Lots of high school students already have experience building some kind of resume for a college, job, or other position. Whether you already have some experience or not, you’ll always want to make your resume more impressive to get more interviews or job acceptance letters.

Adam Guenther, our football coach and math teacher, had lots of good input. He emphasized that “you have to distinguish yourself from others on one piece of paper” and also stated several other tricks to appeal to the places you apply to.

“Steal their words. Let’s say you want to get a job at Dutch Brothers: ‘Looking for an energetic, outgoing charismatic individual that works well with others. So then in your professional summary, you put: ‘I’m an outgoing, charismatic, friendly individual that thrives in a team environment,’” stated Guenther. 

Additionally, he emphasized the usage of power words in your professional statement. “My first job was a newspaper boy, I delivered newspapers on my bicycle. So I put ‘I implemented a distribution route for local media services.’ That sounds pretty dang good to say I was a paperboy,” Guenther enlightened. 

For work experience, younger ages might struggle to find things to put on their resume. Volunteering, community service hours, and tutoring are great ways to help. However, those methods are not the end of the positive work opportunities, lots of your school work and day-to-day life experiences will look great on your resume.

Got above a 3.0? Throw it on the resume. Any clubs? Just the same. Bilingual? Put it down, being bilingual is a huge advantage in getting jobs. Any awards and academic achievements you have could give your resume an extra boost. 

Additionally, upon asking math teacher Anna Raschko, she supported Mr. Guenther’s insight: “These things all can go on a resume. They should be tailored to each job you’re applying for, if you think your education would be the most important, put your school first. If your work experience is what’s valued, put it first.” 

Utilizing these strategies in your resume will be extremely useful for increasing the weight your resume will carry. Remember, short and sweet, use powerful words, and stay organized.