For High School Students

Resumes

What is a Resume? A resume is a summary of your academic

and professional history and qualifications.

Key Components

Heading

Education

Experience

Skills

References- in resume or as an addendum

General Formatting & Appearance

Make your name stand out with a bold, larger font size

Use standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier (if applying for a corporate job)

Type Size: 10 - 12 Point (except for name in heading)

White, beige, or light gray quality bond paper

Limit entry-level resume to ONE typed page

Standard academic paper rules apply (e.g. no contractions!)

Be sure it prints well!! (Test it out at home!)

HeadingIncludes contact information: Top of the page

Name: large and bold, so it stands out!

Address: street, town, state & zip code

Telephone number(s): with professional message

Email address: professional looking (swagmasterrob@gmail.com is not appropriate) Check e-mail on a daily basis

Sample HeadingsMike Jones

1 Meadow WayAltamonte Springs, FL 32116

(407) 555-1234MikeJones@aol.com

Susan WilliamsSusanWilliams@yahoo.com

Current Address Permanent Address 325 Maple St 55 Sycamore Drive Orlando, FL 32837 Miami, FL 36829 (407) 555-3357 (305) 555-4429

CHRIS SMITH83 Prospect Road Orlando, FL 32837 (407) 555-8975 CSmith@msn.com

EducationListed in REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL order

Name and location of the school

Dates attended (e.g. September 2014 – present)

List major, minor, and area(s) of concentration

Graduation date or anticipated graduation date

CGPA – if 3.0 or higher and/or major GPA

Honors

Relevant Coursework

Unless you are more than three years out of school,

your education section should precede your experience

section.

Education - Relevant CoursesList relevant courses that:

Help you stand out from the crowd

Have provided you with specific skills or knowledge

Courses that are at an advanced level if they are relevant to the position

Education - HonorsUnder each educational degree you should

include an honors subsection (if applicable)List any awards or distinctions you received such as:

Dean’s List, cum laude, or Phi Beta Kappa (Because they are Latin phrases, magna, summa, and cum laude should always appear in italicized lower case letters

At most, you should include 3-5 entries, listing too many detracts from the most important entries

Be sure to include a brief explanation of any awards or distinctions that are not familiar to most readers

Samples of Education SectionEDUCATIONStuyvesant High School; New York, NY September 2011 – June 2015

•Graduated: June 2015

•GPA 93/100

•Relevant Courses: Business Systems Technology; Marketing

Experience

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Experience can be:

Paid part-time/full-time positions

Internships

Volunteer work/Community Service

Club/campus group involvement

Summer jobs

The most important aspect is that they are RELEVANT!

Experience

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• Listed in REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL order• Name and location of the institution• Position title (Not sure? Call them up!)• Dates worked (e.g. September 2015 – present)• List duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments

in bullet form• You should have AT LEAST 2 bullets of

responsibilities, else it’s not worth listing!• Use proportional length in descriptions. The more

important, the longer the description!

Experience (cont’d)

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Guidelines for duties, responsibilities & accomplishments

Use action verb + purpose format

Provide evidence of skills & qualities byQuantifying informationAcknowledging accomplishments/awards

Most relevant information comes first

Sample Experience Section

Valley State Bank, Queens, NY July 2013 - PresentBank Teller • Provided friendly, professional customer service to over 100 customers each day.• Issued money orders, travelers checks, loan payments and deposits/withdrawals

in order to expedite customer processing.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Specialized SkillsInclude skills that make you unique, such as

computer skills or foreign language skills

Be SPECIFIC in describing your special skills; Name computer programs you knowLevel of fluency in a foreign language

DO NOT OVERRATE YOUR SKILLS. You may be asked to demonstrate them during an interview

Sample Skills SectionCOMPUTER SKILLS Experienced with Macintosh, Windows XP, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Publisher

LANGUAGESMandarin Chinese (fluent)Spanish (conversational)

ReferencesChoose references that are knowledgeable about

your skills, abilities, and work ethics.

Former employers, teachers, and counselors would be good references

Your friends and relatives are NOT acceptable

Always obtain permission from references in advance and provide them with current resume

Ideally, you want one professional, one academic, and one character reference.

Remember

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• Always submit a cover letter with your resume

• A resume does not get you a job… it gets you an interview

• Putting time and consideration into your resume is one of the best ways to prepare for your interviews!

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!