Kate Beck As I’ve been gearing up to apply for colleges, summer jobs, and scholarships I can’t help but notice that all them require a resume component. Until recently I thought that resumes were mainly to get a job, but they’re much more important; they provide a picture of you and your accomplishments to those wanting to learn more about you. A strong resume writing game will help you build an effective document that would give prospective colleges and employers a comprehensive idea about your involvement at school and in your community.

“A strong resume writing game will give prospective colleges and employers a comprehensive idea about your involvement at school and in your community.”

Personally, I felt like the whole resume writing process was confusing, so I asked a few of my classmates what their experiences has been. I got responses like “my mom helped me”, “I used an online template”, and “I really didn’t know where to start”. This has really been eye opening for me because its helped me realize that no one quite understands how to confront the elusive resume. So I did the research and here is what I’ve discovered about resume writing:

Resumes have 5 main components

1. Header: This is basic; what’s your name and contact information?

2. Objective/Experience Summary: What are you looking to gain by sending your resume?

3. Experience: Most of the time this would be where you add work experience, but since you may not have any yet it’s okay to leave this part out or add experience here like volunteering, babysitting, tutoring, etc. What I’ve found is you probably have more experience than you think! The main key here is to be as detailed as possible when outlining your involvement. Why should people give you a second glance?

4. Education: Where are you going to high school? Are you taking any higher level courses? Have you been accepted to a college already that you can mention?
5. Other, i.e. awards, club involvement: What makes you stand out? Do you have a position as a leader of a club? What have you done that shows initiative?

Further Resource

Though my tips can help get you started, these sites have really helped me get a more complete understanding of resumes:
Raw Resume: Raw Resume gives a good summary on all aspects from A-Z on writing a resume.
Resume Baking: Resume Baking is a free site that lets you build resumes. I liked it because it guided me through the whole process. Plus it has the ability to be edited in the future!

Hope these tips and suggestions on resume writing help you slay the elusive beast!

Want to know more about how we deal with writing essential stuff? Read this post about college apps essay, it will change how you approach any kind of writing!

Kate is a senior in high school, loves cats, and takes every moment outside of school work to create something new- whether it be a blog post or a baked good!