High School Resume Templates And Writing Guide For Students

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Writing a high school resume can be challenging, especially for students with limited work experience. Several resources offer free high school resume templates and guidance to help students create effective resumes for job applications, college admissions, and scholarship opportunities.

Free High School Resume Templates

Multiple websites provide free high school resume templates that students can download and customize. These templates eliminate formatting challenges and allow students to focus on content. Available template options include:

• Simple Resume Template: A timeless layout with an understated design and clean look that works for high school students and professionals alike
• Professional Resume Template: Emphasizes work experience and skills, with flexibility to replace work experience with extracurricular activities or volunteering if needed
• College Resume Template: Designed for recent graduates and applicants with little to no work experience
• Creative Resume Template: Features a light on dark header and circle style skill graphs, suitable for creative industries
• Modern Resume Template: An organized design featuring brackets and squares, a step up from basic designs
• Functional Resume Template: Focuses on skills rather than chronological work history

Essential Resume Components

A well-structured high school resume should include several key sections. Contact information should be prominently displayed at the top, with the student's name in a larger font than the rest of the text. The phone number listed should be the student's own, not a family member's, with a professional voicemail greeting.

The education section should highlight the student's academic background, including the high school name, location, expected or actual graduation date, and relevant coursework. Students with strong GPAs may choose to include this information, while those with lower GPAs might focus on other strengths.

The experience section can include formal employment, volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and leadership roles. Experiences should be listed in reverse chronological order, with bullet points highlighting specific achievements and responsibilities. For example:

• Sales Associate position with documented achievements in customer service and sales
• Volunteer Tutor role showing academic assistance and organizational skills
• Editor for School Newspaper demonstrating content creation and management abilities

Skills Section Development

High school resumes should showcase both hard and soft skills relevant to the position or opportunity being pursued. Hard skills might include technical abilities such as:

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Data Entry
• Social Media Management
• Graphic Design
• Basic HTML
• Public Speaking

Equally important are soft skills that demonstrate personal attributes and qualities transferable to various roles:

• Leadership
• Time Management
• Communication
• Adaptability
• Organization
• Creativity
• Critical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Conflict Resolution

Formatting and Presentation Tips

A well-formatted resume creates a strong first impression. The best format for a high school resume is simple and clean, using professional fonts like Rubik, Lato, or Volkhov in sizes between 10 and 12 points. The document should fit on one page with consistent structure and bold headings for each section.

Bullet points should be used instead of long paragraphs to make the resume skimmable, with margins between 0.5" and 1" to ensure balanced content. Before submitting, careful proofreading is essential to eliminate spelling mistakes and formatting errors that could appear unprofessional.

Cover Letter Considerations

While not always required, a cover letter can help high school students stand out when applying for jobs or internships. An effective cover letter should be concise—approximately three short paragraphs—and include:

• A strong opening mentioning the position and expressing enthusiasm
• A middle paragraph highlighting relevant skills and experiences
• A closing paragraph reiterating interest and inviting further discussion

Even without formal work experience, students can mention school activities, volunteer work, or personal projects that demonstrate responsibility and work ethic in their cover letters.

Conclusion

Creating a high school resume requires careful consideration of content, structure, and presentation. Free templates are available to simplify the formatting process, allowing students to focus on effectively presenting their education, experiences, and skills. By tailoring the resume to highlight individual strengths and following formatting best practices, high school students can create professional documents suitable for job applications, college admissions, and scholarship opportunities.

Sources

1. NovoResume Career Blog
2. BeamJobs Resume Examples
3. My Resume Templates
4. Resume Mentor