Lauren XieCronin Center for Enterprise: Summer Leadership

Program 2011Saturday, July 16, 2011

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To look good and stand out as the best candidate for a position or role.

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Student Organizations Jobs InternshipsCapped coursesProgramsOptional: College application

Anything that involved a selection process.

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To help someone better understand you as part of the selection process

Summary of yourself Skills and Qualifications Relevant Experience Educational Background

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Only include highlights that are relevant to the position

3-4 basic sections Education Relevant Experience▪ Only 2-3 things here

Optional “Other Qualifications” (customize section)

Skills

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Name, phone, email address up top Include position titles for experience Include 2-3 line succinct description

for important experiencesList positions/skills in order of

importance and reverse chronological order

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List duration of experiencesKeep tenses straightSkills are generally listed in the

bottom Computer skills Language skills Other relevant skills for the job

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Most readers will skim your resume for 30 seconds max

Try to align in as few columns as possible

Simple is better! Do not crowd content 1-page, frontside only Bold/underline/space/italics/do whatever

to draw attention to highlights Consistency

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Information gaps, such as a missing summer

Personal pronounsSlang/colloquialisms/abbreviationsNumber of letter categoriesSuperfluous information such as a

picture, age, sexListing references on resume

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First impression: promote yourself for the position

Express your interest for the position in prose

Focus on what makes you uniquely well-suited for the position

Free form (2-3 paragraphs)

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Opening:  Identify what job you are applying for, how you heard about the opening, and why you are interested.

Middle Paragraph(s): Discuss your qualifications for the job and your interest in the organization. Use one or two accomplishments to illustrate the skills and experience you bring to the job.

Closing Paragraph: Express your interest in meeting with the employer to discuss the requirements of the job and your qualifications. Refer reader to enclosed resume.

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It’s OK to have a template, but be sure to customize your resume for each position

Be straightforward and to the pointCover letter and resume

complement each other Remember: cover letter comes first!

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Harvard University Office of Career Services

Angela Frankel, Harvard College Class of 2014

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