What’s in a resume? - Career Acquisition Day 2 of 2 - Lesson Plan

Sep 15, 2026

Career Acquisition Day 2 of 2 focuses on helping middle and high school students understand the experiences and workplace characteristics required to obtain employment. The lesson guides students in reviewing job posting elements, collaborating to draft a resume using provided worksheets and a resume template, and completing a “Profile of Myself” activity to support future resume writing. A brief closing reflection asks students to summarize what they learned about writing a resume.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Objectives

Students will

PA Standards

Career Education and Work

English Language Arts

Artifact Opportunity

Videos

Lesson Plan

Materials Needed

Procedures and Activities

Warm-Up

Body

Closing

Resume Template

Resume Directions

Profile of Myself

| Title | “What’s in a resume?” | | --- | --- | | Grade Level | Middle and High School | | Focus | Career Acquisition, Day 2 of 2 | | Objectives | | | --- | --- | | The student
will | display an understanding of the experiences and characteristics required to acquire employment. | | | consider the academic and professional requirements for a specific job. | | | write a resume. | | PA Standards | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Career Education and Work | § 13.2. E: Explain, in the career acquisition process, the importance of the essential workplace skills/knowledge, such as, but not limited to: commitment, communication, dependability, health/safety, laws and regulations, personal initiative, self-advocacy, scheduling/time management, team building, technical literacy, technology.
§ 13.2.C: Prepare a draft of career acquisition documents, such as, but not limited to: job application, letter of appreciation following an interview, letter of introduction, request for a letter of recommendation, resume. | | | English Language Arts | § 1.4.9 – 10.A; 1.4.11 – 12.A: Write informative/explanatory text to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately.
§ 1.5.9 – 10.A; 1.5.11 – 12.A: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. | | | Artifact
Opportunity | § The closing reflection can be used as an artifact representing standard 13.2.
§ The Profile of Myself Activity can be used as an artifact representing standard 13.2. | | | Videos | § 2018 Pittsburgh Central videos
o Link:
[https://www.whatssocool.org/previous](https://www.whatssocool.org/previous)contests/pittsburgh-central-2018/
o QR Code:
| § 2018 Pittsburgh East videos
o Link:
[https://www.whatssocool.org/contests/p](https://www.whatssocool.org/contests/p)[ittsburgh-east/](ittsburgh-east/)
o QR Code:
| 2 | Lesson Plan | | | --- | --- | | Materials Needed | | | • Employment Opportunity Worksheet (from Day 1)
• Profile of an Applicant Worksheet (from Day 1)
• Resume Template Worksheet
• Resume Worksheet
• Profile of Myself Worksheet
• Internet access
• “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” videos | | | Procedures and Activities | | | • Warm-Up
o What’s in a resume? [2 minutes]
§ “In 2 minutes, list as many elements of a resume that you can.”
NOTE: Students will need the Employment Opportunity Worksheet and the Profile of an Applicant Worksheet from Career Acquisition Day 1.
• Body
o Review of Career Acquisition Day 1 [10 minutes]
§ Review with students what they accomplished during Career Acquisition Day 1.
§ Review the elements of a job posting.
§ Ensure that at least one person from each group has the Employment Opportunity Worksheet and the Profile of an Applicant Worksheet.
§ Allow students to share their Profile of an Applicant.
o Resume Writing [15 minutes]
§ Continuing to work as a group, students use the Profile of an Applicant Worksheet, the Employment Opportunity Worksheet, and the Resume Template to create a resume for their applicant.
o Profile of Myself [10 minutes]
§ Have students complete the Profile of Myself Worksheet. This will prepare them to be able to write a resume for themselves in the future.
• Closing
o Reflection [3 minutes]
§ On an exit slip, students respond to this question: “What did you learn about writing a resume today?” | | 3 Resume Template | Alisha Smithton
1234 Main Street 512-777-7777
Anytown, State ZIP [no_reply@example.com](no_reply@example.com) | | | | --- | --- | --- | | PRODUCTION LINE WORKER
Assembly line worker with 10+ years of experience in large manufacturing plants. Proven strengths in quickly learning new processes, technologies, and machinery, as evidenced by recent transition from automotive assembly line wo

FAQs

What do students learn during Career Acquisition Day 2?

Students learn about the experiences and workplace characteristics needed for employment, review requirements for specific jobs, and write a resume.

What materials are needed for this lesson?

Students use an Employment Opportunity Worksheet, a Profile of an Applicant Worksheet, a Resume Template Worksheet, a Resume Worksheet, a Profile of Myself Worksheet, internet access, and “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” videos.

How does the lesson structure the resume writing process?

After a warm-up and review, students work in groups to use the applicant profile and employment opportunity information with a resume template to create a resume. They then complete the Profile of Myself to prepare for writing their own resume later.

Sep 15, 2026

Upload by Riley West