You have never had a job. The application says "attach your resume." Now you are staring at a blank document, cursor blinking, wondering what on earth you are supposed to put in there.
This is the situation for almost every teenager applying for their first job. And it is fixable.
Hiring managers at places that hire teens already know you have no experience. They are not expecting two pages of previous roles. They want someone who took the time to put something together, who seems reliable, and who can show up and learn. Honest and readable is the actual bar, and you can clear it.
Here is how.
What Actually Goes on a First Resume
One page. Always. One clean page signals that you know what you are doing. If someone opens your resume and sees two pages, they assume you padded it. You probably did.
Here is what to include:
Your name and contact information. At the top: your full name, phone number, and email address. That email address matters more than you might think. If yours is something like xX_gamerlord_Xx@hotmail.com, make a new one before you apply anywhere. A simple first-name-last-name combination works. No street address required. And never put your Social Insurance Number (SIN) on a resume. A legitimate employer will not ask for it at this stage.
Education. Your high school name, your current grade, and your expected graduation year. Include your grade point average if it is strong. Leave it out if it is not.
Skills. This is where most teens undersell themselves badly. Skills are things you can do, not things you have been paid to do. Quick typing is a skill. Driving is a skill. Speaking a second language is a skill. If you have been running a social media account, managing a team in an online game, fixing bikes in your garage, or building things from scratch, those are real skills worth listing.
Experience, informal counts. You have probably done more than you realize. Babysitting counts. Shovelling driveways for neighbours counts. Helping at your church or a community event counts. A paper route counts. Helping a family member run a small business counts. Frame these the same way you would a paid job: what you did, for how long, and what it involved.
Volunteer and extracurricular activities. Sports teams, clubs, school council, youth groups, volunteering at events. These show that you can commit to something and work alongside other people. Both things matter to an employer.
The Section-by-Section Order
Here is a simple structure that works for a first resume:
- Name and contact info
- Education
- Skills
- Experience (paid or unpaid, most recent first)
- Volunteer and extracurricular activities
- References: available on request
That last line is standard Canadian practice. You do not need to list references on the resume itself. Just be ready to provide two or three names if an employer asks. A teacher, a coach, or a neighbour you helped regularly are all reasonable options. Let them know in advance that someone might contact them.
How to Write a Bullet Point That Actually Means Something
The hardest part of a first resume is describing what you have done in a way that communicates something real. Most first-timers write something vague and passive.
Weak: "Helped with stuff at the church."
Better: "Helped set up and break down event equipment for weekly youth group of approximately 40 people."
The formula is simple: what you did, for what or for whom, at what scale or frequency. One well-written bullet point beats a vague paragraph every time. If you babysat regularly for one family, you might write: "Provided regular childcare for two children ages 4 and 7, managing daily routines including meals, homework help, and bedtime."
That sounds like someone who was trusted with real responsibility.
Because you were.
Most teens talk about their informal work like it barely counts. It counts. Describe it clearly and it will read well.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not lie. Do not claim experience you do not have. Employers ask about specific things in interviews, especially anything on your resume. If you made something up, it becomes obvious fast. Beyond the practical risk, you are starting your working life, which means you are starting to build a reputation. Start it with the truth.
Messy formatting. Pick something clean. White background, black text, a standard readable font like Arial or Calibri, sized at 11 or 12 points. Google Docs and Microsoft Word both have simple resume templates. Use one of those rather than designing something from scratch.
Spelling errors. Read your resume out loud before you send it. Then have someone else read it. A single typo in your email address means an employer cannot contact you even if they want to.
Two pages. You do not have enough for two pages. One page. That is it.
Putting your SIN anywhere on the document. Worth repeating, because it still happens. Your SIN is private. Keep it that way until a job is actually offered and accepted.
A Brief Word on Cover Letters
Some applications ask for a cover letter. Keep it short. Three paragraphs is the right length.
First paragraph: who you are, what job you are applying for, and why you are interested. Second paragraph: one or two specific things that make you a good fit, even without formal experience. Third paragraph: thank them for their time and say you would welcome the chance to talk about the role.
Address it to the hiring manager by name if you can find one on the job posting or the company website. "Dear Hiring Manager" is fine when you cannot.
You are a teenager applying for your first job. Write professionally, but write honestly. You do not need to pretend you are something you are not. They can already see what this application is, and they chose to read it anyway.
Your One Step Today
Write one bullet point.
Pick something you have done, anything at all, and describe it using the formula: what you did, for what or for whom, at what scale or frequency. One sentence. That is your starting point.
The rest of the resume gets easier once you have something on the page.
A resume that exists is always better than a perfect resume still sitting in your head.