Resume Formatting Guide Heading is larger than rest of text and easy to read

RALPH W. EMERSON
upon first glance. Includes appropriate contact
information. Document margins are narrow.

14 DIVINITY AVENUE, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 | 555.555.5555 | CAREERS@HDS.HARVARD.EDU

Master of Theological Studies candidate at Harvard Divinity School. 5+ years of experience as writer and poet with
enthusiasm for public speaking. Highly motivated and dedicated professional working within Transcendentalism.
A professional summary or profile is a quick and effective
EDUCATION way to get your message across, even if the reader were
to not go over the rest of your resume. Language used in
job description is mirrored here.
Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA
Master of Theological Studies Candidate – Area of Focus: Religion, Literature, and Culture May 1828
Thesis: “The Divinity School Address” | Advisor: Prof. Andrews Norton
Dates are all appropriately
aligned into an obvious
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA timeline and justified to one
Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude – Majors: Poetry and English side. Formatting is May 1821
Degree names are spelled consistent within sections
out and not abbreviated. The and only graduation date is
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE word “candidate” is used for given for education section.
degrees still in progress.
Boston School Committee, Boston, MA Extracurriculars are generally 1834-present
Member not listed unless
professionally relevant.
• Attends regular meetings and…
• Votes in any committee decision and coordinates…
Individual sections are clearly
Massachusetts Legislature, Boston, MA divided using formatting 1832-present
Chaplain features such a bold, italics,
underline, and font size. Text is
• Attends regular meetings and… easy to read and in a
• Organizes prayer and blessing preceding meetings… professional font. Formatting is
consistent throughout. It’s clear
Boston’s Second Church, Boston, MA what the company name, job 1829-1833
Junior Pastor title, and location are.

• Preached sermons on monthly basis… Section descriptions are bulleted and

• Maintained regular upkeep of church… always begin with a past participle or
• Managed financial statements… simple present verb form in third person
depending on if the job is a current
WRITING AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE position or something in the past.
Pronouns are not used at all. Succinct and
clear language is used. Don’t be afraid to
The Dial, Boston, MA cut down. 1840-present
Editor

• Attends regular meetings and…

• Reads and copy edits any… Relevant skills are listed, especially
those that are listed in the job
SKILLS description.

Public Speaking | Writing | Poetry | …
NOTE: A resume is almost always ONLY ONE PAGE (unless you have many years of
experience). It’s generally used for non-academic positions, unlike academic positions which
usually require a CV. Individual sections can be reordered. Often, once someone is at least a
year out of graduation, the various “experience” sections will precede the “education”
section. Each resume should also be individually targeted to each job you’re applying to best
highlight skills and experience relevant to that position - make changes as necessary to
allow this. Don’t feel like you have to cram everything into a resume – a cover letter is often
a great place to add additional things you didn’t have room for on one page.