Teen Resume Examples, Templates & Guide

By Elizabeth Muenzen, CPRW, Career Advice Expert •Last Updated: October 16, 2024

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Whether you're seeking a part-time job, internship or volunteer opportunity, a well-crafted teen resume is essential for showcasing your skills, initiative and willingness to learn.

In this article, we’ll walk you through essential tips to help you create a standout resume tailored to your strengths and goals as a teen.

Explore expertly crafted teen resume examples and use our Resume Builder to quickly and easily create a resume that sets you apart from the competition.

Why Teen Resumes Are Important

Creating a resume early in life helps you understand how to organize and highlight your accomplishments, which is an essential skill to develop for future professional success.

Here are a few key reasons why crafting a strong teen resume is important:

Gaining a Competitive Edge: A well-crafted resume helps you stand out when applying for part-time jobs, internships or academic programs by showcasing your involvement in extracurricular activities, volunteer work and leadership roles.
Early Career Development: Building a resume allows you to start reflecting on your skills, experiences and goals, which can help inform your decisions about future career paths, education and job opportunities.
Showcasing Skills Beyond Work Experience: Even with limited formal work experience, you can highlight transferable skills like teamwork, time management and problem-solving gained from school projects, sports or volunteering.
Preparing for Long-Term Success: Starting a resume early helps you track your growth and achievements over time. It also makes it easier to update it for future opportunities and continuously build your personal brand.

Explore our guide on how to write a resume for tips and examples from Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRW).

Best Format for a Teen Resume

The functional resume format is often the best choice for teens because it emphasizes skills and abilities over formal work experience.

Even if you do not have an extensive job history, this resume format allows you to highlight what you’ve learned from extracurricular activities, school projects or personal interests.

Skills developed through these activities are often transferable to the workplace, such as leadership and organizational skills from captaining a sports team or organizing a school event.

The teen resume templates below will give you a better idea of what a resume looks like so you can start crafting a well-formatted resume that reflects your unique skills and experiences.

Teen Resume Examples

Explore our sample teen resumes to get started. For additional inspiration and guidance, we recommend checking out our professional resume examples.

Explore our professional resume templates for additional layout options. You can edit and customize your selected template in our Resume Builder.

What to Include in a Teen Resume

A resume for teens should include a few key sections. Below, we’ve detailed what to put on a resume to showcase your education and relevant skills.

Contact information

In your resume header, include your full name, phone number, and email address so that employers can contact you for an interview.

Avoid using an outdated or informal email address, which can appear unprofessional. Instead, opt for a polished email address such as firstname.lastname@email.com.

You may also include your home address (city and zip code) and, if applicable, a link to your professional profile or personal portfolio if relevant to the role.

Resume objective

A resume objective is a brief statement highlighting your goals, what you hope to achieve in the role and how you can contribute to the company.

Including an objective in your teen resume is a powerful way to introduce yourself to potential employers, mainly if you have limited work experience.

Unlike a resume summary, which typically captures career highlights, an objective provides a forward-looking statement tailored to entry-level roles.

Here is a compelling teen resume objective example:

Motivated and responsible high school student seeking a part-time marketing position to gain hands-on experience and contribute strong communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. Eager to apply leadership abilities from school clubs and volunteer work to a dynamic work environment while continuing to learn and grow professionally.

Education

Including a strong resume education section is crucial for teens, as it often represents a significant portion of their qualifications at this stage.

The education section highlights academic achievements, relevant coursework, and school-related activities demonstrating skills or knowledge.

Include your school’s name, expected graduation date, and GPA if they are solid and relevant to the position.

You can also list honors, awards or any advanced or specialized classes related to the job or opportunity you're seeking. For example:

EDUCATION

Springfield High School | Springfield, IL

Expected Graduation: June 2025
GPA: 3.8
Relevant Coursework: Advanced Placement (AP) English, Algebra II
Honors: National Honor Society, Student of the Month (March 2023)

Skills

Including a skills section on your teen resume is essential for highlighting abilities that may come from something other than traditional work experience.

Reflect on skills you have developed through school, extracurricular activities or volunteer work, paying close attention to those that align with the job description.

Be sure to include a mix of hard skills (such as proficiency in Microsoft Office, social media or coding) and soft skills (like communication, time management, teamwork and leadership).

You can organize your skills into groups and provide a brief overview of where you learned and implemented them. Here is an example resume skills section for a teen resume:

SKILLS

Leadership Skills

Student Council Vice President: Led and organized school events and managed a team of 10 student representatives.
Basketball Team Captain: Coordinated team practices and motivated teammates, contributing to a winning season.

