Resume Examples for Teens: Templates and Writing Guide

Even without extensive work experience, you can put together a well-crafted resume that highlights your unique skills and achievements. This guide will walk you through how to make a standout teenager resume. We’ll cover the basics and provide high school resume tips to help you customize and refine your writing. With real examples, you’ll learn how to present your professional potential in a way that compels hiring managers to reach out for an interview.

Understanding the Basics of a Teenager Resume

Purpose of a teenager resume

A resume for teenagers won’t look like an adult’s — and that’s okay. Think of it as a snapshot of your professional potential. It’s a chance to highlight your skills and relevant experiences to employers, even if you don’t have much (or any) time in the workforce.

First-time jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities will often require a resume for the hiring process. If you’re ready to join the 55% of young people employed in the U.S., you’ll need to be prepared with a document that presents your unique strengths and relevant achievements.

Key components

Each section of your resume should work together to communicate how your past experiences have prepared you to excel in the position you’re applying for. When writing a resume for teens, use a basic template and include these sections:

• Contact information
• Objective statement
• Education
• Experience
• Skills
• Additional sections

Steps To Building a Teenager Resume

Gathering necessary information

Before tackling your resume, gather everything you’ll need to put together a strong professional profile. Pull out a notebook to organize everything you’d like to include on your resume.

Jot down your contact information, education, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and relevant skills. If you do have work experience, consider how that could relate to the job you’re applying for and anything you achieved at work.

Choosing the right format

Once you’ve collected everything you need, it’s time to choose your resume style. There are three options you can choose from:

• Chronological: This classic format focuses on your past experience with a reverse-chronological timeline of your work history. If you’ve had a couple of jobs before the one you’re applying for, this is a great choice.

• Functional: Perfect for a first-job resume, the functional format focuses on your abilities rather than your experience. This resume style’s strategy involves describing how your skills would benefit potential employers.

• Combination: As a mix of the other two formats, the combination resume presents a balance of skills and work experience. If you have some experience but it’s not quite relevant, this style will serve you well.

Detailed Guide To Writing Each Section

Contact information

First, start with your name in big bold letters to make it stand out. Next comes your phone number and a professional-sounding email. If your current address sounds silly or overly casual, you may need to create a new email account. Using your name or a combination of your initials is the best way to go.

You don’t need to provide your entire street address — city and state are fine. Also, if you have a LinkedIn account that could help your chances, include a link.

Writing an effective objective statement

An objective statement is a brief paragraph at the top of your resume that should grab the attention of potential employers. Mention a few key strengths and summarize your professional goals. But here’s the catch — it should show hiring managers how those things could benefit them and make them think, “I’d like to know more about this person.”

Keep it short and sweet, using two to three sentences, and tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for. Show that you’ve done your homework and know what the employer needs. Use adjectives and action verbs to show your enthusiasm. Let’s review how you can do this in the examples below.

Highlighting education

Oftentimes, your main “experience” as a teen will be your education. This section is important to get right and can provide more insight to hiring managers about your ability to perform and contribute.

If you’re still in high school, list your diploma in progress. Include the high school’s name and location and your expected graduation date. If you’ve attended multiple high schools, start with your current one first. Definitely include your GPA here if it’s greater than 3.5 and any honors, like academic awards, scholarships, and special recognition.

Also, including select coursework is a great way to show you’re knowledgeable on relevant topics. For instance, if you’re applying for a software development internship, highlight any computer or coding classes. Here’s a quick example:

Detailing experience

It can be intimidating to fill an experience section without having held any official jobs yet. If that’s you — don’t worry. You likely have more experience than you realize. If you’ve held part-time jobs or participated in volunteer work and internships, you’ve gained valuable skills and unique experiences.

For each “position” list your title, the organization name, and dates of involvement. Then, use action verbs to create a bulleted list describing what you were responsible for and what you accomplished. Use numbers to quantify what you achieved in the past. Think: How many? How often? How much?

