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With an acceptance rate of 3.4 percent, Harvard University stays at the top of academia worldwide. Showcasing your education and experiences during your time at the historic institution will help you stand out from the pool of applicants in any industry. In this guide, we will discuss how to create a Harvard resume that effectively showcases the value of your academic career and experience, making you an attractive candidate for potential employers.
Understanding the Harvard resume format
A Harvard resume format is slightly different from traditional resume formats. It organizes your information according to importance and what you want to bring to the attention of a recruiter first, whether it is skills, experience or education.
How to structure your Harvard resume
Each section of your Harvard resume plays a vital role in painting a compelling picture of who you are and what you can bring to the table. By taking the time to carefully craft each section, you can make the most out of your resume and stand out from the competition. Let’s explore how to structure your perfect Harvard resume.
Craft a powerful summary statement
A summary statement is your introduction to the employer. It should pack a strong punch as this is the first section recruiters and hiring managers read. Take an elevator pitch approach and include your strongest, job-relevant information.
Your Harvard resume’s summary statement should include the following:
- Years of experience
- Strongest job-relevant skills
- Important accomplishments
For example:
Highlighting your education
Showcase your Crimson education properly in a Harvard resume by highlighting your academic achievements, including honors and GPA, in the education section.
Start with the university name. Below the name, write the degree, concentration and GPA. Keep in mind that your GPA is optional; however, it can help you stand out from other candidates.
Under your school and degree, you should also include:
- Any honors, if applicable
- Job-relevant coursework
- Thesis
- Memberships to sports teams or clubs
For example:
HARVARD UNIVERSITY May 2023
A.B. Honors degree in Bioengineering. GPA 3.87
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Dean’s List
STUDY ABROAD June-July 2022
Study abroad coursework in Revolution in Biomedicine
Imperial College, London
Showcase your experience at Harvard
Highlight what you’ve learned throughout your Harvard academic career, research and internships in your experience section. A Harvard resume’s experience section focuses on the order of importance, unlike traditional resume formats which focus on the chronological order. You should always prioritize what you want the recruiter to know about your experience.
Have considerable experience in a specific field? Use it as a section title on your Harvard resume template to draw recruiters’ eyes to your extensive experience. For example, if you had a prolific career at The Crimson and have collaborated with other newsrooms and publications, create a Journalism Experience section.
Wondering how to write work history on your Harvard resume to convey your abilities? Start by using the job description to tailor your resume. Use their keywords if they match your qualifications and include them in your list of accomplishments.
Make a stronger work history section by using action verbs. When combined with your Harvard resume experience, action verbs will add more impact to your achievements. If you perform similar roles, choose different verbs to showcase your accomplishments. It will help differentiate each role and make it easier to read. Combine these verbs with numbers to quantify your achievements.
For example:
Information Systems Intern
Developed an application to aid remote learning using basic systems for needy children in shelters and hospitals.
Don’t limit your experience section to work. You can also include special categories to showcase your extensive experience in a particular subject. For example, research experience, leadership experience, performance art experience and so on. Format this experience section on your Harvard resume template like you would your work history by including quantifiable achievements to showcase what you accomplished and the skills used.
For example:
Caribbean Connection Group Cambridge, MA
Percussionist
Perform traditional music from the Caribbean, like Puerto Rican Bomba, Dominican Palo, and Cuban Rumba. Participated in three major performances per semester and traveled once per year, representing Harvard University.
Feature relevant skills and achievements
Your Harvard resume speaks to your abilities to perform a job and what you’ve achieved in your academic and professional careers.
The skills to put on a resume vary according to the position and employer. Always customize your Harvard resume to the job. It’s important to create a balanced list of hard skills and soft skills. To highlight a specific set of skills, separate them into sections: technical skills, languages and laboratory.
For example:
Languages: English, Portuguese, Conversational Spanish, Basic French
Your work experience will also include information regarding your skills and how you used them to achieve your accomplishments.
The education section of your Harvard resume can also include your academic accomplishments. Don’t limit yourself to GPA and honors; you can also include:
- Test scores
- Fellowships
- Research
- Dean’s List
- Leadership positions in organizations
- Membership in sports teams or other organizations
Design tips for your Harvard resume template
A Harvard resume template is easy-to-read and professional. Packing your resume with unnecessary information and cluttered sections will take away from your experience, skills and accomplishments.
Your resume must include:
- Name and contact information
- Education with job-relevant accomplishments and projects
- Experience
- Skills or core competencies
You can also include additional optional categories like: volunteer work, cultural experiences, leadership and activities to add more depth to your knowledge and back up your skills.
Once you’ve established the order of your sections, start building your Harvard resume.
- Sections are stacked, which helps the recruiter quickly read your resume.
- Don’t use more than two resume fonts and keep the font size between 10-12
- Add information to each section using bullet points or short paragraphs. Stick to one to maintain consistency.
- In each section, add the information in reverse chronological order.
