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What’s the challenge? Writing a CV for high school students with no experience. With most people starting their first job between 16-18, it’s only natural that most high school students don’t have any real-world experience. That can make things tricky when most CVs focus on experience. Thankfully, it’s not a lost cause! Firstly, because recruiters recognise that you have a reason for your lack of experience. And secondly, because you can focus on your ability with our CV templates. By using a structure provided in our CV examples, high school student applicants can shift the focus to highlight their own selling points. Are you ready to begin? Let’s take a look at:
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Sample high school student CV
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
Your choice of CV format can be make or break on a CV for high school students. But all too often, it goes the wrong way. Students will ask their parents or other relatives for help with a CV – and end up with something similar to theirs as a result. The problem? Most people use a reverse chronological CV format, which is ideal for highlighting experience, with a large work history section following the personal statement. That might work well for an adult with a few jobs under their belt. But it doesn’t work on a CV for high school students with no experience. In most cases, a skills-based CV format is a much better fit. As the name suggests, the skills-based format focuses on your hard and soft competencies. Rather than being limited to a bullet-point list like other formats, capabilities are expanded upon with a few specific examples for each category or skill group. You might list digital proficiency, for instance, like our CV example. High school student candidates can then back that up with their use of Microsoft Office in school and any specific software they’ve used. Most importantly, abilities are put front and centre, coming directly after the professional summary. In doing so, you put the focus on what you can offer recruiters, in terms of sought-after transferable skills like communication and teamwork. If you do have experience, you can list it afterwards as an added extra to complement your aptitudes – rather than the other way around. What else is important to keep in mind? Here are some tips:
- Keep your CV one or two pages in length
- Use a legible font like Arial or Times New Roman
- Break up long pieces of text with headings, bullet point lists, and headings
- Tailor your CV to a job advertisement
- Always send your CV as either a PDF or Word file
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?
What’s the point of a CV if recruiters can’t get in touch? Follow the lead of our high school student CV examples by including all the must-haves on your own application. That starts with your name, which should be the first thing recruiters see. Next, add your address, so they can see where you’re based. Then finish it off with a phone number and email address. Make sure it’s your own phone number – and one that you actually use. It’s pretty unprofessional to have a family member or friend answering on your behalf – and even worse if nobody answers at all. As for your email address, it’s best practice to make a new email address just for your high school student CV. Most people don’t have a simple, professional email address that’s suitable for a CV – but now is the time to make one.
Example of contact section for high school student CV
Start your high school student CV with a personal statement
All good high school student CV examples have one thing in common – they start with a strong personal statement. Also known as a professional summary, it’s a short paragraph which introduces you as a candidate. The general advice is to avoid using first person, such as “I” and “me”, and focus on what you can offer to a potential employer – rather than what you want from the job. Here’s a good example: On a high school student CV, it’s worth highlighting that you’re currently in high school from the get-go. This will give recruiters context for the rest of your CV and explain why you don’t have as much experience as other applicants, amongst other things. Next, you’ll want to cherry-pick your best qualities, with the job in mind. That could be a strong mathematical ability for a cashier role, or physical fitness for a job in a warehouse. A good tip here is to double-check the job description and see which of their requirements or preferences you meet.
Example of personal statement for high school student CV
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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 first challenge is where to include experience. That depends on the CV format you’re using. With a skills-based CV, you’ll still want to focus on your capabilities and let your work history complement them. Add an experience section below to back them up.
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 essential for younger candidates – especially so when it’s a CV for high school students with no experience. Whether you’ve had a bit of part time work or no jobs at all, competencies will be your biggest selling point to recruiters for a variety of roles. Here’s the best bit – when you’re fresh out of school or still in education, you’re ready-made with a selection of transferable CV skills to put on your CV. That includes English and Maths, both fresh in your mind. But it also covers things that are harder to teach. The vast majority of high school students have an innate ability with digital devices and software, for example, that older applicants simply can’t compete with. On a conventional CV, your skills will be listed in a brief, bullet-point list. However, on a skills-based CV, you will list groups or categories, then expand on them with more specific examples. 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 Open by addressing the hiring manager, explaining how you came across the job opening, and why it attracted you. After this, the main section of the cover letter will outline your abilities, achievements, and any experience, plus how it matches up to the job requirements. You can acknowledge your lack of experience but be sure to highlight how you make up for it with a range of invaluable transferable skills. Finally, reiterate that you’re a great candidate for the role and that you look forward to hearing back from them.
- 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 proofreadYou 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
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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