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Your High School Resume is Trash: Here's How to Fix it
The 3 Most Common Mistakes Students Make
Porte Global
February 25, 2025
Let’s be real. Most high school resumes? Not great. They’re cluttered, generic, and don’t actually highlight what makes you stand out.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you. We pulled together advice from top students at Top 20 colleges and boiled it down to three quick fixes to level up your resume.
Source: Tidewater Staffing (2025)
In this article...
Tip #1: Keep It to One Page - No Exceptions.
Nobody is spending more than 20 seconds reading your resume. If yours is longer than a page, you’ve already lost them. Keep it simple.
At the same time, your resume needs to have enough text so it gives enough substance to your work.
Our key resume structure:
✅ One-page
✅ Three concise bullet-points under each experience
✅ No fluff - descriptions of work is substantial, but clear and to the point.
Here is an example of a resume that is not effective:
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❌Formatting is hard to follow, does not add to demonstrate student’s work
❌Minimal to no description of the roles themselves, outside of positions held
❌Resume unnecessarily exceeds 1 page in length
Compare this to a more refined resume:
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✅Easy-to-follow formatting
✅Simple descriptions that give a good understanding of work accomplished
✅One-page
Tip #2: Use Active Language
Your resume needs to be to the point. Weak phrasing makes you sound unsure of yourself, and that’s not what we want.
Below is a list of strong action verbs recommended by Harvard’s Business School:
Source: Harvard Business School
Avoid weaker phrases like:
❌ I helped create…
❌ I was a member of…
❌ The organization was built because of my…
❌ At the event, I helped by doing…
Your wording should be action-oriented and indicate your leadership within whichever position you hold. The small changes make a big difference.
Tip #3: Specify Quantifiable Impact
Saying “organized a volunteering activity” is cool, but it’s not that impressive. Numbers demonstrate the specific, targeted impact you made in an organization.
Instead of:
❌ Organized a volunteering activity as part of the monthly food drive
Try:
✅ Spearheaded a volunteering fundraiser that raised $5,000, engaged 30+ students, and resulted in 400+ donuts being sold.
If you don’t know what numbers to add to your resume:
Did you grow social media engagement?
Did you increase membership or participation in a club?
How much did you fundraise through an initiative?
How many people came to the event you spearheaded?
At the end of the day, a good resume isn’t just a list of what you’ve done—it’s proof that you made an impact.
Your resume should tell a clear, powerful story about you and what you’ve done. Keep it short, use strong language, and show off the measurable impact you’ve made.
Student Resources
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Learn more and contact us on our website.
Free Extracurricular Consultation Call
Unsure if your academic and extracurricular portfolio is strong enough? Book a call with a member of the Porte’s admission team. On the call, we will:
- Learn about your post-secondary goals & school list
- Assess the strength of your portfolio in relation to your major
- Share additional & personalized resources you can use