The school year is wrapping up, and for many, instead of traveling and taking the summer to veg out, they’re going out into the world and getting some real-life work experience. I highly recommend summer internships. They not only give you first-hand experience in an industry you’re interested in, they also give you a whole new perspective on life and connections with adults and other teens outside of your usual network.
But before you land your internship, or even get that interview, you need to prepare a stellar résumé (also known as a CV or curriculum vitae) that’s fit for a high schooler.
So what should a high schooler’s CV look like?
Your CV is your résumé. When we apply for a job, it’s what we send to the person doing the hiring, along with a cover letter, that’ll give them an overview of our experience.
For adults, along with the basic information, our CV should include where we went to school, our majors, GPA, awards and accomplishments, and our previous job, along with the name and contact information of our references (usually our previous bosses). But what if this is your first job? You’ve got to start somewhere, right?
Start by organizing your CV into sections. There should be one section for your basic information, one for education, one for previous employment (if you have any), one for awards and accomplishments, and one for hobbies or extracurricular activities.
Here’s what you should include in your CV:
Start with the basic information.
– Your first and last name
– Nationality
– Date of birth
– Contact information (usually phone number, WeChat, email, and address. Only share your address if you’re comfortable with people knowing where you live. It’s not mandatory to include it in CVs).
– Photo. If you’re going to include a photo of yourself, choose one that represents yourself in a professional manner. Avoid selfies and cute filters. You don’t need to go to a professional photo studio to take these photos. Finding a friend or parent to take a well-lit, waist-up photo in front of a not-too-busy background is perfect.
Since you’re still in high school, the education section should include your education information dating back to middle school. You don’t need to go back as far as elementary school.
– Name of your school
– Graduation year
– GPA if you’re keen on sharing. It’s not necessary, but if you’ve got a high GPA, I would recommend including it.
The previous employment section can include any previous jobs where you’ve worked and internships you’ve taken part in in the past.
– Name of the company
– Start and end date(s) of your work experience
– Your duties. List out what you were responsible for doing at this job.
Awards and accomplishments is where you can let your future employer know all the hard work you’ve put into your academic career.
– Name of the award and the year you received it
Finally, the hobbies and extracurricular section is where you showcase your interests, and allow your employer to get to know you a bit more outside of your academics.
– List out your hobbies and how many years you’ve been at them.
– List out your language abilities and your level of proficiency. Ex: Arabic – Fluent
If you’d like to add a reference section at the end, be sure to let these people know in advance so they’re not confused when they get contacted about you. List their name, job title, relationship to you (Ex: parent or previous employer), and a way to get in touch with them, whether it’s email, phone, or WeChat.
How should you prepare for the interview?
The night before, plan out some questions that you’re most likely to be asked and what answers you’d like to give. Answers that cite specific examples are also better than generic stuff.
What you might be asked:
– Why are you interested in this job?
– Why do you want to spend your summer interning instead of relaxing?
– What previous work experience do you have? Now this is a tricky one for teens. Many wouldn’t have had any work experience, but that doesn’t mean you can’t answer this question. Were you a part of a club or organization at school? Cite the work you did there. It’s the same type of communication, organization, planning, and drive that employers look for.
– What’s your career goal? Don’t lie and say you want to work in that industry if it’s not what you’re looking for. Be honest. Teens should try out all their interests and it’s perfectly normal and expected to hear a teen say that they’re curious about an industry but have not yet decided on their future career path.
And finally, during the interview, don’t leave without asking questions. You’ll always be asked “Do you have any questions for us?” at the end of an interview, and the worst possible answer is “No, I’m good.” Always ask questions! It can be something as simple as what a typical workday is like or how your interviewer finds working at the company. But leaving without asking a single question comes across as you don’t really care about the job and that you’re a bit basic. Remember, they’re not only interviewing you for the job, you’re also interviewing the company to see whether you want to spend your time there.
Images: Pexels
