Building Your CV/Resume

<p>Hello, </p>

<p>I was just wondering how long high school related activities usually stay one one's CV/resume. Doesn't it seem a bit silly to list something like "____ Club President" or "Editor of HS Newspaper?" A lot of the things I did that involved leadership positions and other typical ECs sound so trivial now. And by trivial I am not at all referring to things like RSI, USABO, IMO and other highly selective or difficult activities. If I remove anything high-school related I just have a job at a restaurant, current school, high school, major, and the GPAs I earned at both. Also, I am a member of a couple of ECs at school but they are mostly just for fun and not very serious. I do not have leadership positions nor have I won any awards or participated in any competitions that would parallel my achievements in high school. How do you snag the big summer internships, summer programs, and other selective activities when you come in and have a blank CV/resume with things like "ASB President"? Is it really that significant anymore? I am also a freshman. </p>

<p>Thanks,
Emmeline</p>

<p>depends on what year you are. Through sophomore year of college at least you can definitely still list high school positions like editors of publications and captains of teams.</p>

<p>Basically, what matters is that you show the prospective employer who you are and why you are qualified for the position (and, in the case of an internship, what you hope to learn -- show you are willing AND able to learn). Each section of your resume needs to be adapted for the specific job you want.
For example, I personally have 3 resumes on my computer that I adapt for the 3 types of jobs I have held and/or commonly apply for. These 3 resumes are: student leadership (shows people skills, mentoring skills, management/organizational skills AND emphasizes approachability/humanness over professionalism), lifeguard (emphasizes my lifeguard and aquatics training and experience), and technical skills and management (stresses my ability to manage others as well as my computer technical skills).</p>

<p>I think the answer to your question really lies in what you have done since HS that is important. Overall, for example, after your freshmen yr, you should probably remove any references to HS and HS GPA and replace them with your college major and cumulative GPA.
For example, my education section currently reads:</p>

<p>Azusa, CA Azusa Pacific University (APU) 9/04-Present
Bachelor of Arts, Music and Psychology (GPA: x.xx) Expected 2008</p>

<p>I also saw that you asked a lot about your HS ECs and, frankly, unless they bare a direct relationship to the job you hope to be doing, they will do nothing but detract from your resume.
Remember! When writing your resume, <em>everything</em> either helps OR hurts -- it can't be neutral because then it is taking time away from seeing the important stuff! Your resume will get little more than a quick once-over before it either becomes part of the "let's call" pile or ends up as the newest addition to the landfill!
Even things like being captain of a team or having been an editor (or any other leadership position) could be distracting if it has no apparent relevance. One way you can be sure to show the relevance of the work you've done is by giving bullet point descriptions, for example if one were applying for RA after having worked as an orientation leader at their school:
• Served and mentored over 20 freshmen
• Helped a female student through difficult personal and family problems
• Worked with a student and his RA to resolve roommate issues
• Planned activities for orientation group with a high rate of attendance</p>

<p>Thanks you guys. I also appreciate your extended response apumic.</p>