Payne- English IV
Resume Writing for High School Seniors
Resume writing guidelines:
1. NEATNESS—format and general appearance matters. Use a font that is easy to read and
organize your information in a fluid, easy-to-read fashion. If you actually submit a resume for
employment, you should print a copy on “good” paper, not regular copy paper.
2. SPELLING and GRAMMAR—yes, employers and scholarship committees prefer to hire or give
money to the most qualified. PROOFREAD!
3. DON’T LIE—if your GPA isn’t the greatest, don’t lie; colleges see your transcripts.
4. DON’T BE MODEST—of course, you’re not going to lie, but you must showcase your talents.
If it isn’t on your resume, employers and committees don’t know about it. This is your first
chance to make a good impression. Sometimes you will overlook your talents such as abilities to
“work well with others” or “lead others,” but you should showcase these talents as well.
5. REFERENCES—make sure that you ask your reference for permission to list them. Wouldn’t
it be embarrassing or counterproductive if your reference doesn’t think you would be qualified for
a job or scholarship? Try to confirm THREE references
6. One-two pages- MAXIMUM—this is glimpse into your abilities and skills; don’t be too wordy.
If you want to explain or elaborate, you should do so in a cover letter.
I have created a template for you to use (see next page). There is nothing fancy about it, but it is
functional and appropriate for real academic and employment opportunities (as long as you adhere to
neatness and format).
 Essentially, all you must do is fill in appropriate areas with your information.
 Any place that is in italics should be substituted with your information, watching
spelling, grammar, and word choice.
 Leave all headings as they are.
 Remember, you may have fewer or more bullets. As long as you maintain the format,
you will be ok.
Useful Links--Resume Writing Tips:
http://casnr.okstate.edu/pdf/how-to-resources/Skills_Exercises.pdf
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/skills-to-put-on-a-resume.html
http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resume_04.html
Power Verbs:
http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resources_job_powerwords.php
First and Last Name
Street Address
City, State Zip
Phone number
e-mail (if available)
Objective: To obtain employment (doing what or where?) and/or to obtain scholarships .
Qualifications/Skills/Talents:
 Use power verbs here!
 List and/or describe your talents, abilities, etc. (don’t be modest).
 Example could be that you are fluent in Spanish (highly sought-after skill in the
workplace).
 Maybe you are computer literate and know Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop, etc.
Awards and Honors: (If you have not received awards, you might want to skip this and remove
the heading so that it isn’t quite so obvious. Include awards and honors received during high
school only).
Education:
Name of High School
Street Address of HS
City and State of HS
 Possibly list the type of diploma you are pursuing
 List your GPA (hopefully you know it; it is located in Infinite Campu/transcript)
Extracurricular Activities:
Participation in clubs and extracurricular activities (band, football, etc.) with number of years
and any offices held (President of Student council)…each club or activity should be a separate
bullet.
Work Experience:
Place or Person you worked for (date started to date completed)
Responsibilities—using bullets, describe what you did; make sure you use power words/verbs!
You can use more than one bullet. For additional experiences follow the same format as above.
Volunteer Experience:
Place or Person (date started to date completed)
Responsibilities—using bullets, describe what you did; make sure you use power words/verbs!
You can use more than one bullet. For additional experience follow the same format as above.
References: Use at least THREE; list info in columns to save space.
Name
Address
Phone
Relationship (manager, priest, etc.)