High School on Resume

Should You List High School on Resume

In most cases, it's beneficial to list your high school education on a resume, especially if you are a recent graduate or have limited work experience. Including this information can provide context for potential employers about your academic background and skillset. However, in some regions like Europe or Asia, where apprenticeships and vocational training play a significant role, listing high school might not be as important.

Why to List High School on Resume

• Academic Background: High school education shows the foundation of your academic journey, demonstrating your overall performance and aptitude for learning, which can be valuable in various professional settings.
• Relevant Skills and Achievements: High school is where you might have gained specific skills or participated in activities that align with the job you are applying for. For example, if you were part of a debate team or a science club, these experiences could showcase valuable communication and problem-solving abilities.
• Context for Employment Gaps: If you have employment gaps or are changing careers, listing high school can help explain any time between graduation and entering the workforce.

Where to List High School on Resume

Typically, high school information is placed in the Education section of a resume. You should include:

• Name and location of your high school
• Year of graduation (or expected graduation if still attending)
• Any honors, awards, or special achievements received during your time at high school

Examples of How to List High School on Resume

Example 1: Recent High School Graduate

Education

• John Smith High School, Anytown, USA (2020)
• Member, National Honor Society
• Valedictorian

Example 2: International Student

Education

• International School of Paris, France (2018)
• IB Diploma Programme candidate
• Fluent in English, French, and Spanish

What to Avoid While Listing High School on Resume

• Leaving out Important Details: Make sure to include the name of your high school, location (if necessary for context), year of graduation, and any relevant achievements.
• Irrelevant Information: Avoid listing extraneous details such as your GPA unless specifically requested by the employer or if it's particularly impressive.
• Incorrect Formatting: Ensure consistent formatting within the Education section and maintain a professional appearance throughout your resume.

How to List Relevant Coursework and Projects on Resume

Listing relevant coursework and projects on a resume can significantly enhance your academic achievements and demonstrate your skills to potential employers. Here are some best practices:

1. Highlight the most relevant:

Focus on showcasing courses, projects, or activities that are directly related to the job you're applying for. If you're aiming for a computer science position, include any programming classes, coding projects, or robotics clubs from high school.

2. Use action verbs:

Start each bullet point with a strong action verb such as "Developed," "Designed," "Built," "Analyzed," etc., to make your accomplishments sound more impactful and professional. For example, instead of saying "Did a project on physics," say "Designed and implemented a physics project to analyze the effects of gravity on various objects."

3. Quantify achievements:

When possible, include numbers or statistics to give context to your accomplishments. This can help potential employers understand the scale and complexity of the projects you've worked on. For example, "Developed a computer program for calculating the volume of different geometric shapes with an accuracy of 98%."

4. Include key skills:

Mention any technical or soft skills that you've acquired through your coursework and projects. This can help demonstrate your readiness for the job market and showcase your unique abilities. For example, "Developed proficiency in Python programming language while creating a project to analyze climate change data."

5. Use clear and concise language:

Avoid using overly complex or technical jargon that may be difficult for non-specialists to understand. Keep your descriptions clear and simple, but still detailed enough to convey the scope of your work.

Example 1: Relevant Coursework and Projects on High School Resume

• Python Programming Class: Developed a computer program for calculating the volume of different geometric shapes with an accuracy of 98%. Utilized conditional statements, loops, and functions to improve efficiency.
• Robotics Club (Leadership Role): Built and programmed a robot to compete in regional competitions. Designed a strategic approach for teamwork and collaboration, which resulted in our club winning the Best Engineering Design Award at the local competition.

Example 2: Relevant Coursework and Projects in High School Context

• Physics Class: Designed and implemented a physics project to analyze the effects of gravity on various objects. Conducted experiments using different materials, recorded data, and used graphing tools to visualize the results.
• Mathematics Club (Co-founder): Co-founded a Mathematics Club to encourage students to explore various mathematical concepts. Organized weekly meetings, invited guest speakers, and facilitated group discussions on various math topics.

How to List Academic Honors and Recognitions on Resume

Best Practices:

• Highlight Relevant Achievements: Include only the academic honors and recognitions that are most relevant to the job you're applying for. These could be awards for high academic achievement, membership in honor societies, or recognition for specific subjects.

