8 answers
Maria
Student
Beaumont, Texas
2
Questions
Asked
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How to write a resume as a 15-year-old?
How do I write a resume as a 15-year-old? I have plenty of volunteer experience but am still lost on how to write one. Some advice would really be helpful
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8 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1630
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Maria, including volunteer experience on your resume is an effective way to show off some of your valuable hard and soft skills and make your resume more well-rounded.
HOW TO FORMAT YOUR FIRST RESUME
Writing your first resume is a major step in any new career. This is your opportunity to showcase why you're an excellent candidate and how you've prepared yourself to succeed in your first job. When you're entering the job market for the first time and creating a resume with no work experience, you want to focus on your volunteering experiences that helped you develop a professional skill set, share your greatest strengths and highlight your education.
🖥️ CONTACT INFORMATION
Make this one of the first things people see by using a larger font and a header. Include your name, phone number, email and location*
*The reason recruiters want to know your location is so that they have an idea of whether you’re in the vicinity of the company or not (and if you’ll need to relocate for work).
🧭 RESUME OBJECTIVE
Recruiters spend on average 7 seconds scanning each resume before deciding if it’s worth more consideration or not. This means your resume has about 7 seconds to leave a great first impression and convince the recruiter you’re the person they’re looking for.
A resume objective is a 2-3 sentence snapshot of your skills, achievements, and career goals. Its purpose is to communicate your motivation for getting into the field and your interest in this particular position.
📚 EDUCATION
Apart from your skills, your education is the biggest selling point in your first job resume. This is not the place to be humble and play down your achievements. Write down your GPA (if it’s something impressive), emphasize your honors, and most importantly, highlight your academic achievements by describing them in detail.
🧩 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
This is where you going to highlight your voluntary, or community-based experience you have. If your volunteer experience is highly relevant to the job you’re applying for, you should include it here in the work experience section of your resume, alongside any paid positions you’ve held. In your experience section, include three to four bullet points highlighting the skills on your resume that you picked up from your volunteer work, and any notable accomplishments.
Because employers get so many job applications, something small, such as a typo, could cost you a job. Be sure to thoroughly proofread your resume before sending it to an employer. Read it for any spelling and grammar errors, as well as for any inconsistencies in format (such as using different styles of bullet points). Ask a friend or family member or a guidance or career services counselor to look at it for you as well.
HOW TO FORMAT YOUR FIRST RESUME
Writing your first resume is a major step in any new career. This is your opportunity to showcase why you're an excellent candidate and how you've prepared yourself to succeed in your first job. When you're entering the job market for the first time and creating a resume with no work experience, you want to focus on your volunteering experiences that helped you develop a professional skill set, share your greatest strengths and highlight your education.
🖥️ CONTACT INFORMATION
Make this one of the first things people see by using a larger font and a header. Include your name, phone number, email and location*
*The reason recruiters want to know your location is so that they have an idea of whether you’re in the vicinity of the company or not (and if you’ll need to relocate for work).
🧭 RESUME OBJECTIVE
Recruiters spend on average 7 seconds scanning each resume before deciding if it’s worth more consideration or not. This means your resume has about 7 seconds to leave a great first impression and convince the recruiter you’re the person they’re looking for.
A resume objective is a 2-3 sentence snapshot of your skills, achievements, and career goals. Its purpose is to communicate your motivation for getting into the field and your interest in this particular position.
📚 EDUCATION
Apart from your skills, your education is the biggest selling point in your first job resume. This is not the place to be humble and play down your achievements. Write down your GPA (if it’s something impressive), emphasize your honors, and most importantly, highlight your academic achievements by describing them in detail.
🧩 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
This is where you going to highlight your voluntary, or community-based experience you have. If your volunteer experience is highly relevant to the job you’re applying for, you should include it here in the work experience section of your resume, alongside any paid positions you’ve held. In your experience section, include three to four bullet points highlighting the skills on your resume that you picked up from your volunteer work, and any notable accomplishments.
