How to make a resume for teens, step by step
Start with who you are and what you can offer in two lines. Then list, in this order: your school, any work (paid or not), activities and volunteering, and a short skills list. Keep it to one page. A teen resume template with a plain layout and one font is enough; fancy designs and photos make a short resume look padded.
- Contact line. Your name, a phone number, and an email address built from your name (not a nickname). Your city is enough; skip the street address.
- Summary, two lines. What you are, what you offer, what you want: Dependable 16-year-old with two years of babysitting and a record of full attendance, looking for part-time retail work after school.
- Education. School, expected graduation year, and your GPA only if it is strong. Add honors, relevant classes or a language you speak.
- Experience. Real jobs first. Then informal ones: babysitting, mowing lawns, pet care, helping at a family business.
- Activities and volunteering. Teams, clubs, church or community groups. Say your role and what you did.
- Skills. Four to six that fit the job: a second language, cash handling, Google Docs, first aid or CPR if you have it.
Ask a teacher, a coach or a neighbor who has employed you to be a reference, and ask first. The resume references guide explains how to list them. For a student resume with a different slant, see the high school resume.
Teen resume examples: three samples
These teenage resume examples use invented names, schools and numbers. Treat them as patterns for your own resume, not as text to copy.
A 15-year-old with no paid work
Maya Torres
Dayton, OH · 555-0166 · maya.torres@example.com
Summary
Responsible sophomore who has babysat for three families for two years. Looking for a summer job at a library or a store.
Education
Northgate High School, Dayton, OH · expected 2028 · GPA 3.7, honor roll three semesters
Experience
Babysitter, neighborhood families, 2024 to now: looked after children aged 3 to 9 for up to 5 hours, ran bedtime routines and kept a log for parents.
Activities
Library volunteer, school library: shelved about 200 books a week and helped younger students find reading levels.
Skills
Spanish (conversational), Google Docs, first aid course (2025), friendly with young children
A 17-year-old with informal jobs
Jordan Ellis
Boise, ID · 555-0129 · jordan.ellis@example.com
Summary
Reliable junior who runs a small lawn-care route and plays varsity soccer. Looking for part-time work in a garden center or grocery store.
Experience
Owner, lawn-care route, 2023 to now: mowed 9 yards a week, set the prices, collected payment and kept $1,800 of income records.
Assistant, grandfather's hardware store, summers 2024 and 2025: stocked shelves, worked the register under supervision and handled about 30 customers a day.
Activities
Varsity soccer, 3 years; captain in 2025: arranged weekly practice schedule for 22 players.
Education
Cedar Ridge High School, Boise, ID · expected 2027 · GPA 3.4
A 19-year-old with a part-time job
Emily Carter
Tampa, FL · 555-0184 · emily.carter@example.com
Summary
Community college freshman with eight months of cashier experience, seeking a part-time job that fits a class schedule.
Experience
Cashier, neighborhood pharmacy, Feb 2026 to now: served about 90 customers a shift, balanced the till to the cent for 28 straight weeks and trained two new hires.
Education
Bayshore Community College, Tampa, FL · Associate of Arts, expected 2027 · Dean's List
Teenager resume with no work experience
A teenager resume with no work experience still has content. Think of anything where someone relied on you: caring for a sibling, helping a relative, running a school event, managing a social media page for a club. These are the things an employer wants to know, and a resume for a teenager with no experience should say them in plain terms with one number each.
| What you did | How to write it |
|---|---|
| Babysat for neighbors | Babysitter: looked after two or three children at a time, aged 3 to 9, and handled bedtime and homework |
| Ran a lemonade stand or sold crafts | Founder, craft stall: made and sold 150 items at two school fairs; raised $420 |
| Helped at a family business | Assistant, family bakery: packed 40 orders on weekends and answered customer questions |
| Organized a school event | Co-chair, spring dance: handled a $600 budget and a team of 8 volunteers |
| Played a sport | Team member, JV basketball: attended 95% of practices and games for two seasons |
| Looked after a pet or a garden | Pet sitter: fed and walked dogs for four clients over two summers |
If you worry that it looks thin, remember what the reader expects. They know you are 16. They want to see that you show up, can learn, and have already done something responsible. The guides to a first-job resume and a resume with no experience cover the same ground for older applicants.
Hours and age rules your resume should respect
Federal rules limit when 14- and 15-year-olds can work: outside school hours, no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, and no more than 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week. They may work only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with the evening limit moving to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Where state rules are stricter, the stricter rule applies, and some states require a work permit for minors, so check yours before you apply.
On a resume this means one thing: say the hours you can work. A line such as Available weekends and weekdays after 4 pm tells the manager you have read the rules and saves a phone call. If you are 16 or 17, the same line works; the hours limits above apply to 14- and 15-year-olds.
What to leave off a teenage resume
- A photo, your date of birth, your home address or a social media handle that is not professional.
- A long objective that says only that you want to learn. Say what you offer.
- Padding: a list of every class, every club you attended once, or hobbies with no link to the job.
- Anything untrue. A manager who calls a reference and hears a different story will stop reading.
Print one copy, hand it over with a handshake, and keep the file ready to send. The one-page resume guide shows what to cut if yours runs over.
Sources
Checked on 13 October 2026.