Struggling to get interviews?
Here’s a free resume template that follows Harvard’s resume writing guidelines. Download and follow our writing tips to personalize your template and confidently apply for any academic or nonacademic role.
Free Harvard resume template
The Harvard resume template is clean, results-focused, and formatted to pass the applicant tracking systems (ATS) employers use to screen job applications. Download it below or open and edit in Google Docs.
The template follows the guidelines set by Harvard’s Career Services department, and uses the standard resume format most applicants in the US use to apply for jobs.
Your download includes an editable resume template plus a completed Harvard-style example you can use for reference.
- Lead with your contact information.
- Add a short summary that highlights your most relevant skills and achievements.
- List sections by importance (e.g., place education first if you’re a new graduate).
- Use job-related keywords to help your resume perform well in ATS scans.
- Add optional sections that show extra strengths (like leadership or volunteering).
- Keep your resume to 1 page.
- Save your document as a DOCX or text-based PDF to ensure ATS readability.
Free, easy-to-edit resume templates
Tips for using this Harvard resume template
The Harvard resume template is easy to adapt to any experience level or job type. Use the tips below to adjust the template so it highlights your strengths clearly:
Write Harvard-style resume bullet points
Harvard-style resumes use a specific bullet point format.
This format focuses on achievements over responsibilities, putting leadership, creativity, and decision making at the center of each accomplishment.
How to write Harvard-style bullet points
To create clear, results-focused bullet points, use the XYZ formula:
- “Achieved [X result] by [Y action] which led to [Z impact].”
Example:
- “Increased sales by 25% by launching a new outreach campaign that improved client retention.”
If you’re not sure what to write, make a list of your main responsibilities and projects. Then ask yourself these 5 Ws to identify achievements for your resume:
- When did I succeed in this area?
- What action did I take to succeed?
- Who benefited from my actions and to what extent?
- Where did my actions lead?
- Why is this experience useful for my target job?
You can use the free ATS bullet point generator below to quickly create powerful achievement-oriented bullet points. Just enter your previous job title:
Struggling to write your resume? Make clear, achievement-oriented bullet points for your resume in seconds with our free AI bullet point generator.
Use these work-experience bullet points to make a resume that lands you interviews.
Use action verbs
Begin each resume bullet point with an action verb such as led, developed, analyzed, implemented, researched, or coordinated. These words immediately communicate your contributions and help employers understand the value you brought to a role.
| Instead of started | Instead of ran | For increases | For descreases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developed | Led | Improved | Lowered |
| Created | Chaired | Boosted | Reduced |
| Pioneered | Headed | Grew | Shrank |
| Launched | Supervised | Elevated | Curtailed |
| Founded | Managed | Expanded | Trimmed |
| Conceptualized | Directed | Accelerated | Cut |
| Engineered | Mentored | Broadened | Streamlined |
Tailor your resume to each opportunity
Customize your resume for every job, internship, or academic program you apply to by highlighting the skills, experiences, and achievements most relevant to that specific opportunity.
Review the job description carefully and incorporate important keywords and qualifications that align with your background. Taking the time to tailor your resume shows employers that you’re genuinely interested in the position rather than sending the same generic application to every organization.
Example resumes in the Harvard format
Here are some example resumes showing how to apply the Harvard format at different stages of your career. You can download these as templates to help guide you in writing your own.
Recent graduate
This resume is ideal if you don’t have much work experience. The applicant uses the Harvard format to emphasize their education and extracurricular achievements.
Even though they’ve only had one full-time job, they take full advantage of the template’s achievement-focused structure to highlight their soft skills and foundation in business management.
Executive-level Harvard resume
Good executive resumes emphasize leadership and a strategic outlook.
This applicant combines the Harvard template’s experience and leadership sections to demonstrate career growth and management skills.
Harvard Business School applicant
Unlike academically focused college resumes, applications to Harvard Business School emphasize work experience. Admissions committees look for candidates with meaningful full-time work experience and a clear long-term professional vision.
Academic CV
In the example above, the applicant adds a publications section and separates their experience into research and teaching sections. They’ve also added references, which are commonly required required on academic CVs.
Build your resume the smart way
About the Author
Lauren Mastroni is a Digital Content Writer at Resume Genius, where she creates data-driven career content and actionable job search advice. With a background in academic research, she brings a research-focused approach to topics like resume writing, interviewing, and career development. Lauren is dedicated to helping job seekers at all stages navigate the hiring process and present themselves more effectively to employers.