Doc recommends the following next steps:
Utkarsh Aryan
Software Development Engineer
6
Answers
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Updated
Utkarsh’s Answer
Hi Maria,
I was in the same situation few years ago. So, I will share what worked for me and what I have learned.
When it comes to resume, simplicity is the key. You resume should be easily comprehensible in a single glance. So, avoid flashy colours or overcomplicated graphics. Also try to limit your CV to a single page.
If you have too many projects or volunteering experience, prioritise which top ones that you want to highlight.
Also you should highlight your skill summary.
I personally found some good templates in Overleaf and I have used those ever since. I will link some good templates that helped me a lot.
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/academic-cv-template/gmyytjmdbvdm
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/asu-resume-template/jtwpddspxjtm
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/resume-template-by-anubhav/dhmkrwtksdgy
I was in the same situation few years ago. So, I will share what worked for me and what I have learned.
When it comes to resume, simplicity is the key. You resume should be easily comprehensible in a single glance. So, avoid flashy colours or overcomplicated graphics. Also try to limit your CV to a single page.
If you have too many projects or volunteering experience, prioritise which top ones that you want to highlight.
Also you should highlight your skill summary.
I personally found some good templates in Overleaf and I have used those ever since. I will link some good templates that helped me a lot.
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/academic-cv-template/gmyytjmdbvdm
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/asu-resume-template/jtwpddspxjtm
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/resume-template-by-anubhav/dhmkrwtksdgy
Siew Mun Sam
1
Answer
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Updated
Siew Mun’s Answer
My first stop would be to Google sample resumes from the internet.
Read through a couple of them (of course, the more the better). Jot down points which are relevant to yourself. Once you have some ideas how resumes are written, start one of your own. While it is easy to just copy one and modify from there, it does not have that personal touch which only you yourself can produce.
Plus, during a job interview, if questioned about any point in the resume, you would know exactly how to respond to that since you wrote the resume instead of just having it copied somewhere. Remember, HR personnel reads thousands of resumes and a copied resume is like one of the many thousands they have read. Make yours stand out by being the unique one out there.
Read through a couple of them (of course, the more the better). Jot down points which are relevant to yourself. Once you have some ideas how resumes are written, start one of your own. While it is easy to just copy one and modify from there, it does not have that personal touch which only you yourself can produce.
Plus, during a job interview, if questioned about any point in the resume, you would know exactly how to respond to that since you wrote the resume instead of just having it copied somewhere. Remember, HR personnel reads thousands of resumes and a copied resume is like one of the many thousands they have read. Make yours stand out by being the unique one out there.
Karen Kitchel
Community Volunteer
356
Answers
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Updated
Karen’s Answer
Wonderful to know you have lots of volunteer experience. Good for you!!
Take a look online at resumes. Look for ones that are one-page and easy to read. When listing your experience, think about a wide range of skills you gained through volunteering such as teamwork, flexibility, appreciation of other cultures, problem solving, communication, etc.
If one of your values is to give back, then include that in a Purpose or Goal Statement.
With every good wish.
Take a look online at resumes. Look for ones that are one-page and easy to read. When listing your experience, think about a wide range of skills you gained through volunteering such as teamwork, flexibility, appreciation of other cultures, problem solving, communication, etc.
If one of your values is to give back, then include that in a Purpose or Goal Statement.
With every good wish.
Tiffanie Rand (Lampasona), CDR, CIR
Recruiter
91
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Tiffanie’s Answer
Hi Maria -
Microsoft offers some free templates, which should be helpful in creating the basics for a resume:
https://create.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/resumes
As a 15 year old I'd include volunteer work, and jobs that you've had, perhaps some classes you've taken that stand out from the basic classes, maybe if you're taking advanced classes. Passions could also be a bullet if you have ones relevant to the work that you'd like to do or something that highlights your passions.
Microsoft offers some free templates, which should be helpful in creating the basics for a resume:
https://create.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/resumes
As a 15 year old I'd include volunteer work, and jobs that you've had, perhaps some classes you've taken that stand out from the basic classes, maybe if you're taking advanced classes. Passions could also be a bullet if you have ones relevant to the work that you'd like to do or something that highlights your passions.
