The Harvard resume template is a useful starting point for a clear, structured application. Its name does not make it a universal requirement or guarantee an interview. For an Australian job application, choose the sections and detail that best demonstrate your fit and follow the employer's instructions.
Download the official Harvard template
The Harvard Mignone Center for Career Success provides a Harvard College bullet point resume template with Word, accessible Word and Google Docs options. Use the official resource to obtain the template rather than assuming every third-party design labelled “Harvard” is the same document.
This article offers independent adaptation advice from The Perfect Resume. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Harvard, and the example below is our own.
Choose your section order
Student or recent graduate: education, relevant projects and placements may be your strongest evidence. Give the reader enough context to understand the course, your contribution and the skills you used. Label a qualification in progress accurately.
Experienced applicant: relevant employment may deserve space before education. A short profile can explain your background, followed by recent roles and selected achievements. Keep qualifications easy to find, especially where the vacancy requires them.
Career changer: make the connection through a concise profile and relevant evidence from your real roles. Retain accurate titles and dates. Reordering emphasis should not conceal or misrepresent your employment history.
A practical outline for an Australian application
- Contact details: name, reliable contact information and relevant professional links.
- Profile, if useful: a brief explanation of your relevant background.
- Experience or education: lead with the stronger evidence for this role.
- Selected projects or achievements: explain your contribution and result.
- Relevant skills and qualifications: include only capabilities and credentials you can support.
This is an adaptable outline, not a reproduction of an official Harvard template. Use the job advertisement to decide whether separate selection criteria, a cover letter or another document is required.
Worked example: improve a resume bullet
Fictional original: “Worked on a university project and demonstrated teamwork.”
More specific: “Coordinated the research tasks for a university service-design project, combined the team's findings into a shared summary and presented the recommendations for assessment.”
The revised bullet identifies the context, action and output. It does not imply the project was commissioned by a business or produced commercial results. For paid work, use the same approach with your actual responsibilities and evidence. Include a number only if it is verified and helps the reader understand the contribution.
Do you need to keep it to one page?
Follow an explicit page limit first. Otherwise, use enough space for the relevant evidence while removing repetition. A graduate with a small number of examples and an experienced professional applying for a complex role may need different amounts of detail. Do not shrink text until it becomes difficult to read just to imitate a sample.
Formatting and submission checks
Use consistent headings, dates and spacing. Review the exported file for cut-off text, broken links and awkward page breaks. Check that the text is selectable and that the requested file format is used. A familiar template does not guarantee compatibility with every recruitment system.
Finally, remove all sample names, credentials and achievements. The layout should help the employer assess your experience; your evidence must remain your own.
Get help with your application
Request a free resume review with your target job advertisement, or compare resume writing packages. Check the documents included in your chosen option.
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