  • Example: If you're applying for a STEM position, it would be beneficial to list any math or science awards you received during your high school years.

• Provide Context: Clearly state the name of the award, the year it was received, and the institution that granted it (in this case, your high school). This provides important context and verifies your claims.

  • Example: "National Honor Society Member (20XX-20XX), XYZ High School"

• Quantify Your Achievements: When possible, quantify your achievements to demonstrate the impact or scale of your accomplishments. This could be your GPA, the percentage of students you were among the top in, or the number of awards won.

  • Example: "Valedictorian, XYZ High School (20XX), with a cumulative GPA of 4.5"

• Use Action Verbs: Begin each bullet point with an action verb to make your achievements more dynamic and impactful.

  • Example: "Recipient of the Principal's Award for Academic Excellence (20XX), XYZ High School" becomes "Received Principal's Award for Academic Excellence (20XX), XYZ High School."

• Organize Chronologically: List your academic honors and recognitions in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent ones. This makes it easier for recruiters to quickly understand your academic journey.

  • Example: "Academic Honors and Recognitions" section on your resume could look like this:

  • 20XX: Valedictorian, XYZ High School (with a cumulative GPA of 4.5)

  • 20XX: Member, National Honor Society, XYZ High School

  • 20XX: Recipient of the Principal's Award for Academic Excellence, XYZ High School

Example 1: Academic Honors and Recognitions on High School Resume

Suppose you were the valedictorian of your high school, a member of the National Honor Society, and received multiple academic awards. Your "Academic Honors and Recognitions" section could look like this:

• 20XX: Valedictorian, XYZ High School (with a cumulative GPA of 4.5)
  • Received the Principal's Award for Academic Excellence (20XX), XYZ High School
  • Earned the National Merit Scholarship Commended Student recognition (20XX)
  • Recipient of the Science and Mathematics Achievement Award (20XX), XYZ High School
• 20XX: Member, National Honor Society, XYZ High School

Example 2: Academic Honors and Recognitions in High School Context

If you didn't hold any significant academic titles but still had some relevant achievements, your "Academic Honors and Recognitions" section could look like this:

• 20XX: Earned the Science and Mathematics Achievement Award (20XX), XYZ High School
  • Received a score of 5 on AP Calculus AB Exam (20XX)
  • Participated in the National History Bee regional competition (20XX)
• 20XX: Recipient of the Principal's Award for Excellence in English (20XX), XYZ High School

How to List Community Service on Resume

Best Practices for Listing Community Service Subcategory: High School Edition

• Quantify Your Impact: Clearly state the number of hours you spent on community service activities. This helps recruiters understand your commitment and dedication.

• Example: "Volunteered at local food bank for 50 hours, sorting and distributing donated food items to those in need."

• Specify Your Role: Clearly describe your role within the community service activity to show your responsibilities and contributions.

• Example: "Organized weekly collection of non-perishable food items at school and led a team of 10 students to sort and pack donations for distribution."

• Detail the Organization: Provide the name, location, and purpose of the organization you volunteered with. This provides context and shows your engagement with the community.

• Example: "Volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul Society food bank in Springfield, where the mission is to alleviate hunger by providing food and resources to those in need."

• Highlight Skills Gained: Demonstrate how your community service activities have developed skills that are relevant to your future career goals.

• Example: "Developed leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills while coordinating weekly collection efforts for the food bank."

• Show Passion and Initiative: If you initiated or created a community service project, make sure to highlight this as it shows passion, creativity, and initiative.

• Example: "Founded 'Feed Our Neighbors' project at school, which collected over 1,000 pounds of non-perishable food items in a single semester."

Example 1: Community Service on High School Resume

Community Service: Food Bank Volunteer, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Springfield | June 20XX - August 20XX

• Spent 50 hours per week sorting and distributing food donations to those in need.
• Led a team of 10 students, coordinating their efforts to maximize efficiency.
• Developed leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills during the project.

