Whether you’re applying for jobs and internships or building your college applications, a strong resume can go a long way! In this article, we’ll show you how to create your first resume and highlight the essential information that goes in each section. 

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Contact information 

These are the things that should be included on your resume: 

• Full name
• City and state (you don’t need to list your full address) 
• Email
• Phone number
• LinkedIn profile (if you have one)

Be sure that the email and phone number you include on your resume are consistently reliable ways to reach you so you don’t miss out on anything important! For example, it’s usually best to use your personal email over your school one so you don’t lose access to it after graduating. 

Education

List the name and location (city and state) of the high school or college you are currently attending and when you anticipate graduating (month and year). If you’re using your resume for academic purposes like college applications, you may also want to include your GPA or class rank. You can also list relevant classes, courses, or workshops related to your academic or professional interests. For example, if you’re applying for a math tutor position for elementary school students, you can list your experience in relevant math classes or youth development workshops. 

Extracurricular activities

When applying to both college and jobs, you can list all of your relevant extracurricular activities, especially if you have not had a lot of work experience yet. The important thing to remember is that no matter what you list, you should try to show what you specifically did and what responsibilities you had. Extracurriculars can include things like: 

• Sports you’ve played
• Involvement in student government
• Involvement in clubs
• Volunteer work, both virtually and for political organizations
• Part-time or summer jobs
• Side hustles you’ve started
• Internships you’ve held
• Instrument(s) you play
• Language(s) you speak
• Any hobbies you regularly participate in

Work and volunteer experience 

If you have work or volunteer experience, you can choose to separate that from your extracurricular activities as its own section. Another great title for this section could be “Professional Experience,” because whether or not you were paid doesn’t matter if you can show that the skills you gained will be an asset in your next professional or academic endeavor. In this section, make sure to include the place(s) you’ve worked at, your job title, the date range you worked there, and a few descriptive bullet points that show what you were responsible for, what you accomplished, and what kinds of skills you were able to demonstrate in each experience. 

Achievements and awards

This section is a place to share achievements and awards you’re proud of. Whether you were promoted to captain of the tennis team, joined your school’s National Honor Society, or were awarded Volunteer of the Year at your local food bank, be sure to include it on your resume!

Skills

This is a place to list relevant skills that can be beneficial in jobs or academics. Maybe you’re savvy at Photoshop or have a typing speed of 75 words per minute. Perhaps you speak three languages fluently or know how to fix cars. Whatever your skills are, be sure to list them! 

Get Schooled’s free resume resources 

We can help you build a strong resume! 

• Build your first resume with one of our templates.
• Learn how to customize your resume to each academic and professional opportunity you apply for. 
• Submit your resume to us for free review!

Have any questions about building a resume? Text #Jobs to 33-55-77 to chat with one of our advisors. If you're using a mobile device, click here to have the text message set up for you!