How to Build Your First Resume

Whether you're headed down the traditional route of college, internships, and a first job, or a less traditional entrepreneurial or creative path, a strong resume will only help you. But how do you build one at 17, when it feels like you don't have much "real" experience?

Start here: if you've lived it, it's real experience. That opens up far more material than most students realize.

At Summer Discovery and Beyond Now, we see a lot of first resumes, from high school students in our programs and from college students applying to join our summer staff. We asked our recruiting and operations teams for their most practical advice on building a first resume that stands out. Here's what they told us.

1. Lead with impact, not job descriptions

This is the number one thing that separates a good resume from a great one. Most first resumes describe the role instead of what the person actually did. Use a simple formula: action verb + what you did + result or scale.

Before: "Responsible for helping customers at the front desk"

After: "Greeted and assisted 50+ customers per shift, resolving questions and processing payments"

Before: "Member of the debate team"

After: "Researched and argued 15+ competitive cases; placed 2nd at regional tournament"

Numbers don't have to be big to work. Ten kids, three events, or $400 raised all show scale and make your work feel real. Aim for at least three specific, verifiable bullets for each job you list.

2. Redefine what counts as experience

Students undersell themselves here constantly. Varsity sports, student government, clubs, babysitting, tutoring, volunteering, a family business, a side hustle, and creative work like music or content creation all count when they show responsibility, consistency, or growth.

As one of our Regional Directors, a former Division I athlete, puts it: athletics is basically a job. It means 20+ hours a week of time management, discipline, teamwork, performing under pressure, and taking coaching. The same goes for caring for younger siblings or working to help support your family. Name the skill, then show the proof.

3. Show initiative

This is where resumes really stand out. The ones that jump off the page almost always include at least one thing the student started, fixed, or improved on their own, like launching a club, creating a new system at work, organizing an event, or taking on responsibility nobody asked them to. A title says you were there. Initiative says what you'll do when you get here.

4. Structure it for where you are

For high school and early college students, this order works best:

Contact info: name, phone number, professional email, and LinkedIn profile if you have one. City and state are enough; skip your full address.

Education: school, expected graduation date, GPA if it's 3.0 or higher, and relevant coursework or honors.

Experience: jobs, internships, and major volunteer roles.

Leadership and activities: sports, clubs, and community involvement.

Skills

Keep education at the top until you have real work experience to lead with. Once you're about halfway through college, start phasing out high school activities unless they're truly exceptional or connected to what you're applying for.

5. Keep it to one clean page

Skip photos, graphics, icons, columns, and heavily designed templates. Many companies use screening software that can't read them, and recruiters skim fast. Stick to one clean font (Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman) at 10.5 to 12-point, with clear headers and enough white space so the page doesn't feel crammed. Keep formatting consistent throughout, from font and size to spacing and bullet style. If you're spilling onto a second page, cut your weakest bullets, not your margins.

6. Skip the objective summary, or make it earn its spot

Generic objectives like "Seeking a position where I can grow my skills" take up space and say nothing. If you include a summary, keep it to one or two specific lines: who you are, what you're good at, and what you're looking for.

7. Tailor it for every application

Read the job posting and note the skills and language that keep coming up, then make sure your resume honestly reflects them. Reorder your bullets so the most relevant ones come first. A targeted resume sent to 10 places almost always beats a generic one sent to 50.

8. Make your skills section real

Skip "hard worker," "team player," and "good communicator." Your bullets should prove those. Instead, list things you can actually do (Excel or Google Sheets, Canva, social media management, specific software, and certifications like CPR or First Aid).

If you speak another language, include your proficiency level. Interviewers may want to try a few questions in that language, and listing your actual level helps keep that from adding stress to the conversation. Whatever you list, be honest, because interviewers will ask.

9. Be careful with AI

AI tools can help you brainstorm action verbs or tighten your wording, but don't let them write the whole thing. Recruiters can spot generic, overly polished language quickly, and you need to be able to talk confidently about every line in an interview. Your own voice and real details are what make the resume yours.

10. Sweat the small stuff

Proofread, then have someone else proofread. Keep your tense consistent: past tense for past roles, present tense for current ones. Use a professional email address (firstname.lastname, not your middle school gamer tag). Save and send your resume as a PDF named FirstName_LastName_Resume. When two candidates look similar, details like these often decide it.

11. Get feedback from real people

Show your resume to a teacher, counselor, coach, boss, or someone working in a field that interests you. Ask them, "What stands out in the first 10 seconds?" If their answer isn't the thing you most want them to notice, rework it.

12. Treat it as a living document

Start a "brag doc" now, where you jot down accomplishments, numbers, awards, and positive feedback as they happen. Update your resume every few months, even when you're not applying anywhere. Future you, building a college, internship, or first full-time resume, will be very grateful.

The big picture

Your first resume isn't about having a ton of experience. It's about showing how you show up. At this stage, reliability, initiative, and growth are what we're really looking for.