Help Your High School Student Create an Impressive Resume

Written By: Mary M. Alward

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Time has flown. Your teen is in high school and has demonstrated an interest in obtaining a part time job. Be sure to assist your teen by giving tips and tricks that will make his resume stand out from others that are submitted. With summer just around the corner, the time to get resumes out is now.

Remember that first impressions do count. A resume is the first impression that a potential employer has of your teen. It should reflect someone who is intelligent, ambitious, responsible, hardworking and able to work either independently or as part of a team. Your teen needs to create a resume that will reflect all of these things and leave a lasting impression on a potential employer.

Tips for Resume Preparation

Keep the resume to one page, if possible.

Be neat.

Print the resume on quality paper with a quality printer.

Be honest.

Focus on strong points, such as experience and skills.

List high school work placements, if any.

List volunteer experience.

When describing any experience, use verbs and action phrases.

Be concise.

Always include name, address and phone.

State education.

State job objective.

If your teen has achieved honors or awards, be sure they are listed.

Your teen should name three professional references, such as teachers or previous employers. Friends and family should not be used as references.

When your teen has completed a resume, be sure it is proofread to assure there are no spelling or grammar errors and that is includes proper punctuation.

Cover Letter

Have your teen draft and revise a cover letter. It should be printed on quality paper with a quality printer.

List all qualifications that have to do with the position being applied for.

Be sure the resume states why your teen wants to work for this specific company and why he would be an asset to the company.

Have your teen follow up a few days after the resume is submitted with a phone call.

If your teen has to make out an application for submission with the resume, be sure to instruct him to meet all application requirements.

Resume Errors

When your teen creates a resume, it provides a first impression to potential employers. Mistakes on a resume will decrease your teen's chances of being hired. Here are a few common errors to avoid:

Spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Lying about work experience and skills.

Providing an excess of information that is not conductive of the position he is applying for. The resume should be kept to one page, if possible.

Elaborate formatting and colored paper distracts a potential employer from important facts contained in the resume. Recruiters love resumes that can be scanned quickly and easily.

Great Resume Words

The words your teenager uses on a resume can catch the eye of a potential employer. Be sure the words reflect an active voice in lieu of a passive one. Here is a list of words that will make your teenager's resume stand out.

accomplished

action

coordinate

define

encourage

evaluate

extend

facilitate

formulate

generate

identified

improvised

influenced

managed

mediated

motivate

secured

trained

published

revised

structured

There are many others. This is just an example.

Skills

If you want your teenager to be successful in his search for work, there are three key elements that must be included on his resume for any type of position.

Problem Solving/Trouble Shooting

This shows that should problems arise, your teen has the ability to diffuse the situation and assume the role of leadership.

Interaction Skills

This shows that your teen is able to work well with others and can be successful as part of a team.

Technical Skills

Your teen doesn't have to be a rocket scientist, but should have basic knowledge of technology, such as how to transport files, keyboarding skills and other basic tasks.

The Interview

Your teen gets the call. She's landed an interview with her well-developed resume. Instruct her to think of the interview as an opportunity to sell herself. She needs to dress professionally, needs to be able to communicate well and show the potential employer that she can fulfill the requirements of the job. If a potential employer sees that your teen will be an asset to the company, the job is in the bag.

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