Communication Skills

Debate Club Member: Developed strong public speaking and argumentation skills through participation in regional competitions.
School Newspaper Editor: Edited articles and collaborated with a team of writers, ensuring timely publication.

Technical Skills

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint): Used regularly for school projects and assignments, including data analysis and presentations.
Basic Graphic Design: Created posters and event flyers using Canva for school events and volunteer activities.

Work experience

If applicable, you can include a resume work history section to demonstrate responsibility, reliability and real-world skills, even if the jobs are part-time or informal.

Whether it's babysitting, dog walking or a summer job at a local store, these roles show you have experience managing tasks, working with others and providing services.

Be sure to include details about your specific responsibilities and any achievements that reflect transferable abilities, such as time management, communication skills or problem-solving.

Here is an example of a work history section for a teen resume:

EXPERIENCE

Babysitter
Self-employed | Springfield, IL
May 2022 – Present

Supervised two children (ages 4 and 7) for up to 6 hours per day.
Organized educational and creative activities to keep children engaged.
Ensured safety and maintained a clean environment.
Communicated effectively with parents about children’s needs and schedules.

Part-Time Sales Associate
Old Navy | Springfield, IL
June 2023 – September 2023

Assisted customers with product selection and provided excellent customer service.
Managed the cash register, processed payments and handled returns.
Helped with inventory organization and stocking merchandise.

Additional sections

You may include various optional resume sections on your teen resume, especially if you do not have formal work experience.

You can explore our student resume examples, which demonstrate experiences that you might choose to showcase on your resume, for example:

Extracurricular Activities: Include clubs, sports teams or school organizations that demonstrate leadership, teamwork or other relevant skills.
Volunteer Work or Community Service: Highlight any unpaid work that shows dedication, responsibility and a willingness to give back.
Personal Projects: Highlight independent projects, such as creating a blog, coding an app or organizing a charity event.
Awards and Honors: Showcase academic or extracurricular achievements, such as honor roll, scholarships or sports awards.
Certifications: List certifications such as CPR, First Aid or computer skills that add value to your qualifications.
Languages: Add any foreign languages you speak and your proficiency level (beginner, intermediate or fluent).
Hobbies and Interests: Mention hobbies relevant to the job, such as photography, writing or coding, to provide insight into your personality and passions.

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Tips for Creating a Strong Teen Resume

Include Measurable Achievements: To demonstrate impact, quantify your accomplishments with specific numbers or outcomes.
Showcase Any Work Experience: Include part-time jobs, babysitting, dog walking or any informal work experience that shows responsibility and time management.
Use Consistent Formatting: Use consistent resume fonts, bullet points and section spacing to ensure your resume is easy to read.
Tailor the Resume to the Job: Customize your resume for each job by emphasizing the skills and experiences most relevant to the position or industry you're applying to.
Keep It to One Page: As a teen, your resume length should typically be one page. Be concise while still detailing your most relevant experiences and accomplishments.
Use Action Verbs: Begin bullet points with strong action verbs like “led,” “organized” or “managed” to make your experience and skills more dynamic and impactful.
Ask for Feedback: Have a teacher, mentor or parent review your resume to provide feedback and ensure everything is clear, concise and relevant.

How to Tailor Your Teen Resume

Tailoring your teen resume for different opportunities significantly increases your chances of standing out. Explore how to customize your resume for various scenarios below.

Part-time job

When applying for a part-time position, highlight skills directly related to the job, such as customer service, communication, time management or specific technical skills.

For example, if applying for a retail job, emphasize any experience dealing with people or handling money, incorporating keywords such as “customer service” and “product knowledge.”

Internship

When writing an internship resume as a teen, emphasize relevant coursework or academic projects related to the field.

For instance, if you’re applying for a marketing internship, mention any marketing-related classes where you developed software proficiency, research skills or writing abilities.

Volunteer role

For a volunteer position, tailor your resume to express enthusiasm for the organization’s mission and explain how you hope to contribute.

If you’ve volunteered before, even in informal settings (such as helping at school events), be sure to include this to show that you are familiar with and committed to volunteer work.

Emphasize skills like empathy, teamwork and communication, which are often highly valued in volunteer roles.

College application

For college resumes, highlight your academic strengths. Include GPA, relevant coursework, honors and awards to showcase your dedication to learning.

Colleges look for well-rounded candidates, so include any extracurricular involvement, especially leadership roles in clubs, sports or volunteer groups.

See how to write a high school resume for a college application for guidance and examples from career advice experts.

Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Using an Unprofessional Email Address: Avoid using a casual or overly creative email address. Instead, opt for a professional email that uses your name.
Overcrowding Your Resume: A cluttered resume is difficult for hiring managers to read. Start with a resume outline to organize your document with transparent sections.
Writing a Generic Resume Objective: Customize your objective to the specific position or opportunity, highlighting your enthusiasm and what you bring to the role.
Typos and Grammatical Errors: Always proofread your resume carefully. You can use our ATS Resume Checker to scan your resume for common errors.
Using Excessive Filler Words: Avoid using overly wordy phrases like “responsible for” or “helped with.” Be concise and use strong action verbs such as “organized” or “led.”
Leaving Out Extracurricular Activities: Your involvement in sports, clubs and volunteer work is valuable, especially when you have limited formal job experience.

Craft a Cover Letter for Your Teen Resume

While your resume lists your skills and experiences, your cover letter allows you to explain why you are applying for the position and how your abilities make you a great fit.

You can use our Cover Letter Generator to craft a strong teen cover letter. Use your resume to generate a matching cover letter, or start from scratch with step-by-step guidance and pro tips.

A well-written cover letter also shows professionalism and attention to detail, which can set you apart from other applicants. Here are a few resources to help you get started:

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Key Takeaways

Writing a teen resume lets you showcase your skills, experiences and potential to stand out to employers, secure opportunities and build a foundation for future career success.
Your teen resume should highlight transferable skills from school, extracurriculars and any relevant volunteer experience or part-time work.
Tailor your resume for each job, internship or college application to fit the opportunity and impress hiring managers or admissions officers.
Keep your resume clear and concise with a clean, organized layout. Proofread carefully to ensure your resume is free of typos and errors for a professional impression.

FAQ

Do you need a resume for your first job as a teen?

Yes, having a resume for your first job as a teen is highly beneficial, even if the job is entry-level or part-time.

While you may have little work experience, a resume helps you present your skills, strengths and accomplishments professionally.

It can include your education, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and any informal job experiences, such as babysitting or dog walking.

A skills-based resume format is an excellent option for a teen resume, as it focuses on your abilities rather than traditional work experience.

How do I write a teenager resume with no work experience?

Writing a resume as a teenager with no work experience is all about highlighting your skills, education and other relevant experiences.

Even without formal work experience, you likely have developed valuable skills through extracurricular activities, volunteer work or personal projects, so include these in your resume.

Highlight participation in clubs, sports teams, or community service, and focus on the skills you gained from those experiences, such as teamwork, leadership, or communication.

Explore our guide on how to write a resume with no experience for additional tips and examples to help you craft a standout resume.

How should a high school student write a resume?

A high school student writing a resume should focus on highlighting their strengths, skills and experiences, even if they have limited work history.

In place of formal work experience, focus on extracurricular activities, volunteer work and any leadership roles you’ve held. Browse our high school resume examples for reference.

Include a skills section highlighting both hard and soft skills, such as proficiency in specific software, communication abilities or teamwork developed through group projects.

You can use one of our professionally crafted high school resume templates as a starting point to customize your resume to perfection.

How long should a teen resume be?

A teen resume should typically be one page long. Since teens often have limited work experience, extending the resume beyond a single page is unnecessary.

Keeping it concise ensures that you focus on the most relevant information, such as your education, skills, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and any informal job experience.

A clear and concise one-page resume allows you to highlight your qualifications effectively without overwhelming the hiring manager.

Should I include my GPA on my teen resume?

If you have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, listing it on your resume can demonstrate your dedication, work ethic, and academic abilities.

This can be especially appealing when applying for part-time jobs, internships or volunteer roles that value academic achievement.

However, if your GPA is lower or irrelevant to the position, you can skip it and instead focus on your skills, extracurricular activities and other experiences.

We recommend checking out some additional resume tips to guide you as you craft your teen resume.

Should a teen resume include references?

A teen resume typically does not need to include references directly on the resume itself. Including references on a resume is not a common practice and is generally optional.

Instead, it’s better to have a separate reference list ready if an employer asks for it during the application process or after an interview.

When you provide references, choose people like teachers, coaches or supervisors from volunteer work who can speak to your work ethic, reliability and character.

How often should I update my resume?

As a teen, you should update your resume regularly as you gain new experiences, skills and accomplishments.

Ideally, you should review and refresh your resume every 6 to 12 months or whenever you complete a significant new activity, job or project.

For example, if you take on a leadership role in a school club, volunteer in a new organization, or learn a new skill (like coding or public speaking), it’s a good time to update your resume.

Keeping your resume current ensures that you’ll always be ready to apply for part-time jobs, internships, scholarships, or college programs in the coming years.

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Elizabeth Muenzen, CPRW

Career Advice Expert

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Elizabeth is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and a member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers & Careers Coaches. She is passionate about delivering information that empowers job seekers to achieve their professional goals.

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