Resume Examples for Teens

When entering the workforce, young people often find themselves faced by the obvious paradox: to find a job, you need experience, but to gain experience, you need a job. Modern teens often think it’s useless to apply with a resume, as they cannot untangle the blatant contradiction of today’s job market. If you have no experience, what will you add to your resume? Your enthusiasm? Actually, yes. The latest technology, a sleek layout, and witty wording will help you spark an employer’s interest in your experience-free figure. But you may even have some relevant experience and be unaware of it. That is why this article is a crucial piece of the puzzle, enabling you to frame your candidacy efficiently and attractively. Want some teen resume samples? Keep reading.

Do I Need a Resume?

Yes. You’d be surprised to learn how much a proper resume and a cover letter ae valued in today’s job market. For example, Chinese children are well aware of the advantages of resume writing to gain a competitive edge for seats at top schools in China. In 2018, a 5-year-old Chinese boy submitted a 15-page resume with a performance review and a list of books he read to get into a renowned Shanghai private school.

Obviously, a 15-page resume with a list of books and travel destinations would be overkill for 15-year-olds looking for a job in the US, but you get the idea. Promote yourself first and get a job next.

Here are a few signals you immediately send to a recruiter with a well-crafted resume:

• Professional. You are professional because you know the rules of the game and are prepared to play your part.
• Ambitious. Most teenagers have no idea that resumes are required and how to compose one. You are ambitious because you are aware of the competition and want to win the race using your intelligence and professional approach.
• Knowledgeable. You know where to dig for knowledge or at least can find someone who will help you cope with this task.

Appearances Matter

Recruiters spend very little time per resume. So the human eye will more quickly make an impression through visual aesthetics. If your piece is correctly laid out and formatted, the recruiter’s eyes will notice it right away. That is why the way your resume looks is tremendously important.

Layout. You can go the easiest route and choose from ready-made professional layouts that match your purpose. For example, if you want to emphasize that you are well-organized and tidy, pick a sleek, minimalist layout in cool blue shades. If the position you aim for involves creativity, you have more flexibility in choosing a design and can opt for something more complex than a basic style.

Format. Typically, resumes use a uniform structure. It starts with your personal information, followed by experience. However, your case may demand a more flexible approach and a functional format. You can put your skills summary first before your work experience.

Fonts. No matter the position, use a simple, easy to read font such as Arial, Georgie, Times New Roman, or similar.

Colors. Using colors for headings aims to demonstrate your professionalism and adequacy. All color combinations and shades must make reading easier rather than more complicated. Therefore, avoid pale colors (yellow, pink, orange) or neon colors (lime green, hot pink). Dark, contrasting colors are the best for headings.

Uniqueness. Even if you are looking for a creative industry job, try not to overdo your formatting with quirkiness and creativity. It’s better to appear calm and reserved than too garish.

Spacing. Even if you have much to say, you still need to stick to a one-page format. However, that doesn’t mean that you can choose very dense spacing and cram 2-page’s worthy of text onto one piece of paper. Use single-line or 1.15 spacing.

Length. 1 page. Only one page. You are not in the position where your experience is so expansive that you may need over one page. Don’t bore the recruiter with exuberant phrases and lengthy descriptions. Be succinct and to the point.

Preparation Stage, or How To Make Resumes For Teens With No Experience

If you feel overwhelmed, start by writing down anything that can potentially go in a resume for teenagers. Freewriting exercises can help. Ask yourself what skills I have and jot down anything that comes to mind without overthinking.

Young adults may find their life experiences insignificant. For example, you may have taken your neighbors’ dogs for a walk and never thought of it as valid work experience. A seasoned career expert will tell you that you already have an impressive list of marketable skills. Here is how Forbes career expert Bobbie Muir talks about a female student who used to work part-time at the K-Mart’s returns desk:

Approach your life experiences similarly and write down anything that can come in handy. What to put on a resume for a teenager’s first job:

• Education
• Projects
• Hobbies
• Awards and Achievements
• Certifications
• Extra-curricular Activities
• Skills
• Internship
• Volunteer Work
• Languages

Now, we can use the categories with the most information and develop the ones with little information. You don’t necessarily need to have all of them. You may have hobbies but no certificates or internships if you are a teenager.

Contact Info on Resume for Teens

When making a resume for teens, it is essential to add your contact information and name. Also, remember to add a phone number.

Create a professional-looking email name if your regular email names sound like sparklingbeauty111@hotmail.com or wizzard007@hotmail.com. Simply use your name and a neutral-sounding domain, for example, JustinGrowich@gmail.com.

Pick something that may be relevant to the job. For example, start a LinkedIn page. Find a decent picture of yourself and add some apt descriptions.

If you have a professional website with your portfolio or a professional blog that may be relevant to the job, make sure you add it.

