Free High School Resume Templates
(+ Writing Tips)

Nilda Melissa Diaz By Nilda Melissa Diaz, Career Advice ContributorRated 4.5/5 Stars

 Wondering how to write a resume for a high school student? It is easier than you think! As long as you do your research and feature the right information, you can write an impressive resume even if you have no professional work experience. 

Use one of our free high school resume templates below, or choose a premium template to edit easily in our Resume Builder and start building your high school resume. 

Premium high school resume templates

Let’s start by looking at high school resume examples for different scenarios. Do you have internship experience? No experience? Part-time experience? We got you with our resume examples for high school students. These examples are part of our premium high school resume templates, created by design professionals to highlight what matters most in each scenario. You can choose one below to customize it in our Resume Builder. With our step-by-step guide, you’ll finish your resume in no time.

High school resume template with no experience

This resume for a high school student is organized to highlight your career objective, summary of qualifications, skills and professional skills, above work history and education. Its main purpose is to show the hiring manager what you can do.

High school resume template with volunteer experience

This high school student resume template doesn’t have a bulleted “Skills” section, and the “Summary of Qualifications” is in the rail, making the main focus the “Professional Skills” section. The top three skills acquired from volunteer experience are featured, along with details on what was accomplished for the organization by using those skills.

High school resume template with personal project experience

In this resume template for a high school student, the “Professional Skills” section is named “Relevant Skills.” They’re connecting the skills learned from projects and the job they want to apply to, showing that they have what it takes to do the job despite not having a professional background.

Resume for high school student with internship experience

This high school resume template features some work experience and relevant skills from internships.

Resume for high school student with experience

In this particular high school resume, the candidate has enough work experience to be organized so that the work history is front and center.

Resume for high school student with leadership experience

While the candidate in this high school resume template doesn’t have professional work experience, they highlight the leadership experience they have gained from high school club activities.

High school resume template with extracurricular activities

You don’t have to look far for work experience. In this high school resume template, the candidate writes their experience tutoring, as a secretary of their Government Club and as treasurer of their Women in STEM Club under work history.

Resume for high school student with customer service experience

In this high school resume, the candidate has detailed their relevant skills and explained how efficient they are as an employee in their work history section.

Resume for high school student with food service experience

The candidate in this high school resume template has at least two years of experience working in the food service industry and has written what she’s looking for in the career objective.

For hundreds of more resume examples you can use as inspiration, visit our resume examples section.

Download Template

Download free high school resume templates

Want to download and edit a resume on your own? Choose from the best free high school resume templates below. If you want to see the other types of free templates available, look at our professional resume templates, simple resume templates, creative resume templates and modern resume templates.

Remarkable

Make a statement with this free high school resume template, which utilizes box graphics for headings and a prominent header space to showcase the job applicant’s name.

Strong

This template is perfect to create your high school resume, as it conveys confidence with solid borders and bold fonts.

Structured

A minimalist design makes this a great resume template for a high school student who wants a pop of color while keeping it simple.

Contemporary

This two-column high school resume template allows you to organize your information easily.

Cool

With a prominent header and duotone columns, this design will make sure your high school resume looks professional.

Deluxe

Sometimes, a straightforward high school resume template is the way to go. This design makes for quick and easy navigation.

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How to write a high school resume

  • Include your contact information.

    Make sure to create a professional email address for your high school resume, if you don’t already have one, and include a phone number where the employer can reach you.

  • Capture your intentions in your career objective.

    A career objective is one to two sentences where you state your goals for employment. It lets the employer know your intentions of getting hired for that role and what skills and experiences you have that make you ideal for the job. It’s at the top of your high school resume template, so make sure to feature the most relevant information.

  • Focus on your skills.

    Your skills and abilities are the heart of your high school resume — remember to tailor them to the job you’re applying for. On some occasions, your skills will only be written down in a simple bulleted list titled “Skills.” Other times, however, your high school resume template will allow you to organize your skills into categories and explain them in more detail, as the high school resume example shows.

    • “Professional Skills” or “Relevant Skills” section: Choose your top three core skills that match the job requirements. Dive further into them by using three to five bullet points per skill to explain what you did or achieved utilizing that skill. Use numbers (or quantifiable metrics) when possible to better portray the results of your skills.
    • “Summary of Qualifications” section: Choose the top three skills that you’ve learned or used in internships, projects or extracurricular activities that qualify you for the role. Briefly explain how you used these skills in a single sentence.
  • Relevant experience is good experience.

    If you don’t have professional work experience, include internships, academic experiences, personal projects, extracurricular activities (such as volunteer work, sports or clubs), or temporary work experiences, like babysitting, camp counseling or seasonal positions. You’ll see that a lot of the high school resume templates on this page include these situations.

    If you have work experience, go beyond daily tasks and use your bullet points to highlight work achievements in your high school resume. If you can include quantifiable metrics, even better. For example:

    • Instead of:
      “Prepared coffee for customers.”
    • Write:
      “Poured and prepared coffee for over 30 customers daily.”
    • Instead of:
      “Created content for social media.”
    • Write:
      “Created monthly calendar with over eight posts for the school’s social media accounts.”
  • List where you study and any training you completed.

