How can a high school student create a resume for their first job?

I'm a junior in high school and I'm looking to land my first job. What are some key things I should include in my resume to make it stand out, even though I don't have much work experience yet?

Creating a strong resume without much work experience can feel daunting, but don't worry, many components of your academic and extracurricular life can highlight your skills and potential. Here's a breakdown of what you should include:

1. Contact Information: Include your full name, your address, your telephone number, and a professional email address.

2. Objective Statement: Here, you can express your career goal or the type of job you're seeking. It should be concise and tailored to the specific job you're applying for.

3. Education: List your high school, and your expected graduation date. If you've taken any courses that are relevant to the jobs you're looking for, list them here too. Additionally, if you've maintained a high GPA, include it - it demonstrates your dedication and strong work ethic.

4. Skills: Highlight a mix of technical and soft skills you've gained from your coursework, clubs, sports, volunteer work, or any other activities. This might include things like teamwork, communication, time management, leadership, or technical skills, things like knowledge of certain software, programming languages, etc.

5. Extracurricular Activities: List any clubs, sports, or organizations you're involved with, particularly if you held a leadership role. This section can also include any relevant projects you've worked on.

6. Work Experience: Even if you haven't had a traditional job, you can still include experiences like babysitting, pet sitting, lawn mowing, volunteering, or other freelance work here. The key is to focus on the transferable skills you gained from these experiences!

7. Achievements and Awards: Include any academic awards, scholarships, competition placements, etc. It's always great to show a potential employer you're capable of achieving recognized success!

8. References: If you have permission from certain adults who are not family members - such as teachers, coaches, leaders from organizations you volunteer with, etc. - including their contact info as references can help strengthen your application. Always make sure you ask for their permission first!

Remember to keep your resume to one page, organized, and free of errors. It might be helpful to have a teacher or counselor review your resume before sending it out to potential employers. Good luck with your job search!