Keep a consistent format throughout your Harvard resume:
- Choose a professional, readable and accessible resume font.
- Select a resume template with stacked sections for an easier read.
- Keep a consistent margin of .75 inches on all sides to maintain balanced white spaces in your Harvard resume.
- Use your Harvard email address, even if you choose to forward your emails to a different account.
- Build your resume in our Resume Builder, which automatically creates and modifies your content.
Whether you’re a recent graduate or have a few years of experience under your belt, start with a summary statement. Continue your Harvard resume with your education section, including your GPA, awards, accomplishments and, if applicable, capstone project. Then, include your skills and work experience and move on to the optional additional sections: certifications, leadership activities, etc.
Create a cover letter to match your Harvard resume
A cover letter is a one-page document to complete your job application’s document package. If your Harvard resume is your introduction, the cover letter is the start of your conversation. This is your opportunity to connect on a personal level with an employer. Like your Harvard resume, a cover letter needs to showcase the skills and experience relevant to the job.
When writing your cover letter:
- Use the cover letter format, which is a traditional business letter format.
- Do not go over a one-page letter.
- Use narrative to expand on your skills and accomplishments.
- End with a call to action to further the conversation.
- Find a cover letter template to match your Harvard resume.
Unsure of how to write a cover letter? Our cover letter examples can help you learn more about creating a document with the right information to advance your career. Our Cover Letter Builder makes it even easier with job-specific content suggestions and automatic template layout.
Harvard resume examples
Here are three Harvard resume templates examples to showcase how your resume could look.
Need more inspiration? See more resume examples that’ll help you create your own.
7 Tips for perfecting your Harvard resume
Keep these Harvard resume tips in mind as you create your Harvard resume. Our guide can help you build a document package to highlight your strengths.
- Always tailor your Harvard resume to the application. If you’re applying for a job, use keywords from the job description. If you’re applying for a Master’s, Ph.D. or other professional studies, include as much pertinent information as possible.
- Choose a Harvard resume template that best serves your information. Our Resume Builder allows you to change the layout of your resume and automatically fit your information.
- Perfect grammar is a must for a Harvard resume. Use spell-check and another pair of eyes to revise your resume.
- Avoid “I” statements. Let your accomplishments speak for you.
- Use Harvard action verbs and Harvard resume words to best convey your experiences.
- Use numbers to quantify your achievements and showcase how you’ve used your skills.
- When applicable, include optional categories to help you stand out from other candidates.
Harvard Resume FAQs
How to display Harvard Extension School on my resume?
Harvard Extension School is an important part of the Harvard lineage. As part of its continuing education division, it provides a flexible education experience with the same access for remote, hybrid and on-site students.
Harvard Extension School should be displayed in your resume as follows:
Harvard University, Extension School
Master School of Liberal Arts, Economics
GPA 3.75
Can I put a Harvard online course on my resume?
Yes! Harvard encourages all its students to include their completed courses, certifications and degrees on their resume and professional profile. You can include a PDF link to the Course Verification Form as proof, if you’re so inclined.
Where to include GPA in Harvard resume?
When building a Harvard resume, your GPA, honors and test scores should always be included in the education section, under the degree. If you also have an honor designation, include the GPA next to it.
For example:
Harvard University, Extension School
Bachelor of Liberal Arts, Field of Information Technology
Cum Laude, GPA 3.7
How to write a Harvard resume?
Before you start writing your resume, establish why you are building your Harvard resume. Is it for a job application? Internship? Postgraduate studies? Then, you can take a better approach to building your resume.
- For employment — focus on your job-relevant skills, experience and coursework.
- For postgraduate studies — focus on your academic experiences and coursework.
- Choose a Harvard resume template.
Create a contact section with current information. - Build a summary statement to highlight your skills and experiences.
- Create a work section using action verbs to describe your achievements.
- Highlight your Harvard education by including your GPA and any awards.
- Use optional additional sections, like volunteer work and internships, to stand out from other applicants.
What font size should I use in a Harvard style resume?
The Office of Career Services at Harvard recommends using font sizes 10 to 12. It also recommends keeping the same font and font size between your resume and cover letter to maintain a cohesive document package.
Whichever font size you choose, remember to keep it consistent. Your name should be the largest size, the section titles two points smaller than the name and the section content no smaller than 10 points.
Should I use a CV or a resume?
Choosing a CV vs resume will depend on your career and what the employer is requesting. A CV has unlimited length and provides a comprehensive look into your work, skills and experiences. Meanwhile, a resume is a snapshot of your career in one or two pages.
A CV is mostly used for academic, medical, scientific and international careers and postgraduate studies. If you’re choosing to continue with higher education, confirm the school requirements for a CV or resume.
Our CV examples can help you learn more about creating your own. Once you’re ready, choose a CV template and head on to our CV Maker to build a CV.
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Guide to Your Perfect Harvard Resume
Nilda Melissa Díaz is a Career Advice Writer. She has worked for the Washington Post, Stringr, and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
