Content Your resume will contain your name, address, and telephone number, and information about your education and work experience. Other sections, titles, and arrangements are at your discretion. Education and experience are usually presented in reverse chronological order. Give the most space to the most important experience. If you have several years of experience in your career field, your resume will focus on more specific accomplishments and skills. If you have years of work experience in several field or are changing field, a resume organized by skill areas may be more appropriate than a chronological resume.

Name, address and telephone: This is the most important information on the resume. Usually it is centered and in capital letters at the top of the page. If you must give a school address and a home address, place your name at top center and the addresses to the right and left.

Education: If you are a student or have just completed your education, put this section first. List your degrees or degree expected and date, your concentration, subject of senior honors thesis, and electives which are relevant to your employers. Include selected honors if you have received recognition for outstanding academic work. Ph.D. students should list their department, area of interest, relevant electives, and selected honors. The dissertation topic may be included if of related interest.

College activities can be listed and described under Education, Experience, Activities, or most briefly under Personal Backgrond depending upon how much emphasis and space you want to give them. If you've had leadership positions, responsibilities for organizing or initiating new programs, financial management or any kind of career related experiences, be sure it is clearly described. Explain for the non-Harvard reader what the organization is.

Secondary school is usually listed on undergraduate resumes. Space devoted to honors and/or activities should depend on their contribution to the total message.

Work Experience: This section should include all experience, paid and unpaid and extracurricular activities which have given you the opportunity to develop the kinds of personal qualifications that employerslook for. You may mix paid and unpaid, part-timeand full-time position, but note in some way whatthe time commitment was.

List the job title and name of the organizationyou worked for, followed by a concise descriptionof functions performed and accomplishments. Useaction verbs to state what responsibilities youcarried out, and use numbers such as size ofbudget, workers supervised, person served, reportswritten, to add impact. Don't say, "Responsiblefor...." This doesn't communicate what you did orwhat you achieved. Don't list the name and phonenumber of a reference. If you have letters ofreference from the supervisors of your mostresponsible positions you may want to attach them.

Languages: Make a separate category tolist language skills if you are fluent and hope touse these skills on the job.

Travel: Experience traveling, working,studying abroad, should be described explicitly ifjob-related. It documents experiewnce in adjustingto unfamiliar surroundings. If you decide not tohave a travel section, you can mention travelunder Personal Background.

Skills: If you have specific job-relatedskills such as computer programming or foreignlanguage fluency, you may want to list them in askills section.

Interests: Save at least one line for alist in series of avocational interests such as,"Reading, playing guitar, running, and choralsinging." Even a brief list rounds out yourpresentation and may establish an initial bond ofcommon interest with the reader.

Personal Background: On a one-pageresume you have had to leave out a great deal.This section maybe used to mention informationthat you consider important such as: "Have workedevery term to help pay college expenses deliveringnewspapers, washing dishes, bartending, driving ashuttle bus." "Lived in a small town in Ohio untilI came to Harvard." "Born and grew up in New YorkCity." (Where you spent your youth may be animportant message to the employer.) "Playedvarsity lacrosse and intramural basketball."

Job Objective: Only if you have aclearly defined employment goal should you write ajob objective. Otherwise, the cover letter is thebetter place to state your job objective. Thatway, you can tailor it to each job application andhighlight and expand on relevant information fromthe resume