How to Create a Resume for a Teenager

Seeking employment can be an exciting but anxious time for a teen, especially if it's a teenager's first job. If you are a teenager beginning to apply for a part time or seasonal job, or if you're helping a teenager, you may have to be creative about listing job experience to potential employers.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Beginning A Resume

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1
Be consistent with formatting choices. A solid format is a must for a resume. If you're a teen, you may have limited experience with resume format. Whatever choices you make, keep them consistent throughout.
- Make choices about how to outline your experience. Resumes usually list your job titles followed by explanations of your tasks. You can use short paragraphs or bullet points to explain experience, but you should keep the method you use consistent throughout. If you explain your duties for one job in paragraph form, all your job duties should be listed that way.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Certain parts of a resume will be in bold or italics to draw attention to a job title, school, or work place. Make sure any choices you make about highlighting words are consistent. For example, say you choose to list one of your jobs like this: Server, Emma's Grill. For the remainder of your resume, you should have your job titles in bold and the name of your workplaces in italics.
- Font size and spacing should also be unified throughout. For example, you can always use size 12 font to list a job title, and size 10 for your place of work and job descriptions.
In general, your resume should not go over a single page. Sometimes, people who've been in the same field long term may have a lengthier resume that goes over a single page but as a teen you're likely just starting out in the industry so you should keep you resume to a page.^{[2]XResearch source}
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3
Select a format. You need to choose a format for your resume. Resumes are designed in a variety of ways and there are no hard and fast rules for formatting. However, any choice you make should be easy to read for potential employers.
- All resumes should include a heading at the top that includes your name and basic contact information. The text here should be bigger than the other text on the page.
- Resume fonts should be professional in appearance and easy to read. Overly flashy, cursive fonts are a bad idea for resumes. Stick to fonts like Calibri, Arial, Georgie, Times New Roman, and other easy to read, formal fonts.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Color can be used lightly in a resume and may help yours stand out. You can add color to headings like "Experience," "Education," and "Additional Skills." However, the color should be darker shades of primary colors like deep blues and purples. Avoid difficult to read shades, like yellows, or flashy, neon colors like lime greens and hot pinks.
- Some resumes, especially if you work in a creative field, may use more creative formatting. Browsing creative resumes on Pinterest and Flickr can give you ideas of a unique format. However, you should strive to keep your resume readable and professional above anything else. Also, as a teen you may be lacking experience and a potential employer may look more harshly on a creatively designed resume as they may see it as a way to hide a small work history.^{[4]XResearch source}
4
Add basic contact information. All resumes should include certain basic contact information. Make sure you include the following information somewhere near the top of your resume:
- Include your name, which should be written in larger print than other parts of the resume. You want your name to be somewhere at the top of the page, serving as a header above the other text.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Below your name, include your address, home phone number, and e-mail address. Use a professional sounding e-mail, that uses your full name instead of a nickname or something informal. You should also make sure any voice mail greetings you have on your phone are professional in case you miss a call regarding a job.^{[6]XResearch source}
5
Include an objective. While objectives are getting less and less popular for resumes, if you're a teen it's still a good idea to include a few sentences about your career goals.
- An objective should come in the form of a 2 to 3 line paragraph that states what you want to do professional and why you would be good at it.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Try to be as specific as possible. Avoid statements like, "My goal is to obtain a position in my chosen field. I want to use my skills and education to further my experience. I am a hard worker." This does not really tell your employer anything specific about you. Ask yourself, "What are my specific skills? What can I bring to this position?" As the more specific the better, it's a good idea to quickly rewrite your objective for each job you apply to, catering it to that employer's specific wants and needs.^{[8]XResearch source}
- For example, say you've always been interested in politics and are trying to get a summer internship with a political campaign. A good objective for that job would be something like, "I am a longtime campaign volunteer with 3 years of experience with campaign work. I am looking to break into a political career path by furthering my experience with fundraising, advertising, and general campaign management."^{[9]XResearch source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Adding Your Skillset

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1
Include your educational level. As teens frequently have little experience beyond their high school education, include a section outlining our education on the top of your resume.
- Start with your most recent school and work your way back. However, you should not go all the way back to elementary school. Just list your college, if you're enrolled, and your high school education.^{[10]XResearch source}
- If you've accrued any honors during high school or college, it's a good idea to list them. Things like the honors roll, honors college, or Dean's list speak to a strong work ethic. If you have a particularly high GPA, you might want to list that too.^{[11]XResearch source}
2
Add work experience creatively. Oftentimes, teens have yet to have a real job or their work experience is very limited. However, there are ways to creatively present work experience in a way that displays a strong skill set even if work experience is limited.
- List formal or informal volunteer work, babysitting, or any gardening, dog walking, or other chores you may have done for relatives or neighbors for money. Even if these are not highly formal jobs that require a large skill set, the fact you performed them on a somewhat regular basis speaks to a strong work ethic and good time management skills.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Low wage, part time jobs may not seem like much, but mentioning things like waitressing or retail work can look good if you highlight how such jobs helped you with interpersonal communication. Focus on how you talked to and assisted customers and the vast amount of information you had to manage.
3
Use your words wisely. Make use of resume "buzz words" when you list the jobs you have held. Buzz words are words used on resumes to make work experience appear impressive to help catch an employer's eye.
- Online, you can find lists of resume buzzwords that will help up your chances of getting the job you want. Things like classified, analyzed, facilitated, collected, assessed, calculated, trained, and designed are just a small example of the kinds of words that look great on a resume.
- Using buzzwords can make jobs seem impressive and emphasize the transferable skills you gained from basic labor jobs. If you waitress on the weekend in high school, a good bullet point for your job description might be "Interacted politely with multiple customers on a nightly basis, maintaining a positive public image for the business."
- Specifics are also important. Employers love it when tasks are quantified. Say you're a junior in high school and spent the summer tutoring middle school students in math. Instead of saying "Tutored students each week," can be worded in a more impressive manner and in a way that quantifies your work. For example, "Tutored a rotating group of 6 to 7 students on a bi-weekly basis, conveying concepts of basic algebra and geometry in an age-appropriate manner."^{[13]XResearch source}
4
List any special skills or achievements. While you may be spotty on actual job experience, having a section titled something like "Achievements and Honors" can help you highlight impressive non-work related information.
- If you've ever won any contests or excelled in an extracurricular activity, this would be a great thing to add in a resume.^{[14]XResearch source}
- Being the captain of a team, playing a sport, having a band, or operating a blog with appropriate content are all things that are impressive to employers as they show a capacity for leadership and initiative.^{[15]XResearch source}
- If you're a college student, list any scholarships you received. Putting emphasis on high grades and good study skills shows that you're a hard worker and would apply yourself to a job if hired.^{[16]XResearch source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Setting Yourself Apart

