Many high schoolers are interested in summer jobs that offer a learning experience, or something different they can add to their college applications. To land that type of position, the student needs a resume. But what should the resume of a 15-year-old look like?
Jo Leonard, who coaches high school and college students on a variety of issues, including presentation and speaking skills and career planning, provides advice in a workshop on Saturday, June 4, at Penn Wealth Planning in New Hope. That resume should include:
A profile. This is a short list of the student’s “strengths and passions,” says Leonard, including two to three sentences about job objectives. For example, one of her current clients wanted a summer internship with an architectural firm. Leonard helped her create a resume to be sent to about 20 companies. Her profile: “Creative and committed sophomore with desire to experience an architectural firm from the inside during summer vacation; strong technical, and organizational skills; long term goal to work in architectural field.”
Activities and experiences. Leonard suggests these be divided into on-campus and off-campus activities. Don’t just list titles and clubs, says Leonard, but rather give details about the experiences. “Be proud of your accomplishments,” she says. “Don’t just list the school newspaper; tell exactly what you did on the newspaper.”
Technical skills, accomplishments, and awards. A few lines should be devoted to these.
Recommendations. “Go ahead and get letters of recommendation,” Leonard says. “Then pull out a sentence or two and use it on the resume.” One of her clients, for example, was able to pull in recommendations stating that she “has shown herself to be an engaging, responsible, and hardworking.”
Cover Letter. The final step in any resume is the cover letter that states what the student is looking for, “an internship with your firm,” for example. The letter, she stresses, should “sound like it was written by a 17-year-old,” not by the student’s parents.
After the resume and cover letter have been sent, the student should follow up with a phone call asking for an interview. “All kids need to learn to communicate. A student can have a fantastic resume,” says Leonard, “but if he is unable to communicate in person, he won’t get the job. Many teens who look great on paper lack social and communication skills. They are shy and they are not comfortable talking with adults or talking about themselves.”
While their parents have known about the importance of a sound hand shake for decades, teens, operating in a less formal world, need to be taught the basics. “Be firm, but don’t grip too hard,” says Leonard. “Look the other person in the eye and repeat his name — and no sweaty palms.” Always make eye contact when shaking hands, she adds.
It’s important to have a snippet of conversation ready to accompany the hand shake. “Stand up and put out hand out and say, “‘It’s a pleasure to meet you,’” Leonard says, suggesting that the teenager practice several opening lines. “It doesn’t just happen naturally,” she says.
Preparing for an interview also means giving thought to wardrobe. “If you are interviewing with a landscaper or for a summer camp position you dress differently than for an office job,” says Leonard. No matter what the position, however, Leonard advises her clients to dress conservatively. Never wear shorts and “remove all piercings,” she says. “This is not the time to show your individuality.”
Her final advice on interview dress: “No underwear showing. A 17-year-old looking for a summer job is likely to be interviewed by a person in his late 20s. They don’t have their underwear showing anymore. They are a different level now.”
— Karen Hodges Miller
“How to Land a Better Summer Job,” Saturday, June 4, at 1 p.m. at Penn Wealth Planning in New Hope. Presented by Jo Leonard LLC, 60 Wilson Street, Lambertville. Cost: $180. Call 215-297-5545 or 609-773-0169.
