High school student CV example
A high school student CV is vital if you want to showcase your capabilities and any experience to recruiters. That could be for a part-time role around school hours or your first job after leaving high school. From waiter, cashier, and retail assistant to babysitter, tutor, or even dog walker, there are all kinds of roles suitable for high school students.
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Creating a high school student CV can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never had a job before. Most people start working between the ages of 16 and 18, so it’s completely normal not to have any real-world experience yet.
But here’s the good news:
- Recruiters understand why you may not have work experience.
- You still have strengths worth showcasing — and we’ll help you do just that.
With the right structure, like the one used in our student CV templates, you can present yourself in a confident and professional way.
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High school student CV sample
ZARA BOND 64 Dunstan Close, Bristol BS35 3QK 07912345678 zara.bond@example.co.uk Professional summary Hardworking student with good study skills, strong academic record and readiness to take on demanding assignments. Applies education and personal talents to learn new subjects in detail and delve into challenging topics. Learns quickly and brings advanced Microsoft Office abilities. Skills Digital skills
- Fast learner with digital apps and software
- Proficient in Microsoft Office
Numeracy skills
- Quick calculations
- Great attention to detail
Excellent communication
- Well spoken
- Great listener
- Good English skills
Training and development
- Willing to learn on the job
- Happy to take out-of-hours training
Teamwork and collaboration
- Team player
- Capable of following instructions
- Easygoing and approachable
Self-motivated
- Eager to please in a new role
- Energetic and physically fit
Education GCSEs: Projected 9-5 – Maths, English, Science, IT, PE, Geography, History, French, Expected in 2023 Clifton High School – Bristol Accomplishments
- 100% Attendance, Clifton High School – 2022
- School Netball Captain, Clifton High School – 2020-2022
- Duke of Edinburgh Award, Silver – 2021
High school student CV template
Finding the perfect CV for a high school student isn’t as difficult as you might think. We have compiled an extensive list of tools for you to use, including CV templates so you can focus on the content of your CV.
High school student CV format: What works best?
Choosing the correct CV format is crucial when you’re writing a high school student CV, but it’s where many students go wrong.
Often, students use a standard CV format, which works well for someone with years of experience, but not for a student or recent graduate. This format puts your work history front and centre. That’s perfect for experienced professionals, but on a student CV, it only highlights what you’re missing.
Instead, here’s a better choice.
Use a Skills-based CV format
A skills-based CV is ideal for high school students with little or no work experience. It shifts the focus from jobs to what you’re good at: your skills, strengths, and potential.
Here’s how it works:
- List your key skills just after your personal statement
- Include around 8–10 skills to give a well-rounded view of your abilities
- Support each skill with short, specific examples
Example:
Digital skills – Confident using Microsoft Office for school assignments; familiar with Google Classroom and Canva
This format helps employers see what you can offer, making your high school student CV stand out, even without experience.
If you do have any work experience (like volunteering, tutoring, or a part-time job), you can still include it after your skills section, as a bonus, not the main feature.
Student CV tips to keep in mind
To make your high school CV easy to read and professional:
- Keep it to 1–2 pages
- Use a clear font like Arial or Times New Roman
- Break up text with bullet points and headings
- Tailor your CV to match the job advert
- Send your CV as a PDF or Word document
How to write a CV for a high school student
Now that we’ve found the perfect template for you, let’s take a look at how to present content. We’re going to explain how to write a CV in detail for a high school student. Here is what is coming up:
- What contact details should I include in my high school student CV
- Start your high school student CV with a personal statement
- High school student CV work experience
- Great skills to add to your high school student CV
- High school student CV education
What contact details should I include in my high school student CV
Your CV won’t get far if employers can’t reach you. To start your CV, make sure your contact details are clear, up to date, and professional.
Follow the format used in our student CV examples by including the essentials:
- Full name – This should be the first thing at the top of your CV
- Address – Include your city or town to show where you’re based
- Phone number – Use your own number and make sure it’s active
- Email address – Create a new one if needed, using a simple format like firstname.lastname@email.com
Avoid using a shared phone number or a casual email address. A professional and reliable contact section sets the right tone for the rest of your high school student CV.
