Human Resources Resume Examples & Writing Tips for 2025

Ready to land your first real job? Whether you’re in high school or a recent graduate, chances are you don’t have a whole load of work experience. But you shouldn't let that hold you back. Everyone has to start somewhere—and you’re no different!

The secret to success is choosing the right job for your talents and your time. If you’re studying, you’ll need a part-time role that slots neatly into your schedule. On the other hand, you may be looking for a graduate position or a summer job. We’ll cover all bases.

From how to tailor your resume like a pro to where to find vacancies for your age range—we’ve got all the answers. Read on to learn exactly what you need to do to get started

How to use this high school resume guide

We’ve made this high school resume guide simple to use. There are plenty of tools, expert-backed tips, and example sections to check out. No matter where you are in the process, you should find it super helpful. So, how can you make the best of this guide?

Follow the easy steps we’ve shared below to help you to get started:

Next, let’s look at what your main focus should be when creating a high school resume.

What to focus on when writing your high school resume

Before you get to work on your high school resume, there are some key things to keep in mind. You should focus on finding the right jobs, writing an eye-catching objective, and highlighting your transferable skills. Tick those boxes, and you’re off to a winning start.

Shall we dive in? Let’s explore how you can get the approach right from the start.

Finding the right roles

If you’re new to the working world, finding the right vacancies can be tricky. You need part-time, entry-level, and summer positions, ideally. Make sure you’re looking in the right places.

Already got big career plans? Great stuff. Look for first jobs that will help you build the right skill set. The sooner you get that invaluable work experience, the better your chances are later.

Creating a compelling objective

Your resume objective is a freeform section that can help you grab attention. Don’t waste the opportunity to tell the hiring manager what you bring to the table.

Think about your career aspirations, your innate talents (e.g. people skills!), and what makes you special.

Using a simple structure

The resume layout you choose matters more than you might imagine. The idea of a snazzy or colorful design may be appealing to you—but not all employers will agree.

If in doubt, use a simple structure that highlights your main achievements clearly. Trying to do anything out of the box, is likely to backfire. Keep things straightforward.

Showcasing transferable skills

You don’t have a ton of work experience—that’s not a problem. Weaving a selection of transferable skills throughout your high school resume is the answer. This is a smart way to show the hiring manager that you have what it takes to succeed.

Need more ideas? Browse our extensive database of high school resume templates to get started on the right path—and maybe even find the perfect style for your needs!

How to choose the right resume format

Next up, let’s talk about which resume format you should choose. You have two options here and which you go with depends on your level of experience.

Let’s take a look:

Option 1: Reverse-chronological format

The reverse-chronological format is what hiring managers expect to see. It’s the standard format in the U.S. and details your experience and education in reverse order.

We recommend using this format if you have some work experience. For example, you might have held a few part-time jobs or even a load of volunteer positions to talk about.

Option 2: Functional (skills-based) format

The functional resume format, also known as the skills-based format, emphasizes your talents over your work experience by grouping them together. So, if you have no work experience whatsoever, this could be the right option for you.

What to include in your resume header

Your resume header is one of the first things the hiring manager will see. It works like a business card featuring your contact details.

Let’s see what we need to include:

• Your name: Add your first and last name in full. If you happen to go by a nickname (and want to use this in the workplace), use that here.
• Job title: Write “high school student” and the job. For example, “barista” or “waiter.” If you’ve never had a job before, you can slide the word “aspiring” before the title.
• Contact details: Both your phone number and a professional email address.
• Location: Avoid adding your whole address. Simply list your city/town and state instead.

How to write a resume objective

While established professionals would write a resume summary detailing their biggest achievements to date, you may struggle. Chances are, you can’t talk about your career history as you’re new to the working world. That’s why you should stick to a resume objective instead.

Here’s what that means:

• Talk about your future rather than your past.
• Focus on your long-term career aspirations.
• Mention how your skills and qualifications will help you.
• Highlight your value to potential employers.

When writing about your skills and education, be sure to use action words. These have the power to engage the reader as they are persuasive.

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at the job posting you found and see what the employer is asking for specifically. Aim to align your statement with their needs.

Aside from being well-written, this objective also includes solid metrics such as the “4.0 GPA” and “100+ hours of community service.”

The reason? It’s simple: these stats are evidence that the candidate is hard-working and can be relied upon.

