Guide to Resume Writing for Teenagers
As a teenager, preparing your first resume can be a scary challenge, but it’s actually fairly simple to do once you learn the basics of its purpose, required information, and format.
Your resume isn’t meant to land you a job or to tell your life story. It’s a tool to get an employer interested in you and to get an interview. With that in mind, read on for the best tips on resume writing for students and teens.
What Goes in a Resume?
If you look at sample resumes, you’ll find a lot of variation in both the content and layout. Don’t feel that you have to exactly duplicate any particular resume outline; each one is different, and employers know to look for the key information they want and ignore idiosyncrasies. That said, don’t print your resume on colored paper or try to make it stand out visually; a resume should present just the facts in a clean, simple way.
The most important things to include on your resume are:
- Your full name and contact information (both phone and email)
- Your past/current education
- Previous (relevant) work experience, if any
- Skills and characteristics that will make you a great employee
Of course, there are other things you can add to flesh out a resume, such as hobbies, volunteer experience, and personal interests that give prospective employers an idea of who you are and why you’re a good candidate – but the focus, and the first few sections of the resume, is always your vital stats, education, and work experience.
What is a Cover Letter?
Cover letters are often considered optional today, and many employers don’t even take the time to read them. But in some cases, a well-written cover letter is a way to introduce yourself to a prospective employer, highlight your personal strengths, and explain why you want the job for which you’re applying.
It’s a good idea to look up sample resumes and cover letters online to get a feel for how they’re written and give you a head start.
What If I’ve Never Had a Job?
The first place most employers look is the job section of your resume, but don’t be discouraged if you lack work experience. There are other things you can include to demonstrate that you’re good employee material:
- Volunteering experience
- Academic awards
- Sports achievements
- Extracurricular activities that display leadership and teamwork skills
Think of your resume like an ad that shows off your best attributes, and why a prospective boss should want to hire you. What can you say about yourself in concrete terms that will convince a stranger to call you for an interview? Stick to real life examples and things you’ve done in the past, make your resume simple and straightforward, and you’ll be getting calls from prospective employers in no time.
Related posts: