It can feel intimidating to build a resume when you're a teen and don't have much work experience. You might even think, "I don't have enough to put on a resume." But that's not true! Employers hiring for a first job don't expect a long list of previous positions. What they really want is a one-page snapshot that shows you're reliable, hard-working, and have a solid set of basic skills.

This post will walk you through exactly what to include in your first resume, from school projects and volunteer work to extracurriculars and summer jobs. We'll show you how to format everything so it looks professional, and we'll explain how our AI Resume Builder can turn your school activities and small jobs into a polished, impressive resume in just a few minutes.

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Who This Guide Helps

This guide is for any teen who needs to create a professional resume but isn't sure where to start. It's especially useful for students looking for their first part-time or seasonal job in places like retail, food service, or as a lifeguard or camp counselor. It also helps students who are applying for volunteer roles, internships, or school programs.

If you're a first-time job seeker who needs an easy way to build a professional resume from scratch, this guide is for you.

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Why Teens Should Be Using a Resume Builder

Unlike a typical resume that focuses on a long work history, a teen's resume highlights a mix of school projects, volunteer work, and small jobs.

Teens need clear prompts and examples that help them turn simple tasks into real achievements. Careerflow's templates are designed for this exact purpose, removing the guesswork and ensuring the final resume is perfectly formatted as an ATS-friendly PDF that recruiters can easily scan. You can even use our ATS Score Checker to make sure your resume will make it through the digital filters.

This makes the entire process simple and stress-free, so you can focus on showcasing your skills and potential.

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How Careerflow’s Resume Builder Works for Teens

Our Resume Builder is designed to make creating your first resume simple and straightforward. It helps you focus on what you have, not what you lack, by guiding you through each section.

First, you'll pick a teen-friendly template that has a clean, simple layout. These templates are easy to read and organize the key information employers want to see.

Next, you'll fill out the guided sections. Instead of just "Work Experience," the builder includes sections that are more relevant to a teen's background, like:

• Education
• Experience (for part-time jobs, volunteer work, or summer positions)
• Activities & Leadership
• Projects
• Skills
• Awards & Certifications
• Interests (optional, but can add personality)

The builder also helps you turn tasks into results. It provides suggested action verbs and tips on how to use numbers to show your impact. For example, instead of just saying "served customers," you can write, "served 30+ customers per shift." Or instead of "helped with a fundraiser," you can write, "raised $750 for a club."

Finally, you can tailor your resume to fit the specific job you're applying for, whether it's for a retail store, a lifeguard position, or a tutoring role. The builder ensures your final resume is an ATS-friendly PDF with a clear file name, so it's ready to be submitted to any job application.

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What to Include on a Teen Resume

It’s easy to think you don’t have enough for a resume, but you have more experience than you realize! Here’s a breakdown of what to include on a one-page resume, along with examples to help you turn your everyday activities into impressive achievements.

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Key Sections to Include

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✅Contact Information

List your full name, your city and state, a reliable phone number (with a professional voicemail greeting), and a professional email address (like firstname.lastname@email.com). You can also include a link to your LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio if you have one.

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✅Education

Your education is your foundation. Include the name of your high school and your expected graduation year. If you’ve taken any courses relevant to the job you want—like Intro to Computer Science, Business, or Culinary Arts—list them as "Relevant Coursework."

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✅Experience

This section is for any paid or unpaid work you’ve done. Think beyond a formal job! Include part-time jobs, paid gigs (like babysitting or lawn care), tutoring, and roles like a camp counselor or school office helper.

• Babysitter: Planned age-appropriate activities; kept two children engaged for 4 hours with zero incidents.
• Cashier, Local Market: Processed 50-70 transactions per shift and balanced the cash drawer with 100% accuracy.
• Tutor (Math, Algebra I): Helped 3 students lift their grades from a C to a B+ average over one term.

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✅Activities & Leadership

This is where you showcase your involvement outside of the classroom. Include clubs, sports, student government, band/orchestra, and any competitions you’ve participated in.

• Club Treasurer: Managed a $1,200 budget and launched a fundraiser that raised $600 in two weeks.
• Camp Counselor-in-Training: Led daily activities for 20 campers and received "Top CIT" recognition.

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✅Volunteering & Community Service

Show your commitment to your community. List the hours you contributed, your role, the organization, and the impact you had.

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✅Projects

Have you built or created anything on your own or for a class? This is the place to highlight it. Include any apps, websites, fundraisers, or science fair projects that show your skills.

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✅Skills

List the skills that are relevant to the job you want. Think about both soft skills and hard skills.

Examples: Customer service, cash handling, Microsoft/Google Suite, basic coding, CPR/First Aid.

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✅Certifications

If you have any official certifications, list them here. This shows you have specific training and knowledge.

Examples: CPR, First Aid, Lifeguard, Food Handler, Babysitting, ServSafe.

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✅Availability (Optional)

If you have a very specific schedule, you can include your availability to help an employer. This could include after-school hours, weekends, or specific summer dates.

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Formatting Best Practices for Your Resume

The way your resume looks is just as important as what it says. Here’s how to format it so it looks professional and gets through to hiring managers.

Keep It Short and Simple: Your resume should be one page long. Use clear, simple headings for each section and stick to a single-column layout that's easy for both people and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to read.

Use a Clean Design: Use a standard, professional font (like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri). Avoid busy or complex designs that can confuse an ATS.

Professional Contact Info: Only include your city and state—not your full street address. Make sure you're using a professional email address and that your phone number has a professional voicemail greeting.

Save as PDF: Unless the job ad says otherwise, always save your resume as a PDF with a clear file name, like Firstname_Lastname_Resume_2025.pdf. This ensures it looks the same on every computer.

Test Everything: Before you send it, double-check that any links (like to your portfolio or LinkedIn) work correctly and that your email and phone number are correct.

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Tailor Your Resume for Your Goal

A great resume is not one-size-fits-all. You should tweak your resume for the specific type of job you're applying for.

• For Retail/Food Service: Highlight skills like customer service, reliability, teamwork, and your experience with cash handling or POS systems. Mentioning your schedule flexibility can also be a plus.
• For Lifeguard/Recreation: Emphasize your key certifications (like CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguard), along with your focus on safety and supervision.
• For Tutoring/Academic Roles: List the subjects you can teach and highlight your own academic achievements, like grade improvements you’ve helped students achieve or any relevant awards.
• For Tech/Creative Roles: Add links to your GitHub, online portfolio, or specific school projects you've completed.
• For Volunteer/Community Roles: Showcase the number of hours you’ve dedicated, the impact you made, and any leadership roles you took on.

Our Job Tracker can help you keep all the jobs and resume versions in order, all in one simple interface.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few simple mistakes can keep your resume from getting noticed. Here are the ones to look out for.

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Vague Descriptions: Don't just list your duties. Instead of saying, "helped customers," say, "helped 30+ customers per shift." Always add numbers or results to show your impact.

Irrelevant Details: Keep your resume focused. Don't add details or experiences that don't support your goal.

Bad Formatting: Avoid overly complex or "pretty" designs. These can confuse an ATS, and your resume might not even be seen by a recruiter.

Lack of Proofreading: Always proofread your resume for typos in your email or phone number. A small mistake here could mean missing out on a call.

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Create Your Professional Teen Resume Today

Ready to land that first job? Don't wait! Use our AI Resume Builder to create your professional resume in minutes. Simply choose a clean, pre-designed template, follow the easy prompts, and export a polished PDF that's ready for any part-time job, summer position, or internship.