How to Write Your First Resume

Building a resume can be a piece of cake when you have years of experience under your belt, but it’s a little more challenging when you’re first getting started. You generally have credentials to list under the education category, at least a professional position or two for work experience, and perhaps even some awards and recognitions.

If you’re a high school student applying for a summer internship, your very first job, a scholarship, or even post-secondary education, for instance, you may not have much concrete information with which to create your resume. But fear not: there is plenty to include to create a stellar product.

First, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose of a resume: not only do you want to highlight your strengths and attributes, but you want to market yourself for the position or award for which you are applying. If you are seeking a philanthropic scholarship, for instance, you want to stress your volunteer experience, but what you showcase would likely change if you were applying for an academic award, a leadership position, or a specific job.

Second, one thing you can absolutely include is your educational experience. Be sure to list the school you attend as well as your GPA. Also include any recognitions you have received for education, such as Dean’s List, honor roll, etc. Additionally, highlight the courses that you have taken — courses that are particularly challenging (and therefore show your drive and perseverance) or courses that directly relate to the position for which you are applying. For instance, if you are seeking a position as an administrative assistant, be sure to note the keyboarding and business classes you have taken.

Third, you may want to consider straying from the traditional resume format and instead showcase the traits that make you a perfect fit for the position or award for which you are applying. That is, instead of listing categories like “Work Experience” and “Recognitions,” use headings like “Teamwork,” “Leadership,” and “Organization.” Under each category, then, you can list examples of how you have exemplified that characteristic. Being in the tech crew for your school’s musical is not formal work experience by any means, but it certainly shows that you can work with others, take direction (and likely give some as well), manage your time, and stick with something: all of these are excellent qualities that show your work ethic, which is exactly what employers (and scholarship committees and college admissions officers) want to see.

Relatedly, it’s essential to keep your resume short. Individuals spend on average only six seconds perusing each document. While it’s important to market yourself well and showcase your strong attributes, it is equally as imperative to do so in a clear and concise manner. Don’t list every single extracurricular as one in which you exhibited great teamwork: select one or two on which to focus. Don’t list every single family for whom you babysat or whose lawn you mowed as initiative: simply list “babysitting” and “yard work.”

Perhaps most importantly, it is absolutely imperative to make your resume visually appealing. First, it should absolutely be typed. Do so at home, at school, at the library, wherever you have access to a computer and a printer. Using an online resume builder is ideal, as you can access your resume wherever you have an electronic device and WiFi; such a product also helps you format your resume in a well-organized fashion. Second, be sure to proofread your resume for consistency (i.e. capitalize all headings, end each bullet point with a period, etc.) and for spelling and grammatical errors; when there are dozens of applicants for one position, even tiny little missteps can leave a big impact.

There is no doubt that creating your first resume can be a daunting task, but keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be. There is no way that you have done nothing in your sixteen or eighteen or twenty-two years of life: rather, you have a wealth of experiences from which to draw, countless examples of ways that you have shown marketable characteristics. The trick is to format your resume in such a way to minimize your lack of experience and maximize those tremendous traits.