Teaching resume writing in middle school is more important than ever. In an increasingly competitive world, students will benefit from learning these skills – not only for their future academic journeys but also for their careers down the road.
And if you’re wondering if middle school is too early to learn a skill such as resume writing when students might not even be old enough – or have the desire yet – to have a job, it’s not! When students learn how to write a resume at an early age, it gives them a solid foundation in effectively showcasing their skills, abilities, and experiences in a professional and impressive manner.
This means students will have the confidence and know-how to create a resume that really stands out when applying for internships, college or university, part-time jobs, or even extracurricular activities. Plus, when you are teaching resume writing and working it into your guided career exploration, you also help students develop essential skills like organizing information, highlighting their strengths, and tailoring this information for specific purposes.
And guess what? These skills are totally transferable to other important tasks like writing cover letters and filling out post-secondary, grant or scholarship applications. So basically, teaching resume writing in middle school gives students the tools they need to take charge of their own stories, boosts their self-esteem, and paves the way for a successful transition into higher education and the workforce.
This blog post will go over the reasons why you should be teaching resume writing in middle school and why it is so important for your students to learn this skill early.
Why You Should be Teaching Resume Writing in Middle School
Teaching resume writing will have many benefits for students.
Teaching resume writing helps students build self-awareness.
Middle school is a crucial time for students as they begin to discover their passions and strengths. They’re in the process of exploring different interesting, figuring out in what areas they excel and where they can improve. You, as their teacher, can help guide them on this journey.
When teaching resume writing to students, we empower them to reflect on their skills, interests, and accomplishments. This can help them gain a deeper understanding of themselves in order to make more informed decisions about their educational and career paths.
Learning how to write a resume is not only a practical skill but one that helps students engage in self-discovery. Once they learn to recognize what sets them apart from others and how their unique talents can contribute to their personal and professional growth, they set the stage to take ownership of their future.
We need to encourage students to dream big and help them on their path of personal and professional fulfillment. If you’re ready to help your students work on their cover letter and resume writing skills and start teaching resume writing, check out our Cover Letter and Resume Writing Unit Career Lessons. We’ll cover this more at the end of this post.
Teaching resume writing helps students to develop communication skills.
Good communication is key to succeeding in anything you do, no matter the field. Learning to develop communication skills can help students build strong relationships, collaborate effectively in team sports, navigate social situations, advocate for others, and more.
And you know what? Teaching resume writing can actually help students improve their written communication skills. When they create a resume, they learn:
- How to be clear and concise in their writing
- How to organize and structure their information
- How to prioritize relevant details
- How to utilize critical thinking through self-reflection
- How to proofread and edit their writing
- How to pay attention to detail
Also, when students write a resume and a cover letter, it can actually help them improve their speaking skills too. How? They learn to read what they’ve written out loud, almost like giving a speech, to make sure everything sounds good and flows smoothly.
This process of proofreading out loud helps students become better at oral communication. So, teaching resume writing to students, as well as cover letters, is not just about writing – it’s about boosting their speaking skills too!
If you want to work with your students on their oral presentation skills, you might like our Oral Presentations and Public Speaking bundles – Bundle #1 and Bundle #2 each have four assignments perfect for teaching your students this important life skill.
Teaching resume writing helps students learn how to plan and set goals.
Goal setting and planning can be challenging for middle school students because they are still exploring their interests and might feel uncertain about their future. This can make it harder to envision long-term goals and determine the steps needed in order to achieve them.
But when students learn how to craft a resume, they soon realize that it’s all about setting goals and making plans. Students start to think about what they want to achieve and what their dream future might look like, envisioning what direction they want to go in life.
Crafting a resume can help students figure out the steps they need in order to make their dream future happen.
Are your students not sure what this future looks like? Help guide them down the path using any of these resources:
- Middle School Career Exploration
- Fun Activities For Exploring The Trades
- 5 Reasons To Use Guided Career Exploration With Middle School Students
When we teach students how to set goals early on, we teach them the importance of planning in order to make their dreams come true. When we teach students how to write a resume, we help to instill a sense of purpose and direction in them.
Using our Career Exploration and Research Project, you can help students start their journey of self-discovery and career exploration using activities such as:
- Career brainstorming specific careers that interest students.
- Having students learn more about their top 3 career choices.
- Creating a career poster using the information.
- Presenting their poster to the class in an oral presentation.
This is the perfect resource for not only helping students explore different career paths but also helping them work on their writing and oral presentation skills.
Teaching resume writing can help students be more prepared for post-secondary – and their careers.
Even if your students don’t plan to take the traditional university path in their post-secondary education journey, learning how to write a resume is still an extremely important skill to help them be more prepared – no matter what path they take.
If you have students interested in other forms of post-secondary education, such as the trades, you might like this blog post: Fun Activities for Exploring the Trades.
When we introduce resume writing in middle school, we’re actually giving our students a sneak peek into the professional world, even though it might be a few years away for them. By teaching them about the format, structure, and language of a resume, we’re taking away the mystery of job applications and professional self-presentation.
Middle school is also a great time to start teaching students the importance of being professional, accountable, and putting in hard work. And this can even extend into learning about workplace etiquette, ethics, and integrity – everything they’ll need in order to be prepared for their future careers.
For example, did you know that one of the most essential skills for navigating the online world is email etiquette? With our Digital Citizenship – Email Etiquette Unit, students will learn how to master the art of communicating effectively and efficiently in the digital age. They’ll learn through lessons on:
- Email Etiquette
- Online learning etiquette
- Using BC and BCC in an email
- Attaching files to an email
- Organizing your email inbox
- When to use Reply, Reply All, and Forward in an email
This engaging lesson has everything your students will need in order to be successful when writing their own emails – a skill that will be very useful once they start heading down their future career paths.
Cover Letter and Resume Writing Unit Career Lessons
Are you on the lookout for a fun and practical way to teach your middle schoolers all about cover letters and resume writing? Well, look no further! This awesome Cover Letter and Resume Writing Unit is designed to do just that, and it’s packed with exciting activities.
Imagine your students stepping into the shoes of hiring managers and making informed decisions about who to hire. Not only will they become pros at writing and formatting cover letters, resumes, and brag sheets, but they’ll also get to experience the hiring process firsthand. By “hiring” for different positions, they’ll gain valuable insights into what makes an application stand out from the crowd.
And here’s the best part: these cover letter and resume writing lessons are specifically created to meet your students where they are. They’re designed with scaffolded instruction so that everyone can thrive and succeed. Plus, we’ve added interactive elements such as QR codes, group work, and a dynamic hiring simulation to keep your students actively engaged throughout the entire unit.
So, get ready to have a blast while teaching resume writing with this Cover Letter and Resume Writing Unit. They’ll be equipped with essential skills and have a ton of fun along the way!
Lesson Outline:
- Introduction – Job Vocabulary QR Code Activity & Examining Cover Letters and Resumes
- Lesson 1 – How to Write a Cover Letter
- Lesson 2 – How to Write a Resume
- Lesson 3 – How to Write a Brag Sheet
It is never too early to help your students understand and learn how to write their own resumes and cover letters. Teaching resume writing will help students not only in their future academic situations but also in their future careers.
By teaching resume writing, we’re not just helping students with a piece of paper – we’re giving them the best approach to becoming successful professionals. So, let’s keep encouraging our students to dream big and plan their way to a bright future through resume writing!
Teachers, if you are looking for career advice for your own career pathway, check out all the resources I have put together for you in this Teacher Career Advice blog post.
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