Your First Resume as a Rising Hero: A Guide for High‑Schoolers
From Blank Page to First Job: Writing a Résumé That Tells Your Story
You’ve got skills. You’ve got drive. You’ve got a story worth telling.
Now it’s time to put it on paper so the world can see what you bring to the table. Whether you’ve been grinding at part-time jobs, leading your school club, or building your hustle from scratch, your résumé is your introduction — the “opening chapter” to your career story.
Here’s how to make it one they can’t put down.
Before You Start — Gather Your Story Ingredients
You wouldn’t start a movie without a script. Same with a résumé — get your details ready before you type a word.
Collect:
Job postings for the kind of roles you want (look for patterns in skills and requirements).
A list of all experiences — paid, unpaid, school, volunteer, personal projects.
Any numbers, results, or impact you can measure (hours saved, money raised, people served).
Names and dates for schools, jobs, and activities.
Once you’ve got the raw material, you can start shaping your narrative.
Introducing Your Protagonist — Crafting a Compelling Summary
Your professional summary is your “first scene.” It’s short, but it’s the hook — the part that makes the reader want to stick around.
Tips & Tricks:
Lead with your strongest qualities that connect to the role or field.
Keep it 3–4 lines max — hiring managers skim, so make those lines hit.
Use relevant keywords from the job description without making it sound like copy-and-paste.
Highlight your value proposition — the unique mix of skills and perspective you bring.
Example (no job experience):
“Motivated high school graduate with leadership experience as Student Council Treasurer, skilled in event planning, budgeting, and social media management. Seeking to bring strong organizational skills and creativity to an entry-level administrative role.”
Show, Don’t Tell — Highlighting Transferable Skills
Anyone can say they’re a great communicator. The power is in showing it.
Tips & Tricks:
Pull examples from all areas:
School: group projects, presentations, leadership positions.
Volunteer work: event planning, fundraising, outreach.
Hobbies/projects: running a YouTube channel, organizing a basketball league, coding an app.
Quantify wherever possible — numbers grab attention:
“Raised $1,200 for school dance.”
“Tutored 5 peers in math, boosting their grades by an average of 10%.”
Start every bullet with a strong action verb: Coordinated, Led, Designed, Managed, Increased, Created.
Match skills to the field, not just the job. Applying in healthcare? Highlight empathy, teamwork, and organization. Going for retail? Focus on customer service, communication, and problem-solving.
Skills Section — Your Résumé’s Highlight Reel
Think of this as your “at-a-glance” strengths list. It’s one of the first things a hiring manager sees.
Tips & Tricks:
Choose 6–8 skills, mixing hard skills (specific knowledge) and soft skills (people skills).
Pull words directly from job postings — this helps your résumé pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Keep it relevant. “Photoshop” makes sense for a design internship; “CPR Certified” makes sense for a childcare role.
Example Skills Section:
Customer Service & Communication
Event Planning & Budgeting
Social Media Content Creation
Team Leadership
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Time Management
Formatting the Narrative — Design Best Practices
A good story is easy to follow. Your résumé should be, too.
Tips & Tricks:
Keep it to one page for your first résumé.
Use clear headings: Summary, Skills, Education, Experience, Volunteer Work, Projects.
Stick to clean, readable fonts (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica).
Make white space your friend — it helps the reader’s eyes move smoothly.
Keep dates, bullet styles, and font sizes consistent.
Save & send as PDF so it looks the same everywhere.
Education & Extras — Beyond the Classroom
If you don’t have much work experience, this is where you shine a light on what you have done.
What to Include:
School name, city, graduation date (or “Expected”).
GPA (if 3.5+).
Relevant coursework: “Intro to Business,” “Digital Media Design.”
Certifications: CPR, Canva Design, Google Analytics.
Activities/clubs: Debate team, robotics club, choir.
Leadership roles: Team captain, club president.
Pro tip: Treat big projects like mini work experiences — list them with bullet points showing what you did and what impact it had.
Plot Pitfalls — Avoiding Common Mistakes
Don’t let fixable errors make your story harder to read.
Avoid:
Overstuffing: Only include details that connect to the role you’re aiming for.
Vague bullets: Replace “helped with events” with “coordinated 50-person fundraiser, raising $1,200.”
Random formatting: Inconsistent fonts, spacing, or date formats make it look messy.
One-size-fits-all: Tailor for the field — highlight your creative work for an art internship, customer service skills for retail.
Ready for Publication — Proofreading & Feedback
Even the best authors need editors.
Tips & Tricks:
Read it aloud — awkward phrasing will jump out.
Print it and review with a pen.
Ask for feedback from a mentor, teacher, or trusted friend.
Use free tools like Grammarly to catch typos.
Keep it updated — every new skill or experience is a new chapter to add.
✨ Bottom line: Your first résumé isn’t just a list of jobs — it’s your first professional story. Keep it relevant, keep it real, and make it a page you’re proud to sign your name to.
Written with support from ChatGPT (OpenAI).
All images in this post were generated using OpenAI’s DALL·E image model via ChatGPT.
