Resume Worksheet for High School Students

Visual Résumé Planner - Job Interview Skills Example

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Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

Writing a first résumé is hard for teens because they don't think they have anything to put on it. A planner helps them see that they do. In this activity, students fill in a visual résumé planner, one section at a time, before they type a real résumé. Each section has a small picture and a prompt, so students think about what goes there instead of copying a template's wording.

The example is Jordan's planner for the TagBack job. It shows how school, clubs, and helping at home turn into real résumé content. The planner can be completed in Storyboard That or printed as a worksheet.

Before You Begin

Time needed: 45 minutes for the planner; another class to type the résumé.
Experience counts: volunteering, babysitting, pet sitting, mowing lawns, clubs, sports, and caring for younger siblings all show responsibility.
Résumé basics for teens: one page; a professional email address; action verbs (organized, helped, led); and no photo, age, or Social Security number.
Assessment: every section is filled in, each experience has at least one action verb and one detail, and the skills match the job the student chose.

Example: Jordan's Résumé Planner

SECTION	WHAT GOES HERE	EXAMPLE: JORDAN
Contact	Name, city, phone, and a professional email.	Jordan Rivera, Springfield, jordan.rivera.jobs@email.com
Objective	One sentence: the job you want and what you offer.	To join TagBack as a part-time order assistant and bring my experience keeping a busy store organized.
Skills	Three to five skills that match the job.	Customer service, cash handling, careful packing, clear writing, Google Docs and Sheets.
Experience	Jobs, volunteering, and responsibilities, with action verbs.	School Store Cashier: handled cash and card sales twice a week; restocked shelves; trained two new volunteers.
Education	School, grade, and any relevant classes or awards.	Lincoln High School, Grade 11; Intro to Business; Honor Roll.
References	Two adults who know your work (ask them first).	Ms. Park, School Store Advisor; Coach Ellis, Track Coach.

Differentiation

Grade 8: complete contact, skills, and experience only, and focus on turning activities into action-verb bullet points.
Grades 9–12: students tailor the skills and objective to a real job posting (see Job Posting to Application).
Extension: peer review: a partner circles every action verb and suggests one detail to add.

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Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Plan your first résumé using the visual résumé planner.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Contact: add your name, city, phone, and a professional email address.
Objective: write one sentence about the job you want and what you offer.
Skills: list three to five skills that match the job.
Experience: list jobs, volunteering, clubs, or responsibilities. Start each bullet with an action verb.
Education: add your school, grade, and any related classes or awards.
References: list two adults who know your work. Ask them first!
Add a picture to each section that shows that part of your life.
Save and submit your storyboard, or print it as a worksheet.

Visual Résumé Planner - Job Interview Skills Template

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Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Worksheet Templates

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Lesson Plan Overview

Before You Begin

Time needed: 45 minutes for the planner; another class to type the résumé.
Experience counts: volunteering, babysitting, pet sitting, mowing lawns, clubs, sports, and caring for younger siblings all show responsibility.
Résumé basics for teens: one page; a professional email address; action verbs (organized, helped, led); and no photo, age, or Social Security number.
Assessment: every section is filled in, each experience has at least one action verb and one detail, and the skills match the job the student chose.

Example: Jordan's Résumé Planner

SECTION	WHAT GOES HERE	EXAMPLE: JORDAN
Contact	Name, city, phone, and a professional email.	Jordan Rivera, Springfield, jordan.rivera.jobs@email.com
Objective	One sentence: the job you want and what you offer.	To join TagBack as a part-time order assistant and bring my experience keeping a busy store organized.
Skills	Three to five skills that match the job.	Customer service, cash handling, careful packing, clear writing, Google Docs and Sheets.
Experience	Jobs, volunteering, and responsibilities, with action verbs.	School Store Cashier: handled cash and card sales twice a week; restocked shelves; trained two new volunteers.
Education	School, grade, and any relevant classes or awards.	Lincoln High School, Grade 11; Intro to Business; Honor Roll.
References	Two adults who know your work (ask them first).	Ms. Park, School Store Advisor; Coach Ellis, Track Coach.

Differentiation

Grade 8: complete contact, skills, and experience only, and focus on turning activities into action-verb bullet points.
Grades 9–12: students tailor the skills and objective to a real job posting (see Job Posting to Application).
Extension: peer review: a partner circles every action verb and suggests one detail to add.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Plan your first résumé using the visual résumé planner.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Contact: add your name, city, phone, and a professional email address.
Objective: write one sentence about the job you want and what you offer.
Skills: list three to five skills that match the job.
Experience: list jobs, volunteering, clubs, or responsibilities. Start each bullet with an action verb.
Education: add your school, grade, and any related classes or awards.
References: list two adults who know your work. Ask them first!
Add a picture to each section that shows that part of your life.
Save and submit your storyboard, or print it as a worksheet.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Worksheet Templates

Copy Activity

How to Plan a First Résumé with Students

List every experience

Students brainstorm jobs, volunteering, clubs, sports, and responsibilities at home.

Write action-verb bullets

Each experience becomes one or two bullets that start with a verb such as organized, helped, or led.

Fill in the six sections

Students complete contact, objective, skills, experience, education, and references in the planner.

Peer review

A partner circles every action verb and suggests one detail to add.

Type the résumé

Students turn the planner into a one-page résumé for a specific job.

Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching Résumé Writing

How do you teach résumé writing to high school students?

Plan before typing. Have students list everything they have done, turn each item into an action-verb bullet, and fill in a planner one section at a time: contact, objective, skills, experience, education, and references. Then they type the résumé from the planner. Separating thinking from formatting keeps students focused on content instead of fonts.

What can students put on a résumé with no work experience?

Volunteering, babysitting, pet sitting, yard work, tutoring, clubs, sports, school leadership roles, and family responsibilities all count. Each shows reliability or a skill an employer wants. In the example, Jordan's experience is running the school store register, which shows cash handling, customer service, and responsibility without any paid job.

Should a teen résumé include an objective?

For a first résumé, a one-sentence objective helps, because it tells the employer which job the student wants and what they offer. It should be specific to the job, such as "To join TagBack as a part-time order assistant," not a generic line that could go to any employer. Students should rewrite it for each application.

What should students leave off a résumé?

Photos, age or date of birth, Social Security numbers, and unprofessional email addresses. References should appear only after the student has asked permission. Students also shouldn't exaggerate: anything on the résumé can come up in the interview, so every line should be something they can explain with an example.

How should I grade the résumé planner?

Give points for completeness (every section filled), for quality (each experience starts with an action verb and includes one detail), and for fit (the skills and objective match the job the student chose). A quick peer check, where a partner circles every action verb, makes grading faster and improves the final résumé.