Example of contact section for high school student CV
5 Kendell Street
Sheffield, S1 5EH
07912 345 678
e.wallace@example.co.uk
Start your high school student CV with a personal statement
Every strong high school student CV starts with a clear and confident personal statement. This short opening paragraph introduces you to the employer and gives a quick overview of your strengths.
Also called a professional summary, it should:
- Avoid first-person words like “I” or “me”
- Focus on what you can offer, not what you want
- Highlight that you’re currently in high school
- Mention key qualities that match the job
Next, cherry-pick your strongest qualities with the role in mind. For example:
- Good with numbers? That’s ideal for cashier or admin roles
- Physically fit? Perfect for a warehouse or delivery job
Example of personal statement for high school student CV
OR
High school student CV work experience
Not all high school student CV examples come without experience. If you do have any work experience, it can really set you apart from other candidates. That could be anything from a newspaper round or voluntary role to shelf stacking at a family shop. Here’s what you need to know.
Where does the experience go?
The placement of your experience section depends on the CV format you’re using.
- If you’re using a skills-based CV, your skills should be the main focus, with your work history supporting them.
- Include an experience section below your skills to complement your strengths and show any relevant roles or activities, even if they’re not formal jobs.
Avoid anything irrelevant
A CV for a teenager with no experience might look bare at first glance, but you shouldn’t be tempted to pad it out with irrelevant information. Ultimately, deciding what to keep in and leave out will depend on how many positions you’ve had previously and how they relate to the desired job. Try to stick to your last two or three positions, focusing on the most relevant aptitudes and responsibilities in each role – then there’ll be no need to pad out your teenager CV. On the other hand, you might have a few roles to talk about despite still being in high school. If that’s the case, you could justify a standard format, with your experience directly after the personal statement.
How it’s done
Like your education, the work history section has a few key requirements that recruiters will be looking for on a CV for high school students.
- Dates – You’ll need to include the start and end date for each job role
- Job details – List your job title, the company you worked for, and the location.
- Responsibilities – Finally, you’ll want to list 3-6 key responsibilities from each role using bullet points as below.
Example of work experience for a high school student CV
June 2022 – September 2022 Retail Assistant | Tesco | Manchester
- Continually replenished stock in line with sales records, keeping well-maintained, presentable item displays.
- Delivered outstanding in-store experience through positive and attentive customer service.
- Processed product returns, ensuring items were clean and resaleable.
Great skills to add to your high school student CV
Skills are key to a successful high school student CV, especially when you don’t have much work experience. Whether you’ve had part-time work or no jobs at all, your skills will be your biggest selling point to recruiters.
Here’s the good news – when you’re still in education, you already have a range of transferable skills ready to showcase on your CV. These include:
- Core skills like English and Maths
- Digital skills, which are often stronger in younger candidates than in older applicants
- Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and time management
On a standard CV, you’d list your skills in a simple bullet-point format. But with a skills-based CV, you can group your skills into categories and then provide specific examples to back them up.
In our CV example, a high school student has listed “excellent communication” as a group, with “well spoken”, “great listener”, and “good English” as the specific aptitudes. To give you a bit more inspiration, here are some examples to include on your high school student CV.
Essential skills for a high school student
- Digitally proficient
- Strong Mathematical ability
- Good English
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Well organised
Desirable aptitudes to set you apart
- Able to follow instructions
- Self-motivated
- Working independently
- Happy to undertake training
- Good punctuality
- Physically fi
High school student CV education
Unless you’ve just got your results, most high school students won’t have any formal educational qualifications per se. But that doesn’t mean you should omit the education section completely. Quite the opposite, in fact, on a CV for high school students with no experience…
Clear, concise, and simple
First and foremost, be sure to include the subjects you’re studying towards. While they’re not technically qualifications until you’ve got the grade, it’s still good to give recruiters a better idea of your educational background. The usual advice for CV writing is to keep education details brief. There’s no need to include a list of GCSE subjects when you have more relevant things to offer, essentially. But for a high school student, there’s no harm in adding a concise list of subjects you’re currently studying. Above all else, it can show that you’re interested in what you do at school and set you apart a little more.
Know where the line is
This one is simple. Don’t list anything before your GCSEs (or projected results). That includes any SATs, mock tests or other non-formal exam results. While recruiters are familiar with GCSEs or Scottish National qualifications, their knowledge of the curriculum doesn’t tend to go any further. At the very least, it’s a waste of your time, and at worst, it can make your high school student CV look a bit too unprofessional.
