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Ready to Stand Out?

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Jamie Arzon

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Resume Rescue Roadmap

Students will learn to craft professional resumes by understanding key sections, applying formatting best practices, and highlighting personal strengths to create a compelling first impression.

This lesson equips 12th graders with essential workplace skills, boosting their confidence and employability as they prepare to enter college or the workforce.

Audience

12th Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive presentation, collaborative workshop, and reflective practice.

Materials

  • Computers with Internet Access, - Projector and Screen, - First Impressions Slide Pack, - Strengths Spotlight Workshop, - Two-Minute Pitch Warm-Up, and - One Improvement Reflection Cool-Down

Prep

Review and Setup

15 minutes

  • Review First Impressions Slide Pack and Strengths Spotlight Workshop content
  • Familiarize yourself with Two-Minute Pitch Warm-Up and One Improvement Reflection Cool-Down
  • Test projector and ensure computers have access to any online resume templates
  • Print blank resume templates for student use

Step 1

Two-Minute Pitch Warm-Up

7 minutes

  • Pair students and prompt them to deliver a 2-minute “Introduce Yourself” pitch, focusing on key achievements and strengths
  • Encourage peers to note clear, concise highlights
  • Debrief: Ask a few volunteers what made certain pitches memorable

Step 2

Resume Essentials Presentation

10 minutes

  • Use First Impressions Slide Pack to define a resume’s purpose and standard sections: Contact, Summary, Education, Experience, Skills
  • Highlight how employers scan for keywords and clean formatting
  • Field quick Q&A on any unfamiliar terms

Step 3

Formatting & Section Deep Dive

8 minutes

  • Continue with slide pack examples on using action verbs, quantifying results, and tailoring content to a specific role
  • Show before/after snippets to illustrate formatting improvements
  • Have students jot down two formatting tips to apply to their resumes

Step 4

Strengths Spotlight Workshop

12 minutes

  • Divide students into small groups and distribute blank resume templates
  • Using Strengths Spotlight Workshop, each student drafts 3–4 bullet points emphasizing a personal strength or accomplishment
  • Peers offer feedback to refine clarity and impact

Step 5

Peer Feedback Share-Out

5 minutes

  • Invite 2–3 students to read one strong bullet point from their draft
  • Classmates provide one positive comment and one suggestion for improvement

Step 6

One Improvement Reflection Cool-Down

3 minutes

  • Distribute One Improvement Reflection Cool-Down
  • Students write one aspect of their resume writing they plan to improve and one action they will take next
  • Collect reflections to inform future one-on-one coaching
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Slide Deck

First Impressions: Resume Essentials

Crafting clear, concise resumes that stand out to employers.

Welcome students and introduce the goals: understand what a resume is, why it matters, and what makes a strong first impression.

Why Resumes Matter

• Your personal marketing tool
• Employers’ first impression of you
• Highlights strengths, experience, and fit

Explain that resumes act as a personal marketing document—your first and sometimes only chance to impress.

Key Sections Overview

• Contact Information
• Professional Summary
• Education
• Experience
• Skills

Briefly introduce the five standard sections every resume should include.

Contact Information

• Full Name (bold at top)
• Professional Email Address
• Phone Number
• LinkedIn URL (optional)
• City, State

Stress accuracy and professionalism. Remind students to use a professional-sounding email address.

Professional Summary

• 2–3 sentence snapshot of background
• Tailor to your target role
• Highlight top achievements and career goals

Describe how the summary sets the tone. Offer an example: “Detail-oriented intern with 2 years of customer service experience seeking…”

Education & Experience

Education:
• Reverse chronological order
• Institution, degree, graduation date

Experience:
• Use strong action verbs
• Quantify results (e.g., “Increased sales by 15%”)
• Focus on relevance

Cover both sections in one slide to save time. Emphasize action verbs and quantifying results.

Skills Section

• Hard Skills: Technical proficiencies (e.g., MS Excel, Java)
• Soft Skills: Communication, teamwork
• Mirror keywords from job descriptions

Differentiate hard from soft skills and encourage use of keywords from job listings.

Formatting Best Practices

• Font size 10–12 pt, professional fonts
• Consistent headings and bullet styles
• Use white space effectively
• Limit to one page when possible
• Proofread for typos

Cover formatting standards. Show how consistency and white space improve readability.

Before & After Example

Before:
• Dense paragraph, vague data
After:
• Bulleted achievements
• Quantifiable results
• Clear section headers

Walk through the differences: how bullets and quantification improve clarity and impact.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

• Clear purpose and structure
• Tailor content with keywords
• Consistent formatting and error-free

Next: Begin drafting your own resume highlights

Summarize key points and set up the next activity—drafting strengths bullet points.

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Activity

Strengths Spotlight Workshop

Objective: Students will identify personal strengths and craft clear, impactful resume bullet points that highlight achievements and outcomes.

Materials Needed:

  • Blank resume template
  • Pens or highlighters
  • Personal Reflection Worksheet (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Brainstorm Your Strengths (3 minutes)





    • Individually, list 5 personal strengths and one example or experience where you demonstrated each (academics, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, volunteer work).
  2. Draft Impactful Bullet Points (6 minutes)Example:
    • Led a team of 5 volunteers to organize a community bake sale, raising $1,200 for the local animal shelter











    • On your blank resume template, turn 3–4 of your strongest strengths into bullet points.
    • Each bullet should:
      • Start with a strong action verb (e.g., Led, Organized, Designed)
      • Specify the context and quantify results when possible
      • Show how the strength made a positive impact
  3. Small-Group Peer Review (3 minutes)





    • Form groups of 3–4 and exchange your drafted bullet points.
    • For each peer:
      • Identify one bullet that effectively showcases a strength
      • Suggest one detail or quantifier to make another bullet more specific or impactful
    • Make quick revisions based on feedback.
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Warm Up

Two-Minute Pitch Warm-Up

Objective:
Kick off the lesson by practicing concise self-introduction and highlighting personal strengths under time pressure.

Instructions:

  1. Pair Up (1 minute)
    • Students find a partner and decide who goes first.
  2. First Pitch (2 minutes)
    • Speaker: Deliver a 1-minute pitch including your name, 2–3 key achievements or strengths.
    • Listener: Note the most memorable point and one suggestion for clearer wording.
  3. Switch Roles (2 minutes)
    • Repeat the pitch and feedback process with roles reversed.
  4. Debrief (2 minutes)
    • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share:
      • What made a pitch memorable?
      • Which action verbs or specific details stood out?
    • Highlight best practices: clear structure, strong verbs, quantifiable details.

Time: 7 minutes

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Cool Down

One Improvement Reflection

Take a moment to reflect on your resume drafting. Identify one area you can improve and a concrete action you will take next.

1. One Aspect to Improve:







2. Next Action Step:







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