same way you would professional jobs - with the company's name, your title, and bullet points describing your role and accomplishments.

Example:

5. Include An Education Section

Resume Writing Tips

Having a comprehensive education section on a resume is essential if you are in college, or passing out of high school. Below is a list of what you should include in your education section to make sure it stands out:

• Name of your college or university.

• Location of the college or university (city, state).

• Date of graduation (month, year).

• Degree(s) - major and minor subjects.

• Total percentage or CGPA (only include your grade point average if it's over 8. Use the format: CGPA: 8/10).

• Awards or honours.

Then, give details about your class 10 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and your Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC). If you are graduating college, mention any projects, study abroad, thesis, or other noteworthy accomplishments. Additionally, you may include your certifications or licenses in this section if they pertain to the job description.

Example:

6. Add Optional Sections

If there is a lot of white space on your resume, consider adding an achievement or interests section. Make sure your achievements and interests match your career goals, and are relevant to potential employers. Your coursework and extracurricular activities are likely to have provided you with a range of marketable skills, such as:

List any hard skills and applications you are proficient in (Photoshop, SEO, JavaScript, for starters), as well as your level of expertise, if applicable. A hobby section can also be added at the bottom of your resume. Besides being a great conversation starter, these resume writing tips can show recruiters that you are an excellent culture fit or even a cultural asset for a company. Just include a bullet point listing five or seven work-appropriate verbs that describe some of your interests, like hiking, rowing, or crafting, and you're set.

Example:

7. “Tailor it” For The Job

Once you've written your resume – you've broken down your work experience, added some additional experience, and listed out your skills – it's important to compare your resume to the job description (or several job descriptions, if you're applying for several similar jobs), and make sure that your resume3 remains relevant to what employers are looking for. In other words, customize it.

8. Make Sure Your Resume Is Proofread

Review your resume carefully for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Reading the words in your resume backwards will help you identify errors by presenting them in a different order. It is also a good idea to ask friends, teachers, and family members to review your resume. Talking to different people might give you insights you might have missed. Consider removing filler words or extraneous information from each section if your resume is longer than one page. Such resume writing tips are invaluable when it comes to making your resume as professional as possible.

9. Format Your Resume

While it is important to pay attention to your resume's layout, you should also take the time to consider formatting details, such as font style, font size, margins, and spacing. Formatting your resume can enhance readability and make it look more professional. It is essential if you want to grab the attention of your employer. You can polish your resume with a few simple resume writing tips.

• Your font size should be between 10 and 12 points.

• Avoid using stylized fonts; instead pick a clean, easy-to-read font such as Arial or Helvetica.

• Your margins should be 1 to 1.5 inches.

• Use bold font or slightly larger font (no more than 14 points) for your name and section headers.

• Include bullet points when listing numerous pieces of information, like under your education and professional history sections.

The final resume template would look like this:

Writing a resume for high school and college students can be confusing at times. But it's important to remember that your resume is an ever-evolving document. Spend time and create a resume that is suited for your internship or job so you won't have to go through the process over and over again, but do keep all these things in mind when updating your resume. This document is often the first representation of you, at a prospective employer company, so make sure that you put your best effort in drafting it while ensuring that all information it contains is true to your knowledge.

Yashodhra Arora is a counselling psychologist. She holds more than 10 years of hands-on experience in HR, and behavioural and career counselling of high school students, in India and the USA.