Top 5 Resume Tips For Teens

By Marci Kawar

Putting a resume together as a teen can seem pretty overwhelming, especially if it’s your first job. With little or no experience, even the thought of putting a resume together can make you think twice about applying!

Well, don’t fear too much, we’ve got the top 5 tips to help make your resume look professional and stand out.

• Come up with an objective statement: An objective is a simple statement that explains a little about you and why you want to get a job. Don’t get too wordy. It’s best to save more personal and descriptive details for a cover letter.  A simple objective statement can be as basic as this: I’m a hard working and motivated high school student who would like the opportunity to be a valuable member of your team.
• Pump up your schooling: With little or no experience, try to embellish on any high school classes that might be relevant for your job. Think about any electives or clubs that you’re a part of or jot down any honors classes that you’re taking. This shows a prospective employer that you’re a serious student, and will give you an upper hand when it comes time to hire.
• Add hobbies or organizations: Think about any hobbies or organizations that you’re associated with. Try to think of things that you’ve been doing for an extended period of time. Whether it’s soccer, baking or bike riding, employers like to see consistency in your personal life. This is a great indicator of how committed you’ll be as an employee.
• Put down any volunteer work: Just because you didn’t get paid to do a food drive or a beach clean up, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put it down. Volunteer work looks great to employers! It shows commitment to a cause, and that you’re willing to spend your time helping others. Be sure to describe your responsibilities and what organization you were associated with.
• Use a Resume Template: Resume Templates are a great way to create a professional resume even with no experience. Find a template that is geared for teens and that will give you a great looking resume despite any lack of experience. Resume builders are also key to give your resume an overall look and design that represents you. So be sure to find one that suits you!

Remember, a nice looking and well written resume is what gets you to the next step – the interview! So be sure to look it over several times for spelling errors and accuracy. This is your first impression, so make sure it’s a good one!

Happy Job Hunting!

Marci is co-founder of Teen Job Prep, a one-stop shop for teens that offers a unique resume builder, fun video training & free tips geared to help teens get & keep a job!

Visit Teen Job Prep and use the code rutherfordmoms10 to get 10% off resume building & video training.