Serving as a first impression, a resume is a summary of the skills, background and previous employment of a potential employee or college student. The goal is to stand out and catch the attention of the employer. Self assess yourself by asking what you have participated in or achieved.

Tip: Keep your resume organized. Have a heading for each category (ex. Professional experience) and use bullets for more specific details.

Think about academics, volunteering, and past employment. Write as many as you can in a list and then narrow them down to the most important ones. Remember that quality is better than quantity.

Tip: As you do certain activities and accomplish new leadership roles, type or write them down. This way you can come back to them later when a final resume needs to be made.

Instead of simply listing things, find a way to showcase them. Don’t: Organized company kickball team. Do: Applied team building skills to develop a company kickball team, resulting in improved communication skills and employee moral.

Resumes should include the following:

-Name

-Street Address

-Country

-Email Address

-Executive summary

-Education

-Professional experience

-Accomplishments and achievements

-References

Tip: Stay formal and businesslike.

Many colleges will allow students to submit their resume either on the application or through a guidance counselor. This will help the admissions learn more about you and important things you are involved in. Many teachers are willing to help with a resume if anyone asks.

Tip: Keep any graphics simple and clean.

Your resume should be error free. Once you have completed the resume, double check it. Have a parent or teacher look over it as well. Then, submit your finalized, simple and organized resume.