    Write your high school’s name, its location and your expected graduation date in your high school resume. If you have taken relevant training or possess a certification (such as CPR or Life Saver) that can help you in this new role, include them as well.

Include action verbs in your high school resume

High School Student Resume Templates

Rather than just claiming you have a skill, feature examples of how you’ve used that skill, using action verbs to describe specific experiences where you used or acquired it. The result? A more effective resume.

You’ll mostly use action verbs in your “Summary of Qualifications,” “Professional Skills” and “Work History” sections. For example, note this high school resume example. The highlighted words are action verbs that mark you as a proactive, energetic job applicant and strengthen each statement. As you can see, first-person pronouns (like “I,” “me” or “my”) are omitted.

Action verbs for a high school resume template

  • COMMUNICATING
  • Addressed
  • Arranged
  • Corresponded
  • Developed
  • Directed
  • Drafted
  • Edited
  • Enlisted
  • Influenced
  • Interpreted
  • Participated
  • Persuaded
  • Presented
  • Promoted
  • Proposed
  • Related
  • Sold
  • Spoke
  • Translated
  • Wrote
  • CREATING
  • Acted
  • Conceived
  • Conceptualized
  • Created
  • Customized
  • Designed
  • Developed
  • Established
  • Fashioned
  • Illustrated
  • Improved
  • Initiated
  • Originated
  • Performed
  • Planned
  • Redesigned
  • Reshaped
  • Revitalized
  • HELPING
  • Assisted
  • Clarified
  • Coached
  • Counseled
  • Demonstrated
  • Educated
  • Guided
  • Motivated
  • Referred
  • Supported
  • Tutored
  • MANAGING
  • Accomplished
  • Analyzed
  • Attained
  • Conducted
  • Consolidated
  • Contacted
  • Coordinated
  • Developed
  • Directed
  • Established
  • Evaluated
  • Exceeded
  • Improved
  • Initiated
  • Organized
  • Oversaw
  • Planned
  • Produced
  • Scheduled
  • RESEARCHING
  • Collected
  • Consulted
  • Evaluated
  • Examined
  • Experimented
  • Identified
  • Inspected
  • Investigated
  • Obtained
  • Reviewed
  • Searched
  • Summarized
  • Surveyed
  • TECHNICAL
  • Assembled
  • Built
  • Calculated
  • Computed
  • Configured
  • Determined
  • Edited
  • Enhanced
  • Installed
  • Maintained
  • Operated
  • Programmed
  • Remodeled
  • Solved
  • Trained
  • Upgraded

7 tips to perfect your high school resume

  1. The job posting is your outline.

    Employers will spell out what they’re looking for in a candidate and the requirements needed to get hired in the job description. Read it well and you’ll find exactly what you need to include in your high school resume, such as the top skills they want the candidate to have.

  2. Make a list of your skills and abilities.

    Before writing your high school resume, list all the skills you possess and divide them into three categories: hard skills, soft skills and technical skills.

    • A hard skill is a tangible ability you learn through formal education and training or on the job and is job-specific. For example: sales, design, writing, social media marketing, language, presentation or project management.
    • A soft skill is an intangible ability and personal attribute that shows how you approach a task. For example: attention to detail, problem-solving, self-motivation, time management and communication.
    • A technical skill is an ability or knowledge needed to perform a job. For example: Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Lightroom), Microsoft Office Suite, Google Docs, Java or HTML5.

    For more skill suggestions and tips, check out our Top Resume Skills for 2021.

  3. Tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for.

    No two jobs are the same. Adjust your resume for each job application and employer by using the right keywords in your high school student resume template, based on specific phrases in the job description that highlight important skills and requirements.

  4. Find resume examples to use as inspiration.

    A resume example is a great tool to understand the tone, language, and formatting you should use. Look for professional examples similar to your situation, address the same job or belong to the same industry.

  5. Only include relevant information.

    Hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds reviewing resumes. Be sure only to highlight information relevant to the job posting.

  6. Review and edit your resume with someone you trust.

    Talk to your parents, guardian, teacher or guidance counselor and sit down with them to look over your high school resume. Get their feedback and edit accordingly.

  7. Make sure you have the permissions necessary to work.

    Specific laws vary by state, but generally, minors need permission from their parents or legal guardian to work a part-time job, and they must notify their school. Companies may also require the parent or guardian to sign a waiver, even if it’s a summer job.

Additional resources for your high school resume template

Choosing a resume template for high school students is only the first step. Here are some expert resources to write a perfect resume and cover letter:

  • How to Write a Resume: Learn how to write each section of your resume with step-by-step instructions and examples.
  • 100+ Resume Summary Examples: What’s the difference between a resume summary and an objective statement? Read to find out.
  • 280+ Action Verbs for Resume Writing: You know it’s important to include action verbs in your high school resume. Here are over 280 of them.
  • Best Resume Format for 2022: Choosing the right resume format is just as important as selecting the best high school resume template. Learn more about the chronological, functional and combination resume formats.
  • How to Write a Cover Letter: A cover letter is especially useful when you don’t have a lot of work experience. Introduce yourself and convince the employer to hire you.
  • Cover Letter Templates: Find the perfect match for your high school student resume template.
  • Cover Letter Examples: Need inspiration to write a cover letter? We have over 500 cover letter examples for different jobs and industries.

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1

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2

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