Comments on: Career Q&A: Is it lame to put high school achievements on my resume?

By: You Have More Experience Than You Think (Part I)

You Have More Experience Than You Think (Part I) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:54 +0000

[...] How far back should you go in your analysis? As a general rule, resume-relevant experience goes back four years for students and recent grads, unless you’ve done something super impressive like winning an Olympic medal or starting your own business, which you should always mention. Read more on the timeline for recalling your achievements in my blog post, Career Q&A: Is it lame to put high school achievements on my resume? [...]

By: Rick75

Rick75 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:49:00 +0000

If your high school experience shows demonstrable skills in, say, leadership, project management, or maybe consensus-building (or even if you were on the debate team and became a very persuasive speaker), and you perfected those skills in college, it could prove very helpful in launching your career after college. At the very least, it can show an employer that you have a critical component of a needed skill set.

By: Lindsey Pollak

Lindsey Pollak — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:58:00 +0000

Thanks for the helpful advice, Emily. http://www.experience.com is a great resource for job seekers.

By: Emily Foley

Emily Foley — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:49:00 +0000

It’s definitely a good idea to list something amazing from high school if you show that it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. In order to decide whether an activity is resume-worthy, you should make a list of your responsibilities, skills and on-the-job accomplishments, according to Experience, Inc., a client I represent. The article on Experience.com also advises being creative but truthful- a lot of activities that don’t seem job-related, like producing short films with your friends or competing in triathlons, can demonstrate creativity, responsibility and persistence.