Building a strong personal résumé in your first years of high school is recommended by counselors, college & university admissions, and future employers. While some colleges just ask for an activities list, many college and scholarship applications require a résumé. While it’s pretty standard for first and second year high school students to have a blank, or nearly blank, résumé, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s never too early (or too late) to get started. Let’s take a look at the definition and components of a résumé, how to find meaningful activities to include, and why making one is a worthwhile exercise for more reasons that you’d imagine.
“Résumé” first came into usage in 1804 to mean "a summary” from the French résumé and "take up again" from the Latin resumere (etymology.com). For the purpose of this discussion, I invite you to think of your high school résumé as a combination of the two meanings: a summary of what you’ve taken up again and again. In other words, how does the résumé reflect your commitment toward mastery of certain skills (and interests) that you keep returning to?
Think of a résumé as a snapshot of your life. Imagine anyone who reads it would get a general sense of your interests, how you spend your time, and what you hope to pursue in the near future. There are lots of ways to organize a résumé, but here’s one format that works well for students.
Great, you say, now that I have an outline on what to include, how do I find the clubs, community service, employment opportunities, or hobbies that will inspire me and help me grow as a person? Where do I start?
It’s good to start with yourself. That might sound odd, but we are often influenced by what others have in mind for us before we take the time to reflect on what we envision for ourselves. Be open to what emerges and dream big. I recommend pen and paper for this exercise so that you can look back on it and see the path from its inception.
Try these prompts to get you going:
Once you’ve reflected a bit, you’ll have more of a focus when seeking opportunities. Next, take advantage of all the resources at school and in the community.
Sure, many set out to build a solid résumé with the hopes of getting into their dream school, but there are other rewards to saying yes to more experiences.
Summer will be here before you know it. Why not go through the exercise I laid out above and start looking out for activities you want to try? Sure, all your effort will make for a solid résumé, but equally as important, you’ll build self-esteem and get clearer on where you want to put your efforts as you pave your path to higher education and beyond.
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