Example 2: Community Service in High School Context

Community Service: Founder & Coordinator, Feed Our Neighbors, XYZ High School | September 20XX - May 20XX

• Initiated a project to collect non-perishable food items at school.
• Organized weekly collection efforts, resulting in over 1,000 pounds of donated food within one semester.
• Demonstrated creativity, passion, and initiative by creating and executing this project.

How to List Extracurricular Activities on Resume

Best Practices for Listing 'Extracurricular Activities' on a High School Resume

• Relevance: Only include activities that are relevant to the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a position in science, for example, listing your role as president of the chess club may not be as valuable as your participation in the school's science club or robotics team.

  Example 1: Extracurricular Activities on High School Resume

  • Science Club: As a member, I actively participated in monthly experiments and researched various scientific topics under the guidance of our mentor. This experience has honed my analytical skills and fostered my interest in science.

• Responsibilities and Achievements: Clearly outline your roles, responsibilities, and any achievements within each activity. Emphasize what you did rather than just stating the name of the club or team.

  Example 2: Extracurricular Activities in High School Context

  • School Newspaper - Editor: As editor of our high school newspaper, I managed a team of writers and photographers to produce monthly editions. In my tenure, we increased the circulation from 500 to 1,200 copies per issue by implementing marketing strategies and improving content quality.

• Leadership Roles: Highlight any leadership positions you held in extracurricular activities. This demonstrates your ability to work effectively in a team and manage projects.

• Duration and Impact: Specify the duration of each activity, and if possible, explain the impact or outcome. Showing commitment over time can be compelling evidence of your dedication and reliability.

• Action Verbs: Use action verbs to describe your involvement in extracurricular activities. This makes your resume more engaging and easier for employers to understand your roles and responsibilities.

  • Managed, coordinated, led, organized, developed, implemented, contributed, mentored, etc.

How to List Achievements and Awards on Resume

When listing achievements and awards on your resume, here are some best practices:

• Highlight Relevance: Include only the achievements and awards that are relevant to the job you're applying for. If possible, relate these accomplishments to the skills or experiences required in the job description.

Example: If you're applying for a role that requires strong leadership skills, highlight any awards or achievements you received as a team captain for your high school sports team.

• Use Action Verbs: Begin each point with a strong action verb to make your achievements stand out. Here are some examples: achieved, won, recognized, selected, earned, and awarded.

Example: Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout for my outstanding service in Boy Scouts, demonstrating leadership, teamwork, and community engagement.

• Quantify Your Accomplishments: Whenever possible, provide specific details about your achievements. Quantifying your accomplishments helps to demonstrate the impact you made.

Example: Achieved a perfect attendance record throughout high school, demonstrating dedication and punctuality.

• Be Concise: Keep each point brief and focused on the most important aspects of the achievement or award. Remember that a resume is not an autobiography; you want to grab the employer's attention quickly.

Example: Earned the Presidential Scholarship for Academic Excellence, recognizing my top-tier academic performance and potential for future success.

• Organize Chronologically: List your achievements in reverse chronological order, with most recent first. This helps to clearly show your progression over time.

Example: High School Resume:

• Earned the Presidential Scholarship for Academic Excellence (20XX)
• Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout (20XX-20XX)
• Selected as Student Council President (20XX-20XX)

Example 1: Achievements and Awards on High School Resume

Here's an example of how to list achievements and awards on a high school resume:

Achievements and Awards

• Earned the Presidential Scholarship for Academic Excellence (20XX)
• Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout (20XX-20XX)
• Selected as Student Council President (20XX-20XX)
• Recognized for academic achievement with inclusion in National Honor Society (20XX)
• Received 4-year college scholarship for athletic prowess (20XX)

Example 2: Achievements and Awards in High School Context

Here's another example of how to list achievements and awards on a high school resume, with additional context:

Achievements and Awards

• Elected as Class President (Grades 10-12) and successfully led student initiatives for community service projects (20XX-20XX)
• Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout after completing extensive leadership training and community service projects (20XX-20XX)
• Recognized as a member of the National Honor Society, acknowledging academic excellence, character, and leadership potential (20XX)
• Competed at state level in two individual sports and was a key player on our school's championship basketball team (20XX-20XX)
• Completed an internship with ABC Company, where I gained valuable work experience and developed professional skills (Summer 20XX)