Public Interest Resumes

Your goal in constructing your resume is to create an effective marketing tool. It should be a fluid document which changes as you earn degrees, gain professional experience and acquire new interests and career directions. Employers often spend less than a minute looking at each resume when they first receive it – so a well-organized, informative document is critical to your job search.

Below are general guidelines to help you create a visually powerful resume that best reflects your strengths and accomplishments and enables you to land job offers with your top choice public interest employers.

We also encourage you to view the  OCS/OPIA Resume Workshop  video.

After following these guidelines,  current students, admitted LL.M.s , and  alumni  may submit their resumes, cover letters, fellowship application materials, and other application materials for review by an OPIA adviser (after October 15 for 1Ls).

  • Make a list all of your work experience since high school, including your extracurricular activities, hobbies and interests
  • What were your primary responsibilities?
  • What specific examples can you give of your work (e.g., “Represented social security claimants denied disability benefits,” “Drafted legislative initiative to reform the Civil Rights Act of 1990,” “Analyzed $150,000 budget to identify cost-cutting initiatives”)?
  • What skills did you develop?
  • What tasks or projects did you undertake?
  • What accomplishments did you contribute to or complete yourself?
  • Think about which interests, work skills and experiences you want to emphasize for prospective public service employers
  • Review OPIA’s list of  action verbs
  • For summer internships, review OPIA’s  resume FAQs .
  • have an extensive list of relevant publications
  • have five or more years of work experience prior to law school
  • Resumes used for fellowship applications should exceed one page and include any relevant information even if it dates back to high school.
  • Review our  section-by-section resume layout guidance .
  • Make your resume readable and scannable along the left hand margin
  • Tabs and margins must be consistent
  • Avoid using too many different fonts or sizes on your resume
  • Put the names of former and current employers in bold or small/all caps, so that a prospective employer can know from a glance where you have worked
  • NO TYPOS – check and re-check your resume before sending it out
  • Plan to rewrite your resume many times during your legal education and your professional career
  • If necessary, create several versions of your resume tailored to the jobs you are applying to
  • Save an updated copy of your resume so you can easily access it when needed for job applications or networking opportunities
  • Make sure that when you update your resume, you are also using varied and appropriate  action verbs

Related OPIA Resources

  • Public Interest Cover Letters
  • Sample Emails to Employers for Applications, Interview Requests, and Offers

Modal Gallery

Gallery block modal gallery.

OCS RESUMES & COVER LETTERS - Harvard Ash Center

  • Download HTML
  • Download PDF

OCS RESUMES & COVER LETTERS - Harvard Ash Center

  • Uncategorized

IMPERIAL AWARD REFLECTION & REFLECTIVE WRITING - Imperial College ...

  • Style & Fashion

Medical Assistance in Dying - Key Priorities and Opportunities - Proceedings Report - CIHI

  • Home & Garden

Supermarkets, the pandemic and the future for disabled customers - Authors Emma Vogelmann and Daisy Bird

  • Cars & Machinery

INVESTOR ROADSHOW October 2019 - Meyer Burger Technology AG

  • World Around

Talent Engagement Trends for 2019 - SPECIAL REPORT - Llorente & Cuenca

  • Government & Politics

The Guide to Modern Employee Onboarding - Flare HR

  • Health & Fitness

Why digital needs to get physical - Adobe 2020 Content Management Report

  • Current Events

Adventure Starts Here - Your Irish 2021 - ireland's eye language academy

  • IT & Technique

Annual Membership Survey 2021 - Key trends within the In-House Recruitment industry - Forum for In-House ...

  • Hobbies & Interests

Japanese Beginners Stage 6 Syllabus - Preliminary and HSC Courses

COMMENTS

  1. PDF OCS COVER LETTERS RESUMES

    Tailor your resume to the type of position you are seeking. This doesn't careermean that all of your experiences must relate directly, but •your resume should reflect the kind of skills the employer would value. RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS . RESUME TIPS . RESUME LANGUAGE SHOULD BE: • Specific rather than general

  2. Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide

    Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide. A resume is a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and skills, and differentiate you from other candidates seeking similar positions. View Resource.

