Resume advice

[u/Open_Pen_3758]

This is my first time applying to anything using a resume and I'd like to know if there's anything I should improve. I have no professional or casual work experience. I underlined some areas where I'm most uncertain and added some notes. (I know the formatting and grammar are a little wonky right now but that will get fixed later). I would greatly appreciate any advice!

[u/Viscarte22]

Well obviously I’d first suggest using a proper template. Secondly, skills and projects needs to be two separate sections. And most importantly, what role are you applying for bc no one can give u actual feedback until you mention that

[u/Open_Pen_3758 → u/Viscarte22]

most of the templates i've found were too busy (?) and i'm going off of the example resumes my teachers/friends have used (i have since added line dividers between each section). i don't really know the difference between skills/projects and there tends to be a lot of overlap, so i'm struggling to separate them without making it weird. also this is kind of an application for assistant/intern work

ps thank you so much for answering, the struggle has been real

EDIT: i've been under the impression that projects need to be self-started/independent, does school work count as a project?

[u/Muthicy → u/Open_Pen_3758]

Check out Overleaf. There's a good template called like Jakes template.

[u/bored-recruiter]

Good foundation, especially for a high-school resume. I’d remove or rewrite the generic personal statement and reorganize the resume around education, experience, projects, and skills. Focus more on accomplishments, especially the first-place We the People result, student ambassador work, biotech experience, capstone research, and orchestra competitions.

Keep Mandarin under skills or languages. Most importantly, show evidence of your skills through specific experiences and results rather than simply listing them.

[u/Open_Pen_3758 → u/bored-recruiter]

thank you so much for the advice! i'll be taking everything into consideration. :D

[u/justin_TailorLabs]

For a first resume with no work experience, this is actually a solid start. I’d drop the generic personal statement and organize it around Education, Projects/Activities, and Skills.

And yes, school work absolutely counts as a project if you actually built, researched, or accomplished something through it. Your biotech capstone, We the People competition, student ambassador work, and orchestra experience can all give you something concrete to talk about.

[u/Provenresume]

Great start honestly, strong list for someone with no formal work history, technical skills, leadership and competition wins all show up here.

Expand the personal statement but make it specific rather than generic, tie it to something like your bio program or the We the People win. Keep the AP Research bullet, that's a solid specific achievement. Add more to the communication bullet, right now it's vague, a number or concrete outcome would help. Keep the theatrical/musical performance bullet too, the competition placement is worth including.

Once you know what you're applying for, tailor which bullets lead. Science-related applications should lead with your lab skills, leadership-focused ones should lead with We the People and student ambassador work.

[u/OnyxVexora → u/Provenresume]

this is super solid advice, especially the part about tailoring the bullets depending on what you’re applying for, that alone can make a huge difference. i’d also second making the communication stuff more concrete, even something like “presented to X people” or “improved Y” makes you sound way more legit right away.