Pongo Resume

Education is usually the most straightforward resume section to write. In most cases, it is what it is. But there are a few factors that can make things a little cloudy. These seven tips will help you determine how to complete the Education section of your resume. They'll help you decide what to include, what to leave out, and what to do about that school you attended but didn't graduate.

TIP #1:  List your highest level of education first, then work your way backward to high school. If you've earned a bachelor's degree or higher, do not include your high school information.

Example: 

2007   Master of Science in Information Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

2005   Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

TIP #2:  Include your GPA only if it is higher than 3.0 and it's been less than three years since you graduated. (Exception: If the employer specifically asks for it.)

Example: 

2010    Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
GPA: 3.75

TIP #3:  If you graduated within, say, the past three years, it's appropriate to mention academic honors or extracurricular leadership roles, (but not if they're political, religious, or controversial). Once you have two or three years of work experience, you should drop the school-related activities from your resume.

Example:

2010    Burlington High School, Burlington, IA     GPA: 3.9
Class Salutatorian, Student Council Treasurer 2008-2010,
Captain of Lacrosse Team

TIP #4:  If you attended college, but did not graduate, include the dates you attended, your major, and how many credits you earned toward your degree. List your high school after the college information.

Example:

Franklin Community College, Springfield, MO
2002-2003:  Completed 30 credits toward  Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education

Springfield High School, Springfield, MO
Graduated 2002

TIP #5:  If you attended high school, but did not graduate, just show the years you attended. If you later earned a GED, put that above the high school listing, and indicate the date.

Example:

2002    GED High School Equivalency Diploma
Erie Adult Learning Center, Erie PA

Erie Vocational Technical High School, Erie, PA
1998-2001

TIP #6:  If you earned a license for a trade after high school, and it's related to the job you're pursuing, you can either put it above the high school listing in your Education section, or create a separate section called Licensure (or similar) and put it there.

Example: 

2000    Esthetician License
Colin-Carter Beauty School, Denver, CO

1998   West Boulder High School, Boulder, CO

TIP #7:  Should you eliminate graduation dates on your resume if you're older than 40 or 45? That's a judgment call you'll have to make yourself. If you list your graduation date, you're effectively revealing your age, which might be perceived as a negative (or a neutral or a positive, for that matter). If you don't, employers might assume you're trying to hide your age. They might perceive that as a smart move, or an insult to their intelligence. You can't know how it will be perceived, so do what feels right for you.

Personally, I'm 49 and if I were submitting my resume today, I'd go ahead and list my graduation date. I used to leave the date off my resume, but so much personal information is available on the web, I figure why bother to try and hide it? Besides, if a company's going to discriminate based on my age, I don't want to work there. 

Do you have other questions or thoughts about the Education section of your resume? Please post a comment below and we'll discuss it!

RELATED LINKS
Is College Still the Surest Path to Success?
Good and Bad Resumes: Want to See the Difference?
Should No Degree Also Mean No Chance?

Julie O'Malley: Your suggestion as to HOW to place the EDUCATION section on the RESUME is helpful. PLEASE ADVISE on this inquiry. WHERE should the EDUCATION SECTION be placed beginning or end? Is there a difference if you are recently out of school or not? And does placement of EDUCATION section differ based on particular field? I will check back.

If the education you're currently pursuing is unrelated to your desired job, then there's no need to put it on your resume. It might actually work against you if you did put it on your resume, because an employer might assume you're planning to jump ship and start a new career as soon as you graduate.

Hope that helps,

Julie

Well said!!

Julie

Great questions! Thanks for asking.

If you are still in school, a recent graduate, or have no significant experience in your field, your Education section goes right after the Objective or Summary section.

If you have at least two or three years in the working world, the Education section follows your Experience.

And yes, this order may differ by field. Medicine and Science, for example, are two fields that typically keep the Education before the Experience throughout the individual's career.

Thanks again,

Julie

Glad to help -- I think the bottom line is to weigh your Experience and your Education, and decide which will be more impressive or important to your audience, and present the info accordingly.

For what it's worth, I think your assumption that your experience should speak for itself was perfectly reasonable, but Academia tends to have its own set of rules :) Best of luck,

Julie

Yes, it would be the same method as shown in Tip #4 above.

You don't mention whether your grad school experience is directly related to your desired job.

If it is, then definitely include it.

If it's not, and it doesn't support your qualifications for the job you're applying for, you might consider leaving it off.

Best of luck,

Julie

At the end of the day, there is not right or wrong way to do it. The rule of thumb is to think about what would be more impressive to your prospective employer, and present it that way.

For example, if your work experience is in retail sales and you just graduated with an accounting degree (and are now applying for accounting jobs), then the education would go first because it's more relevant to employers.

On the other hand, if your work experience was in accounting roles, and your education was also in accounting, then the experience would probably go first.

Good luck!

Julie

As you noted, the answer to some of the questions above also apply in your situation. In short, it depends on the relevance to your desired jobs.

For example, let's say you're applying for a job in business. A bachelor's degree plus one year of an MBA program would be more impressive than just the bachelor's, so you should include the grad school attendance.

Best of luck!

--JUlie

It's fine to leave off anything that doesn't pertain to your desired job, including degrees.

The deciding factor on whether to include something on your resume is whether it supports your qualifications for the job you want next.

As for relevant coursework, it's not necessary to include coursework if your degree is in the same field.

For example, if you have a B.S. in Finance and you're applying for a financial role, there's no need to list the financial courses you took to earn that degree.

However, if you have a B.S. in Finance and you're applying for a Marketing job, then you should list the marketing courses you took.

Hope that clears it up! Best of luck.

--Julie

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