Alumni

Resumes & Letters

Resume Writing

The resume is an opportunity to market yourself to a prospective employer. It should be succinct, target an employer's needs, and distinguish you from your competitors.

Explore the detailed overview of many types of Letters of Employment, and sample letters.

View Webinar Slide Deck (pdf)

Watch Another Webinar on Resume Writing

Upcoming Resume Writing Webinars

Quick Links

• Resume Writing Tips

  Click here for a PDF of resume writing tips.

• Schedule a Resume Critique

  Professional resume critiques are available to HBS alumni in the form of 30-minute telephone appointments. Alumni may schedule one resume critique appointment per calendar year, subject to coach availability.

  If you are interested in scheduling a resume critique, please visit the Alumni Career Hub. Please note that career coaching appointments are typically booked three weeks in advance. We recommend keeping this in mind when scheduling an appointment. This service is free of charge to HBS alumni.

• Add your Resume to the Alumni Resume Database

  The HBS Alumni Resume Database allows employers to proactively search for, and identify candidates who meet their hiring needs. Please visit the Alumni Career Hub to upload your resume. Employers may contact you directly if you match their search.

• Sample Resumes
  • Barbara Smith (PDF - requires Adobe Acrobat)
  • William Smith (PDF - requires Adobe Acrobat)
  • Peter Roth (PDF - requires Adobe Acrobat)
• Resume Templates
  • Chronological (Microsoft Word doc)
  • Modern Chronological (Microsoft Word doc)
  • Traditional (Microsoft Word doc)

The following thought exercises can help you write a more effective resume.

• Conduct a self-assessment.

  Review your education, career history, and accomplishments. What are your strengths, weaknesses, personal preferences, and motivations? Think about who you are and what you want for the next phase of your career.

  CareerLeader—developed by HBS Director of Career Development Programs Dr. Timothy Butler and his colleague Dr. James Waldroop—is an interactive tool that can help you identify your interests, values and abilities and match them with career opportunities. CareerLeader will also help you identify your "Achilles' heel" and learn what you need to do to avoid the career pitfalls most associated with your profile. This service is available to HBS alumni at a discount.

• Think like the reader.

  Employers want to know how you can be an asset to their organizations. Consider the company's needs and the way your skills meet those demands.

• Highlight accomplishments and results.

  Avoid the common trap of "resume as job description." Focus on what you've been able to achieve rather than a laundry list of duties and responsibilities. The best way to convince employers that you will add value is to show them that you've done it before.

• Consider the playing field.

  Who is your competition? What skills and experience are qualified candidates likely to bring? In what ways are you unique? Think about your work and life experience in ways that make you stand out from other applicants.

• Advice for alumnae.

  Whether you've reduced your career commitment to care for family, accommodate a spouse's or partner's career, or achieve greater work-life balance, your resume is the place to demonstrate the contribution you can make to an organization's goals. Keep the focus on the value you will bring to the organization, not on the gap in your career. Demonstrate how you have kept up-to-date with changes in your industry.

Guidelines

• Create visual impact.

  A concise, visually appealing resume will make a stronger impression than a dense, text-laden document. Limit the amount of type you use, and list no more than 7 to 10 bullet points on the entire resume to call attention to key activities. Respect page margins and properly space the text. Learn to appreciate the value of "white space."

• Use parallel construction.

  Select a consistent order of information, format, and spacing. If one experience starts with a brief overview followed by bullet points, subsequent experiences should follow a similar form. Parallel construction—including the use of action verbs to start all phrases—greatly enhances a resume's readability.

• Always proofread.

  Pay close attention to margin alignment, spelling, punctuation, and dates. Read your resume backward to check for typographical errors. (You will focus on individual words, rather than the meaning of the text.) Better yet, have a friend, colleague, or family member review your resume.

Additional Resources

• Effective Use of Social Media
  • Getting More Out of LinkedIn

    LinkedIn is the 800-pound gorilla in the professional networking arena. In this presentation, Jason Alba, CEO of JibberJobber and author of I'm on LinkedIn—Now What??? helps you understand the value proposition of LinkedIn, and how to get proactive and reactive value from this powerful network.

    View Webinar Slide Deck (pdf)

    Watch Video

  • The Rise of Social Networking and the Decline of the Resume

    The rapidly growing influence of social networking is having an unanticipated effect; it's making traditional resumes less important. Hiring authorities routinely search online and form their first impression before actually reviewing formal credentials. In today's job market, digital footprints influence employer's decision-making. Neglect social media and its impact on job searching at the risk of handing over the job that should be yours to less qualified, but more web 2.0 savvy competitors.