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1
Find two references. References are a great thing to include on a resume for a teenager. As experience might be lacking, having a couple of people vouch for your work ethic is vital to setting yourself apart.
- References should be people who can speak to your skill set. Choose teachers, former bosses, people you've worked with volunteering, coaches, music instructors, or even a family friend who's known you for a long time.^{[17]XResearch source}
- You should avoid listing friends or relatives, as this can look unprofessional.^{[18]XResearch source}
2
Emphasize your work ethic. If your experience is limited, there are ways to emphasis your work ethic anyway. Employers may be hesitant to hire inexperienced workers, but they may take a chance on you if you appear to be a hard worker.
- Focus on your academic achievements. If you have not had a lot of practical experience but where a high achiever in terms of grades and test scores, this may impress an employer.^{[19]XResearch source}
- Are you proficient with any software? Many college or high school courses cover softwares that may be important for certain jobs. If you're proficient in something like Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, list that here.^{[20]XResearch source}
- If you speak a second language, this can also impress employers. Even just having conversational skills in Spanish or French due to high school courses can look good on a resume.^{[21]XResearch source}
A good resume should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Make sure you proofread carefully. You should also have someone else read over your resume for you to make sure you caught all the errors. Sometimes, if you're working on a document for a long time you tend to get typo blind and miss obvious errors.^{[22]XResearch source}
You should not send out the same resume for every job you applied to. Try to tailor your resume to fit a variety of positions. If you're applying for a basic labor job, keep in your experience with things like waitressing and yard work. If you're applying for an internship, shift focus to volunteer experience, academic achievement, and relevant coursework.

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Question
What should not be included in a resume?
Shannon O'Brien, MA, EdM
Career Coach
Shannon O'Brien is the Founder and Principal Advisor of Whole U. (a career and life strategy consultancy based in Boston, MA). Through advising, workshops and e-learning Whole U. empowers people to pursue their life's work and live a balanced, purposeful life. Shannon has been ranked as the #1 Career Coach and #1 Life Coach in Boston, MA by Yelp reviewers. She has been featured on Boston.com, Boldfacers, and the UR Business Network. She received a Master's of Technology, Innovation, & Education from Harvard University.
Shannon O'Brien, MA, EdM
Career Coach
Expert Answer
Don't bulk up your résumé with fillers. Don't be nervous if you have a short résumé. Managers only want the most important information from your job experience. If you add too many fillers to make it two or three pages, you might lose your audience. Also, don't lie about anything. Don't inflate your experience by saying you have three years of involvement in something when you really have three months. Or say that you went to an Ivy League college when you really went to a state college. These days, it's very easy for hiring managers to research you and find out the truth.
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Question
What should be on a resume for a teenager?
Shannon O'Brien, MA, EdM
Career Coach
Shannon O'Brien is the Founder and Principal Advisor of Whole U. (a career and life strategy consultancy based in Boston, MA). Through advising, workshops and e-learning Whole U. empowers people to pursue their life's work and live a balanced, purposeful life. Shannon has been ranked as the #1 Career Coach and #1 Life Coach in Boston, MA by Yelp reviewers. She has been featured on Boston.com, Boldfacers, and the UR Business Network. She received a Master's of Technology, Innovation, & Education from Harvard University.
Shannon O'Brien, MA, EdM
Career Coach
Expert Answer
Include information about your education, work experience, and skills. Also, include an interests section. If you love surfing in Australia, you're a well-known DJ, or you have any other fun hobby, add it to your résumé. Interest sections humanize you and make you more interesting, even if it's only one sentence. Add a summary or objective statement, too. Objective statements help managers who are already grappling with too much information understand faster what you're trying to do. Lay out where you've been, where you want to go, and what you're good at.
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Should I add the times I am available? If yes, wherein the resume should I add it?
Community Answer
There is no need to include your availability in your resume. That's something you'll discuss if granted an interview.
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When you create a resume for a teenager, some companies prefer that you fill in application forms on their website, or include email attachments or electronic files. Follow each employer's specific instructions.
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Writing a resume for a teen should be a cooperative process. If you're an adult trying to help, get your teenager involved to help develop the independence needed in a competitive job market.
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Include reputable references that are not members of the immediate family. Letters of recommendation from teachers, previous employers, and public officials could impress potential employers.
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