Creating a high school resume can be intimidating if a student has not had the experience of writing a resume before. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, may make the process easier and help students create a resume that can help them reach their career goals. Whether students need a resume to apply for a job, internship, or school project, having a strong resume can help them stand out from the crowd. 

It is important to remember that any resume is always a work in progress, especially a high school resume. We recommend jumping in and creating a resume and then adding to it as a student participates in additional extracurricular activities, community service, volunteer work and learns additional relevant skills. Searching for resume examples and resume formats can help jump-start the process and using ChatGPT or other AI tools to assist with creating some of the more complicated tasks on a high school resume resume, such as the resume objective and even the cover letter, can be helpful. There's no need for a certified professional resume writer at this stage. The important part is creating a solid resume demonstrating the most relevant skills to college admissions and potential employers.

Educators and parents: Guide your students' reflection and discussion with this student worksheet. (Log in to your Google account and select File-->Make a Copy)

Parent, Student, and Educator Video Lesson

Why do students need a high school resume?

• The majority of jobs require a resume during the application process, even entry-level jobs that high school students are interested in
• Internships are often competitive, and having a strong resume can set students apart from the competition
• Some college applications or scholarship applications are beginning to ask for high school resumes, so working to build up experience that can be added to a resume is important

What should high school student resumes include?

• Personal and Contact Information: Employers need to know how to get in touch with you, but be sure to use a professional email address (such as Your.Name@gmail.com)
• Work History: Work history is important to include on a resume, but high school student resumes are not expected to have years of work experience. Include a part-time job, if you have one, and then focus on the skills section
• Personal Projects: You likely have hobbies or school projects that would be suitable for a high school resume. Include any personal projects that show relevant skills to the job posting, such as a personal website
• School Achievements: Are you on the honor roll? Have you held any leadership positions in school clubs? Were you a team captain? Have you received any academic awards or earned dual credit? Definitely include those in your high school student resume
• Relevant Certifications: Some high schoolers have had the opportunity to earn relevant certifications as part of their classes or professional experience. Include those on your resume to stand out to the hiring manager
• Expected Graduation Date: Potential employers want to know your education history, and some jobs require a high school diploma, so if you are a current high school student they will want to see that in the education section of your resume
• Volunteer Work: College admissions and hiring managers are especially interested in volunteer work as a high school student so be sure and include it along with a few examples of skills you learned in the process
• Extracurricular Activities: As a high school student, you may not have much job experience but you likely have extracurricular activities so highlight the skills you have learned

Tips for Writing High School Resumes

• Look for cover letter and resume examples before you start writing so that you understand what employers are looking for from a high school student. Seeing a sample resume can help make the process less overwhelming
• A high school resume does not have to be perfect, but it should use a clean resume format that is easy to follow for the person reading and has correct spelling and grammar
• Your resume objective does not have to be overly complicated. Focus on your current job search and clearly state your goal

How can ChatGPT be used to help with high school resume writing?

• ChatGPT can be used to fine-tune phrases on a high school resume to sound more professional and maximize the impact of a student’s experience
• When a high school student is applying for a specific job, they can copy the job description and use this prompt in ChatGPT to get a customized resume, “I am applying for a job with this description: [job description]. These are the details about my work experience and background [detailed information about student’s skills, work experience, and volunteer experience]. Create a resume I can use to apply for this job." 
• ChatGPT will not help a high school student with formatting, but it can help target specific keywords the student finds in the job description and create text that highlights those skills if the student has them in their high school resume and cover letter
• High school students who are struggling to prioritize what to include on their resume can use ChatGPT to brainstorm relevant skills for career paths they are interested in and use that information to get relevant job experience, take relevant coursework, as well as participate in extracurricular activities and volunteer work that will help strengthen their resume

AI Resume Builder Services

There are AI tools that are designed specifically to help with resume writing. However, they are often paid services and better suited to non-entry-level jobs. 

Some of the more popular AI resume writing tools include: 

• Resume.io - This service offers resume templates that are designed to follow the ‘resume rules’ employers look for and get past the applicant tracking system that companies often use
• KickResume - This service allows you to enter in your work experience and skills and it will use AI to create a resume for you in minutes
• Rezi - This service uses AI to automate all aspects of resume writing including writing, editing, formatting, and optimizing. This is also a good source to view sample resumes, even if you do not use it to create a resume

ChatGPT resume writing prompts for high school students

• “I previously worked at [company], and my responsibilities included [responsibilities]. Create a description of this job to use on my resume [full job ad]”
• "Help me draft an objective statement for a resume for a part-time retail position."
• "Can you list some common soft skills I might include on a resume?"
• "I have been a member of the school debate team; how can I frame this experience for my resume?"
• "I volunteered at the local animal shelter. How can I describe this experience in a resume?"
• "How do I list academic achievements on a resume?"
• "I won a science fair competition. How can I include this award on my resume?"
• "Can you help me write a concise description of my responsibilities in a school project for my resume?"
• "I have learned Python in school. How can I include this technical skill on my resume?"
• "How can I describe my experience as a tutor on my resume?"
• "I have played varsity sports; how can I incorporate this into my resume?"
• "Can you give me an example of a professional summary for a high school student's resume?"
• "How can I describe my contribution to a community service project on my resume?"
• "I am fluent in Spanish; how should I list this language skill on my resume?"
  

More resources for parents, students, & educators

• AI Writing Tools for Students: What You Need to Know About Jasper AI, ChatGPT, and More
• Jasper AI for Students- Artificial Intelligence Content Creation Tool
• ChatGPT Guide (2023): What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know
• How to Use AI for College Prep: What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know
• How Teachers Can Use ChatGPT in the Classroom

Conclusion

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in many online tools, we are likely to see additional ways to use it to assist with resume writing in the future, so it is a good skill to learn as a high school student. Using AI tools such as ChatGPT to write a high school resume is not a substitute for critical thinking and solid editing skills. These tools can help give students a jump start on writing their high school resume and help them fine-tune phrases to give them a better chance at reaching their goals.