    View Webinar Slide Deck (pdf)

    Watch Video

  • Leverage the Power of Your LinkedIn Network

    Now that you have created your LinkedIn profile, learn how to tap into its potential. During this presentation led by Brian Tietje, Strategic Account Executive, LinkedIn Corporation, you will gain an insider's view of the power of LinkedIn and learn how to put that power to work for you.

    View Webinar Slide Deck (pdf)

    Watch Video

• Personal Branding
  • Managing Your Brand: Differentiate Yourself and Land the Perfect Job

    Learn how to accelerate your career success through creating a personal brand. By identifying your unique skills and talents, you can land your ideal job by creating a personal brand that allows you to stand out from everyone else.

    View Webinar Slide Deck (pdf)

    Watch Video

  • The Closest Thing to Career Insurance: Building Excellence, Trust and Visibility into Your Personal Brand

    While actual job guarantees are pretty well extinct, some professionals have such a strong reputation that they don't stay unemployed for long. How do such individuals differ from other accomplished professionals? This seminar will show you five proven techniques to expand your opportunities now and in the future by truly strengthening your professional reputation.

    View Webinar Slide Deck (pdf)

    Watch Video

• Resume Writing Associations
  • Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
  • The National Resume Writers' Association
• Especially for Alumnae
  • Michelle Blair (PDF - requires Adobe Acrobat)
  • Anna Cushman (PDF - requires Adobe Acrobat)
  • Josephine Paine (PDF - requires Adobe Acrobat)
• International

  Please click here for specific resume advice for international alumni.

• Articles & Blogs
  • Phyllis Korkki. Writing a Résumé That Shouts 'Hire Me', The New York Times, February 2010.
  • Kerry Hannon. Want an Unbeatable Resume? Read These Tips from a Top Recruiter. Forbes, August 2011.
  • Sarah E. Needleman. Creating a Résumé That Sells, The Wall Street Journal, November 2009.
  • David Silverman. How to Write a Résumé That Doesn't Annoy People, HBR Blog Network, June 2009.
  • George Anders. Spotting the Great but Imperfect Résumé, HBR Blog Network, December 2011.
  • Anne Fisher. Top 5 Mistakes on Executive Resumes, CNN Money, June 2011.
  • JoAnn S. Lublin. Finding a Master Résumé Writer, The Wall Street Journal, October 2008.
  • Tom O'Neil. Write a Résumé that Travels Across Countries and Cultures, HBR Blog Network, May 2012.
  • Elizabeth Garone. Creating a Winning Finance Resume, The Wall Street Journal, March 2010.
  • Alina Dizik. Five Questions to Ask a Résumé Writer, The Wall Street Journal, August 2010.
  • Tammy Erickson. The Case of the Rolling Stone (that Gathers No Moss) Résumé, HBR Blog Network, February 2012.
• Books

  The following resources can help with the mechanics of revising your resume and writing cover letters.

  • Jeffrey G. Allen. The Resume Makeover, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
  • Taunee Besson. Cover Letters: Proven Techniques for Writing Letters That Will Help You Get the Job You Want. John Wiley & Sons, 1995.
  • Warren S. Feld. How High Can You Fly: The Ultimate Career and Resume Guide for the Upwardly Mobile Professional Prentice Hall Press, 1986.
  • Robert S. Gardella. The Harvard Business School Guide for Finding Your Next Job. HBS Press, 2000.
  • William E. Montag. CareerJournal.com Resume Guide for $100,000+ Executive Jobs. John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
  • Steven Provenzano. Top Secret Executive Resumes: Create the Perfect Resume for the Best Top-Level Positions, 2nd ed., Course Technology, 2012.
  • Mary Anne Thompson. The Global Resume and CV Guide. John Wiley & Sons, 2000.
  • The Adams Cover Letter Almanac. Holbrook, MA: Adams Publishing 1995.
  • Peter D. Weddle. Electronic Resumes for the New Job Market: Resumes that Work for You 24 Hours a Day. Impact Publications, 1995.
  • Kate Wendleton with Mark Gonska. Building a Great Resume: for Job Hunters, Career Changers, Consultants, and Freelancers with Hints for New Grads, 2nd ed., Career Press, 1999.
  • Martin Yate. Cover Letters That Knock 'Em Dead, 7th ed., Adams Media, 2006.
  • JobHuntersBible.com, supplement to Richard Nelson Bolles, What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for job-hunters and Career-Changers, 2008.