US: First jobs · 5 min read
How do I write a resume as a teenager with no experience?
How to write a first resume at 14 to 18 with no job history: the sections, what counts as experience, the skills to list, a one-page layout and the mistakes to skip.
The short answer
A teenager's first resume is one page with five parts: your contact details, a two-line objective naming the job you want, your education with GPA if it's good and relevant coursework, an experience section built from everything you've actually done (babysitting, yard work, volunteering, sports, clubs, school projects, a family business), and a short skills list of things you can really do. Every line should show responsibility, reliability or a result, because that's what a manager hiring a 16 year old is checking for. No photo, no full address, no references on the page.
Key takeaways
- Experience doesn't mean paid work. Babysitting three families, running the sound board for the school play, and captaining JV soccer all count.
- Write each line as what you did and what happened: "Watched two kids aged 4 and 7 two evenings a week for a year; both families still call."
- List skills you can demonstrate: a language, Google Sheets, cash handling, CPR certification, a bike you can ride to work.
- Keep it to one page, in a plain font, saved as a PDF named Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf.
On this pageThe five sections, in order
The five sections, in order
| Section | What goes in it | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Name, city and state, phone, a sensible email | Two lines |
| Objective | The job you want and one reason you'd be good at it | Two lines |
| Education | School, expected graduation, GPA if strong, relevant classes, honors | Three to five lines |
| Experience | Informal jobs, volunteering, clubs, sports, projects, each with a result | Half the page |
| Skills and certifications | Things you can prove on the spot | Three to five lines |
What counts as experience
- Informal paid work: babysitting, pet sitting, lawn care, tutoring, helping at a family business.
- Volunteering: food bank shifts, a church or temple program, a hospital junior volunteer role, coaching younger kids.
- School roles: team captain, section leader in band, stage crew, yearbook editor, student council, a club you started.
- Projects: a science fair entry that placed, a robotics season, a fundraiser you ran, a website you built for a club.
- Responsibilities at home that show reliability, used sparingly: caring for siblings after school every day for two years is real experience.
Worked example: the experience section
Babysitter, three families in the neighborhood, 2024 to present. Care for children aged 3 to 9 two to three evenings a week, including meals, homework and bedtime; all three families rebook monthly. Treasurer, Key Club, 2025 to present. Track dues and fundraiser money for a 40-member club in a shared spreadsheet; ran the fall bake sale that raised $620. JV soccer, 2024 to present. Started every game this season; chosen by teammates to run warm-ups. Each line says what you did, for whom, how often, and one thing that happened because of it.
Mistakes that cost interviews
An email address from middle school. A full home address, which nobody needs. Listing "references available on request" instead of using the space. Describing a role by its title only: "member of robotics club" tells the manager nothing, while "built and wired the drivetrain for a 30-team regional" does. Two pages. A template with a photo and skill bars. And spelling the store's name wrong in the objective.
Illustrative example: the resume that got read
A 16 year old applying to a grocery chain lists babysitting, two seasons of stage crew and a food handler card she took online for $10. The manager interviewing her asks about the stage crew line, because "ran a 14-cue light board for three performances" is the only thing on the pile of applications that sounds like a person who shows up on time and doesn't panic. She starts the following week.
Questions people ask
- Should a teenager include their GPA on a resume?
- If it's 3.5 or above, yes, under education. If it's lower, leave it off; nobody will ask for a retail or restaurant job. Honors, AP classes, a relevant class like culinary arts or accounting, and awards are worth a line each. Expected graduation year goes next to the school name.
- What skills should a teenager put on a resume?
- Concrete ones. Cash handling, Microsoft or Google apps, a second language and how well you speak it, CPR or lifeguard certification, food handler card, bike or car transportation, typing speed, photo or video editing, social media management for a club. Skip "hard worker" and "team player"; show those in the experience lines instead.
- Do I need a cover letter for a teen job?
- Almost never for retail, food or recreation. A two-sentence note in the email or application box does the same work: who you are, why this place, when you can work. For an internship, a competitive program or an office job, write a short letter of three paragraphs.
- Should I use a resume template?
- A plain one, yes. Google Docs and Word both have simple templates with no photos or columns. Avoid designs with graphics, icons and skill bars; applicant tracking systems at large chains can't read them and managers find them distracting. Black text, one column, clear headings.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- YouthRules! Young workers · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- Employment and unemployment among youth, summer 2025 · US Bureau of Labor Statistics
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.