Creating a Résumé

Your résumé--both an academic and workplace-oriented--need to be completed as soon as possible.  Some scholarships require a résumé with submission.  



You can add to your documents throughout the year as you earn more honors and awards.

The Résumé

The résumé is a selling tool that should outline your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer’s workplace.

Your résumé has to sell you in short order.  While you may have all the requirements for a particular position, your resume is a failure if the employer does not instantly come to the conclusion that you “have what it takes.”  The first hurdle your resume has to pass – whether it ends up in the “consider file” or the “reject file” – may take less than thirty seconds.

The most effective résumés are clearly focused on a specific job title and address the employer’s stated requirements for the position.  The more you know about the duties and skills required for the job – and organize your resume around these points – the more effective the résumé.  Be brief.  A one-page resume is usually appropriate unless you have more than ten years of relevant experience.

You will need information to write a good résumé.  Not just information about jobs you’ve held in the past, but also information to select the most relevant accomplishments, skills and experience for THIS position.  The more you know about the employer and the position, the more you can tailor your résumé to fit the job.

The chronological résumé presents your education and work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent listed first). Be sure to include relevant accomplishments or achievements.  Be sure to use action words communicating your ability to take initiative and make significant contributions to the workplace.  You should also be aware of sentence structure and keep all sentences in the same tense.

Limited experience.  As a high school student, you may find you have limited on-the-job experience.  There are other work-based skills you might list on your résumé that employers will find valuable.  These may include evidence of:

• leadership skills
• verbal and written communication skills
• interpersonal skills – the ability to work well with others
• problem-solving skills
• self-motivation/taking initiative
• teambuilding skills, the ability to work with and positively  influence others
• creativity, focus and defined career goals
• intelligence 
• academic and professional achievements to date
• integrity/honesty/ high ethical standards
• maturity
• flexibility/adaptability
• personal and professional confidence
• energy/enthusiasm
• well-roundedness

Use these Handy Dandy links to format your résumé:

Academic Résumé Sample

Worplace-Oriented Résumé