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 ([email protected] is not appropriate) Check e-mail on a daily basis
Sample HeadingsMike Jones
1 Meadow WayAltamonte Springs, FL 32116
(407) [email protected]
Susan [email protected]
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 [email protected]
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!