Although resumes are typically prepared when one is about to enter the workforce, several experts agree it’s more effective to have a readily accessible resume started in high school, which is something the Health Science 2 class at the CTE Center is currently doing.

“Building a resume is important because it shows the employer pretty much all of your history, your skills, anything that you’ve done. Any certifications, extra courses or studying, to reinforce your education. It’s just kind of a way to document your career,” substitute teacher, former JCPenney manager Cheri McKean said. “After 32 years with JCPenney, I have a laundry list of skills and jobs within the company I had, so it gives my future employer a biography of me. I absolutely recommend prepping it in high school.” 

Junior Harini Thiyagarajan agrees with the importance of putting together one’s resume in hopes of receiving a future job.

“A resume is important because it shows potential employers what skills you have and why you would make a good candidate,” Thiyagarajan said via text. “It also highlights your strengths and communicates the benefits you could bring if hired. Lastly, it details your skills and training, work experience and education.”

Creating a resume is usually one of many steps, as McKean says it’s just as important to continuously update it.

“Keeping up with the resume is hard. I would do the same job for years before I move on to something else within the company, but you still have to interview for that position, and you still need a resume,” McKean said. “And I didn’t keep up with my resume so I’d have to sit down and brainstorm and research and be like, Okay, what did I do here? I call it a dynamic document since it’s constantly moving. Anytime you do something new, any new certification, you get any new award you get any new skill you acquire, you have to keep it always current.”

Crafting her resume in a thorough yet significant manner proved to be a slight obstacle for junior Sreya Das.

“One of the challenges I faced while resume building was writing it in a way that encapsulated my personal accomplishments while also maintaining relevancy,” Das said via text.