Showcasing skills

A strong skills list can really make you shine, especially if you don’t have much work experience yet. Think of it like a personal toolbox that shows employers what you can do.

The job description will list everything the hiring manager is looking for, including soft skills (personality traits and abilities) and hard skills (technical proficiencies you can learn).

Compare their list of job requirements with your own skill set. Include those abilities that match up with the job ad first, then add any you think could be valuable. Let’s explore some examples of hard and soft skills.

Adding additional sections

Sometimes you’ll need to create special sections that don’t fall within standard resume templates for teens. This can include extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports teams or special credentials like a CPR certification. Or, perhaps you’re fluent in several languages. Creating an additional section featuring that ability is a great way to highlight it.

Don’t discount your special interests either. For example, suppose you’re applying for a baking assistant job, and you have a passion for baking. Include a section on this special interest and detail your accomplishments, personal projects, and skills.

Tips for Making a Teenager Resume Stand Out

Customizing your resume

One of the best entry-level resume tips is to tailor every resume you submit. While it might seem faster and easier to use the same resume for every job application, customizing each copy of your resume will increase your chances of getting an interview.

Before submitting an application, adjust each section of your resume to match the needs of that employer. Align the objective statement, rearrange the skills list, and add or subtract achievements from your experience sections.

This shouldn’t be a complete rewrite or a copy and paste of the job description, though. The goal is to show how you would be a good fit for that specific job.

Using keywords

Using the right language and phrasing throughout your resume can help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). This special software looks for specific keywords in your resume that align with the company’s needs and culture, filtering out candidates who wouldn’t be a good fit.

For example, imagine you’re applying for a position at a local cafe. The job posting mentions “barista experience” and “customer service skills.” If you meet those qualifications, incorporate these phrases naturally into your resume and provide evidence of your experience.

Tools like WordCloud Generator can scan a job posting and order phrases from most relevant to least. This can give you a good starting place for which skills and experiences to prioritize on your teenager resume.

Highlighting achievements over duties

When describing your past experiences, whether at a job or during a school project, focus on what you achieved, not just what you were responsible for. This helps demonstrate your unique value to potential employers and makes your resume more memorable.

So, instead of simply saying, “Responsible for cash register,” be more specific by using action verbs and numbers. Try something like this, “Process transactions totaling over $2,000 per day while maintaining 100% accuracy.”

Proofreading and editing

A well-written, error-free resume is the expectation for any job you apply for. Typos can make you come across as careless, so don’t rush to submit a resume before taking time to proofread and edit — it’s crucial for making a positive first impression.

After your initial rounds of editing, get some feedback from a parent, trusted mentor, or teacher. You’d be surprised how easy it is to miss an error or forget a key detail. Even digital writing assistants like Grammarly or ChatGPT can help when crafting a teen resume.

Examples of Teenager Resumes

Part-time job resume example

Even if you’re only applying for a part-time gig, your resume should be tailored to an employer’s needs. Look at this entry-level resume example to get a good idea of how to feature your most relevant skills and past experiences.

Internship resume example

Emphasizing your eagerness to learn and apply your skills is a great way to land your dream internship. The example below works to immediately communicate the candidate’s strengths and back up their experiences with a list of relevant abilities.

Volunteer work resume example

Leveraging your extracurricular activities is a great way to show potential employers that you’ve had relevant experience. This final volunteer resume example demonstrates that, even without a formal job, you can convey a sense of accomplishment.

Crafting an effective resume for teenagers starts with recognizing that, no matter your level of experience, you have valuable qualities to offer. Even if the positions you’re interested in don’t require a resume, it’s always good to be prepared.

We know it can be intimidating to apply for new jobs. But now that you’ve seen our teenager resume examples and learned a few effective strategies, you’re well-equipped to make a strong first impression on potential employers.

Resources for further assistance

• How To List Volunteer Work Experience on a Resume
• How To Make a Resume with No Experience
• How To Write Your First Job Resume

Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.