Teen Resume Structure is Known

You don’t need to come up with something new and original. Many resume templates for teens follow the same structure: Resume Summary, Skills, Education, Work History (if any).

Resume Summary / Resume Objective

At this point, you may find a Resume Summary for a teenager without experience somewhat redundant. However, recruiters value resume summaries and its gripping quality will determine whether they keep reading.

Writing an attention-grabbing summary or a resume objective is not as difficult as it seems. Follow this simple formula:

1. One adjective (perseverant, fast-learning, hard-working)
2. Job title (shop assistant, waiter)
3. How you’ll help (refer to skills and experiences relevant to the job)
4. Best 2-3 accomplishments (awarded or commended 3x by management)

However, when using this formula for a resume summary, you should not draw attention to your lack of experience.

Bad Example: Diligent 15-year-old, looking for a job as a barista. I have no work experience so far, but I took a barista course and am ready to work very hard.

Do your best and pack your resume summary with information useful for the employer. Don’t whine or list your disadvantages.

Good Example: Skillful barista, seeking to provide excellent service at the Morning Café. As a graduate of the Perfect Barista Experience Course, I acquired theoretical knowledge and was commended 3x for efficiency. As a rugby team captain, I used leadership skills and solid teamwork to build team spirit and win games.

Education for a Resume Format for Teenagers

Each line in the Education Section for a teen resume should contain a degree (if you’ve graduated), a school name, and a graduation date. Beef up this section with relevant coursework, classes, and key achievements. Frame the information about yourself in the most efficient manner.

If you have no work experience, this is the resume section for you to shine. Bolster it with activities, clubs, and groups.

Work Experience for Teens and Students

Framing is essential. You should learn to frame the information about yourself in the most efficient manner. For example, if applying for a barista position, we bet you have previous experience with coffee or food serving. Try to remember where and when and frame it professionally.

Skills for a Teen Resume

Having worked as a dog walker, a waiter at family functions, or a shop assistant on a summer break, you have acquired a certain skill set. Now it’s time to divide them into hard skills (relevant for the job) and soft skills (referred to communication with people).

The easiest way to find the skills your employer wants to see is to carefully peruse the job description and write out the ones you have. For example, a job description reads: “Responsibilities for Barista include (1) accurately handle cash and credit card payments, following appropriate cash-handling procedures, and (2) serve customers quickly and efficiently.” Respond by adding to your list of skills “customer service, working well under pressure, knowledge of coffee properties and beverage procedures, teamwork, excellent math skills, and attention to details.”

To make things easier, pull out a list of skills for the job to which you are applying. Google ‘waiter skills’ or ‘shop assistant skills’ and keep a job description handy. Match the two, and you will get a perfect Skills section for your high school resume.

Expert Tips

An experienced recruiter will see through all your ploys. That is why we strongly advise against lying or beefing up your resume with buzz words and vague descriptions.

• Don’t lie. There is no use in stretching numbers and saying you have 3 years of experience instead of 3 weeks. Recruiters know how to research a candidate’s background. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to run a check on all the information you mention in your resume. Therefore, don’t ruin your reputation by lying.
• Don’t use buzz words. If you think that ‘go-getter’ or ‘hard worker’ is part of a hiring manager’s lingo, you are wrong. Recruiters don’t appreciate using ‘synergy,’ ‘results-driven,’ and ‘think outside of the box.’ Buzz words reveal that a candidate has nothing to say and is not concerned with the substance of their words. That is why it is more acceptable to use simple words filled with meaning.
• Don’t add unnecessary information. You may think that a half-page of your correctly framed skills and modest experiences are not enough to compete in today’s harsh adult world. However, an experienced recruiter will see that your bulked up resume is too vague and generic and will reject it. It’s better to have a half-page of densely packed, relevant information than 2 pages of fillers and platitudes.
• Don’t toss out any resume sections. You may think that a resume summary or a work experience section is unnecessary. However, a resume for teenagers is a formal document that follows rigid rules. Each section has its function. Follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.
• Don’t forget to proofread. It would be a shame to mire the impression of your resume by some pesky typos. Give a thorough read through once or twice to make sure that your resume is polished and well-thought.

Summing Up

Writing a resume when you are a teenager looking for your first proper job is a thrilling yet time-consuming experience. Give yourself plenty of time. Read up and look up every detail of the writing process to make sure you know what to do.

Remember that a resume is typically accompanied by a cover letter. It also has its rules, but if you figure out how to craft a decent resume, you can handle a cover letter.

Submitting a teen resume is a great way to show that you are adult enough to job hunt in a grown-up manner. But hurry up! Otherwise, your parents may do it for you, and you will be mortified!

See more resume examples for teenagers here.