Al Palumbo, MBA, CPRW
Presently a Certified Professional Resume Writer. Previously a Carrer Coach,VP of Construction, Deputy Commissioner in a N YC Agency, Employment and Training Specislist USDOL
1
Answer
Phoenix, Arizona
Updated
Al’s Answer
If you have any paid experience we can create a resume that emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, customer service, training and mentoring Co workers. If you ddon't have work experience our focus should be describing volunteer services, school projects, and extra curricular activities. We can put a profile summary at the top to describe you, list job related skills, describe experiences, and list education to date.
Jacob Jeffrey
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Jacob’s Answer
To write a resume as a 15-year-old, focus on highlighting your skills, education, and any relevant experience. Include:
Contact Information: Name, phone number, email address.
Objective: A short statement about your goals and what you're seeking.
Education: List your school, grade, and any academic achievements.
Skills: Mention skills like communication, teamwork, or computer proficiency.
Experience: Include any part-time jobs, internships, volunteer work, or school projects.
Extracurricular Activities: Highlight clubs, sports, or hobbies that show leadership or responsibility.
Keep it simple, honest, and focused on what you can bring to a job.
Contact Information: Name, phone number, email address.
Objective: A short statement about your goals and what you're seeking.
Education: List your school, grade, and any academic achievements.
Skills: Mention skills like communication, teamwork, or computer proficiency.
Experience: Include any part-time jobs, internships, volunteer work, or school projects.
Extracurricular Activities: Highlight clubs, sports, or hobbies that show leadership or responsibility.
Keep it simple, honest, and focused on what you can bring to a job.
Nada Lopes
IT Software
123
Answers
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Updated
Nada’s Answer
Hi Maria,
This is a great question!
Regardless of whether you're a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience or a fresh graduate wanting to move into teaching, having a clear, succinct, and impactful CV is crucial. Given that you've recently left school, a one-page CV would be ideal, but remember, it needs to be distinctive!
In the current job market, there are numerous valuable educational resources and templates that you can utilize. For instance, I discovered an outstanding CV template on Etsy, which I bought and simply filled in the gaps. Typically, the first page serves as an introduction or cover letter, presenting who you are and why you believe you're the perfect fit for the role. The second page is your actual CV, highlighting your relevant experience and skills for the position.
Bear in mind, skills are transferable! So while you can add your current volunteering experience, its great to also check out your dream job on LinkedIn, identify the necessary skills and then consider how you can acquire these skills through a more accessible role, such as Customer Service, which can be gained through working at a fast-food restaurant or supermarket. You can also tailor your CV to emphasize Transferable Skills over specific job titles, making you a more attractive candidate for a wider range of roles, rather than being restricted to jobs based on your previous titles.
I hope this advice is beneficial. And remember, your career is a journey, not a destination. You may start in one area and end up in another - there are not short cuts in life. That's completely fine. Embrace the journey!
This is a great question!
Regardless of whether you're a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience or a fresh graduate wanting to move into teaching, having a clear, succinct, and impactful CV is crucial. Given that you've recently left school, a one-page CV would be ideal, but remember, it needs to be distinctive!
In the current job market, there are numerous valuable educational resources and templates that you can utilize. For instance, I discovered an outstanding CV template on Etsy, which I bought and simply filled in the gaps. Typically, the first page serves as an introduction or cover letter, presenting who you are and why you believe you're the perfect fit for the role. The second page is your actual CV, highlighting your relevant experience and skills for the position.
Bear in mind, skills are transferable! So while you can add your current volunteering experience, its great to also check out your dream job on LinkedIn, identify the necessary skills and then consider how you can acquire these skills through a more accessible role, such as Customer Service, which can be gained through working at a fast-food restaurant or supermarket. You can also tailor your CV to emphasize Transferable Skills over specific job titles, making you a more attractive candidate for a wider range of roles, rather than being restricted to jobs based on your previous titles.
I hope this advice is beneficial. And remember, your career is a journey, not a destination. You may start in one area and end up in another - there are not short cuts in life. That's completely fine. Embrace the journey!