http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/
career-services/
Resume Guide
Getting Started
A resume is a concise and informative summary of your
education, training, experiences, skills and accomplishments
as they relate to the type of employment you are seeking. It
should highlight your strongest assets and differentiate you
from other candidates seeking similar positions. It is often
your first introduction to an employer and is an important
element towards obtaining an interview. When writing a
resume, think about it from the employer’s perspective and
be sure to tailor your resume content to your reader and the
job description. Prioritize and select information that
enhances your qualifications and only include what is
relevant to the position.
Style
The choice of design and format depends on personal
preference and career goals. Our office recommends a style
that is easy to read and visually appealing with no typos or
grammatical errors.
• Use Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Calibri
in size 10-12 point (11pt font recommended) throughout
the document with a minimum of 0.5 inch and maximum
1 inch margins (.8 – 1” recommended).
• Bold section headings (e.g., Education, Experience)
• Consistent use of bold, italics, and underlining
• Use bullet points to direct the reader’s attention
• Start each bullet point with action verbs
• If your resume is more than one page long, insert your
name and page number in the header or footer
Resume Sections
Sections in your resume should be tailored to each position
for which you are applying. Choose the section heading that
best organizes your experiences and accomplishments. Make
sure to present information in reverse chronological order
and use consistent formatting in each section. Here are
some common sections to be included in resumes:
Name & Contact Information - Provide your current mailing
address, email, and telephone number. You can include a url
to your LinkedIn profile or your website.
Education - Write the full name of your school and its
location, full name or abbreviation of your degree(s), major
or field of study, and expected date or date of completion. If
you have credentials from institutions outside of the US, use
the exact name of the degree as provided by the granting
institution. If necessary, you may add a phrase to clarify the
training attained, for example “equivalent to US MD”. You
may also include in this section relevant or select coursework,
dissertation thesis, academic honors and awards.
Experience - You can organize your experience with different
headings that make it easier for an employer to identify
relevant skills and experience, e.g. “Public Health
Experience,” “Research Experience,” “Teaching Experience,”
“Industry Experience,” “Community Health Experience,”
“Clinical Experience,” “International Experience,” “Military
Experience,” “Other Professional Experience,” etc.
For each experience, list the name of the employer, the
location, the dates of employment, and your job title. You can
include internship, practica, volunteer, and part-time
experience in this section if they are relevant to the types of
positions to which you are applying. Make sure to indicate
whether it is an internship, practica or volunteer position and
if it is less than full-time, you should indicate this on your
resume.
Optional Sections:
Executive Summary or Profile or Summary of Qualifications
– Some people include this section at the top of the resume.
It is recommended for more senior and experienced
candidates or people with very diverse experiences. It can be
an effective way to present why you are a good fit for a job
and can give your resume a context/focus. It is tailored to a
specific audience or job application and highlights the synergy
between your skills and experience and an employer’s needs.
Office for Alumni Affairs & Career Advancement