How to write a quantifiable resume experience section

Adding work experience to your resume is the standard approach. However, if you don’t have any to speak of, this could be a stumbling block. You can either use the functional format instead or bolster this section with volunteer or freelance work experience.

When writing this, start with the main details of the position. This includes the company name, location, your role, and the dates you were employed. You can then use bullet points to add metric-backed achievements below.

Let’s take a look at an example:

This work experience section combines a selection of experiences—volunteer, part-time, and otherwise. Don’t be afraid to mix things up. You’re going to need to use everything in your arsenal if you want to impress the hiring manager, after all.

High school resume work experience samples

Not sure what approach to take?

Let’s take a look at three options to consider:

Achievement-focused

What you lack in direct experience, you may make up for in achievements. Try using a quality-over-quantity approach, showing the hiring manager what you can do.

Skills-focused

What skills have you picked up in your prior work experience? If you’ve gained some strong talents, now’s the time to shout about them. Accentuate them in this section.

Development focused

You’re young and you have a lot to learn. Lean into that by focusing on how you’re developing your skill set. Let the hiring manager know that you’re ready to excel.

How to write a resume if you have little to no experience

If you don’t have much experience, don’t panic. There are plenty of ways you can prove your worth to the hiring manager. Take a look at our frequently asked questions below.

Listing your skills on your resume

Not sure what skills to put on a resume? You’ve come to the right place. When writing a high school resume, you need a mixture of both hard and soft skills.

Hard skills are technical and often learned on the job. Soft skills, on the other hand, tend to be natural traits you can use when you’re working.

Think about which skills are relevant to the position. If you don’t know, here’s a quick hack: Go back to the original job posting and look at the criteria. The hiring manager will have listed the main skills they expect you to have when applying.

Highlight the skills you have and add them to your skills section. Be sure to use the same words and phrases as the job ad. This will help to boost your chances of success.

Best hard skills to feature on your high school resume

The hard skills you include on your resume need to suit the vacancy. For example, if you’re applying to become a barista, your talent for “latte art” is certainly worth mentioning.

To help you decide which resume competencies you need to provide, think about what the job itself will entail. What will you be doing while you’re at work? And, importantly, what skills will you need to make sure you get the job done?

Hint: Shake things up by including both knowledge-based and talent-based skills.

Best soft skills to feature on your high school resume

Next up, let’s chat about soft skills. These are natural traits that make you a good worker. Examples include time management, organization, and excellent communication.

The good news? You don’t need a job to develop these skills. So, even if you’ve never had a position before, you might already have these under your belt. Once again, think about the skills you’ll need to succeed in the role.

Education on resume

Whether you’re still in high school, or you’ve recently finished, you need to brag about your education on your resume. This section needs to be in reverse chronological order—starting with your most recent studies and certificates working backward in time.

If you’re still at school, make that obvious by putting “(in progress)” next to that point. List your GPA as long as it’s above 3.5. If it’s lower than that, you’re better off leaving it out entirely.

When you’ve covered your high school education, consider any training or professional certifications that will set you apart from the crowd. For example, you may have gained certificates in previous part-time jobs, or even taken an online course.

Extra sections to include in your high school resume

Want to display some extra oomph to your high school resume? If you’ve got space to spare, there are some extra sections you might think about. Doing so can add some color to your application—giving the hiring manager a reason to care about you.

Language section

Do you speak a second language? If the answer is yes, that could be your secret weapon. Create a dedicated language section detailing them and be sure to include a proficiency level.

Note: You don’t have to put English here.

Hobbies and interests section

Do you think writing some hobbies on your resume is a mistake? Think again. Sharing your favorite hobbies and interests could humanize you to the hiring manager.

Align your hobbies and interests with the vacancy for the best results. For example, you can show that you’re passionate about animal welfare when applying to work at a shelter.

As always, give a little context to each interest and hobby. What do you actually do? Why does your pastime matter? It’s these details that could make a big difference.

Volunteer work section

Including volunteer work in your work experience section is never a bad idea. However, if you have a ton of experience in this area, let it shine with a dedicated section. Lay it out as you would any other experience—highlighting your accomplishments as bullet points, too.

Conclusion

Landing your first job is a cinch when you craft an informative high school resume. Use the advice we’ve shared in this guide—not to mention the examples!—to get started now. With our drag-and-drop resume builder tool, it couldn’t be easier to get it right.