How to list your qualifications
We’ve covered what to include, now onto how to include it. As with our CV example, high school student qualifications should be listed with the date or expected date, level of qualification, and institution.
Example of education for high school student CV
Dos and don’ts for your high school student CV
Do
DO include a cover letter
Including a cover letter alongside your high school CV is a great way to stand out from other applicants. While your CV outlines your skills, qualifications, and experience, the cover letter gives you the chance to showcase your personality, enthusiasm, and motivation. It allows you to explain why you’re interested in the role, how your skills align with the job requirements, and why you would be a valuable addition to the team.
DO tailor it to the job
To take your high school student CV to the next level, it’s best to tailor it to the job at hand. You don’t need to rewrite every section. Just read through the description and match up your own selling points to the requirements of the job. If it’s a role as an admin assistant, put your digital capabilities at the top of your skills section and highlight them in your personal statement. For a cashier job, on the other hand, you’ll want your numerical ability front and centre.
Don’t
DON’T forget to proofread
You wouldn’t submit a high-school project without checking it over. Okay, maybe some people would. But you definitely shouldn’t do the same for your high school student CV! Even the smallest mistake could see your CV put in the ‘no’ pile, so make sure you check through for typos, errors, and missing information. Go the extra mile by getting a friend or relative to check through too.
DON’T forget to add an extra section
The standard CV sections are the professional summary, skills, education, and work history – depending on the format. An extra section for your accomplishments or hobbies can be the icing on the cake. Keep it short and sweet with a few interests or achievements that reflect good qualities. That could be a sports team to reflect your teamwork or an attendance award to showcase your punctuality, both of which are used in our high school student CV examples.
Your high school student CV questions answered
What should I include in my high school student CV?
Your high school student CV should include:
- Contact details – Name, address, phone number, and email address.
- Personal statement – A short summary of your skills and aspirations.
- Skills – Both soft and hard skills like communication, teamwork, and IT proficiency.
- Experience – Relevant work, school projects, or volunteer activities.
- Education – Your current school, qualifications, and expected graduation date.
- Extracurricular activities – Sports, clubs, or other interests that show transferable skills.
Can I include hobbies on my high school CV?
Yes, including hobbies and interests on your high school CV is a great way to highlight transferable skills. Activities like team sports, volunteering, or creative pursuits can demonstrate qualities such as teamwork, leadership, and time management.
How do I format my high school student CV?
Format your high school student CV with a clean, professional layout. Use headings, bullet points, and clear sections. Stick to a simple font like Arial or Times New Roman, and keep it to one page. To make your life easier, consider using a ready-made CV template that is already correctly formatted.
How do high school students make a CV?
To make a CV for high school students, you can choose from a dedicated online builder or go it alone with a program like Microsoft Word. As a minimum, you’ll need to include:
- Your name
- Contact information
- Skills
- Work history if applicable
- Education details
A good trick is to read through the requirements for the job you’ve found, then use them as inspiration for which of your own capabilities to include in your CV.
How can a high school student write a CV with no experience?
The best CV for high school students with no experience is the skills-based format. This structure puts less focus on work history by putting it further down the CV or omitting it altogether, as well as including a more in-depth skills section.
What is a good summary for a high school student CV?
A good professional summary for a high school student CV is concise, positive, and packed with transferable qualities. In 3-4 sentences, you should explain how you’re “hardworking”, “quick to learn”, and “digitally adept”. Finally, use the third person to make it less about you, and more about the qualities you can offer an employer.
How long should a high school student CV be?
The recommended length for most CVs is 1-2 pages. However, a CV for high school students with no experience or very little work history should be kept to one CV page. This will give the recruiter everything they need without having to search. If you find yourself going over one page, try to cut out anything that’s not relevant to the job at hand. You can also use formatting tricks like font size and line spacing to reduce the overall length.
Ultimate CV for high school students
At myPerfectCV, we want to make it easier to create a high school student CV that gets results. As well as our polished CV example, high school student advice, and answers to all your questions, we provide an easy-to-use online builder where you can put together your own CV in minutes.
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