  3. PDF OCS COVER LETTERS RESUMES

    • Draft a resume using one of the. templates on the OCS website. • Attend a Resume Workshop. to learn the nuts and bolts of getting started. See the OCS events calendar for dates. • View the OCS Recorded Resume Webinar on our website. • Get advice via drop-ins. Monday-Friday, 1:00-4:00pm - ask quick career-related questions and have an ...

  4. PDF CVs and Cover Letters

    Telephone: (617) 495-2595 • www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu GSAS: CVs and Cover Letters CVs and Cover Letters GSAS: Graduate Student Information www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu ... Unlike a resume, there is no page limit, but most graduate students' CVs are two to five pages in ... Getting Started with CVs and Cover Letters

  5. PDF Resumes & Cover Letters for Student Master's Students Graduate

    No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Office of Career Services. 8/21. Office of Career Services Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: (617) 495-2595 www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu. Resumes and Cover Letters.

  6. PDF Harvard College Guide to Resumes & Cover Letters

    Always use your @college email account and check it frequently, even if you have enabled forwarding. Resume Sample. Firstname Lastname. If an employer asks for your SAT/ ACT scores or GPA, include in your Education section. 17 Main Street • Los Angeles, CA 92720 • [email protected] • (714) 558-9857.

  7. OCS RESUMES & COVER LETTERS

    Cambridge, MA 02138. Phone: (617) 495-2595. www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu. RESUMES A ND COVER LE TTE R S. Create a Strong Resume. A resume is a concise, informative summary. of your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and skills, GETTING STARTED.

  8. PDF RESUMES and COVER LETTERS

    resume should reflect the skills, experience, and impact the employer would value. Create a Strong Resume NEED HELP? • CARC/OCS Resume and Cover Letter Webinar. Learn how to create effective job search documents. See the CARC or OCS websites for dates. • HES Virtual Drop-In Hours: Offered one Monday a month from 1:00-3:45pm September - May.

  9. PDF OCS HOW TO OCS

    require you to put together a resume and write a cover letter or personal statement. OCS can help you to craft strong documents, and if you Google "OCS Harvard resumes" you will find lots of help and examples on our website. Follow the OCS template to prepare a "Harvard-style" resume and then bring in your draft to drop-ins for a review.

  10. Handbook: Resumes and Cover Letters for Master's Students (from Harvard

    A comprehensive guide to the world of Resumes and Cover Letters, written and presented specifically for Master's students by the Harvard FAS Office of Career Services. Click here to access the handbook.

  11. OCS 1L Resume & Cover Letter Workshops

    In a small group setting, 1Ls will work with OCS's Peer Advisers on how to draft a professional, impressive resume and a persuasive cover letter for the private sector. Students can either bring their application materials to the workshop or take notes for later. See full list of workshops: Monday, October 16 from 12:15-1:15pm

  12. OCS 1L Resume and Cover Letter Workshop

    In a small group setting, 1Ls will work with OCS's Peer Advisers on how to draft a professional, impressive resume and a persuasive cover letter for the private sector. Students can either bring their application materials to the workshop or take notes for later. See full list of available workshops. This event is for HLS […]

  13. Public Interest Resumes

    We also encourage you to view the OCS/OPIA Resume Workshop video. After following these guidelines, current students, admitted LL.M.s, and alumni may submit their resumes, cover letters, fellowship application materials, and other application materials for review by an OPIA adviser (after October 15 for 1Ls).

  14. OCS RESUMES & COVER LETTERS

    Resume Sample If an employer asks for your SAT/. ACT scores or GPA, include in. Firstname Lastname your Education section. 17 Main Street • Los Angeles, CA 92720 • [email protected] • (714) 558-9857.

  15. Access Resources

    Share This: Share Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide on Facebook Share Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide on LinkedIn Share Harvard College Resumes & Cover Letter Guide on X; Copy Link; A resume is a concise, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and …

  16. PDF RESUMES and COVER LETTERS

    Office of Career Services Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Cambridge, MA 02138 [email protected] www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu. RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS. Aresume is a brief, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experi- ence. It should highlight your strongest assets and skills, and differentiate you from other ...

  17. Harvard FAS

    6 Tips for Attending a Career Fair. Below are the top MCS tips for attending career fairs: Explore which organizations will be attending by logging into Crimson Careers > Events > Type="Career Fairs & Expos.". Search and filter on things like who is looking for Master's students ….