Education Section On Resume

Why Should I List Education On My Cv

The education section enables hiring managers to assess whether or not you have the right qualifications for the job. This will carry greater or lesser weight in the recruitment process depending on how much work experience and relevant coursework you have, but it is still considered to be vital information to include.

What Is The Education Section On A Resume

The education section on your resume is where you highlight your most recent education as well as any other education that is relevant to the position youre applying for. There are several options in regard to how you list your education and what you include. For example, some people list their education at the top of their resume, while others include it as the last part of their resume. Additionally, some people have several educational experiences, so their education section on their resume will likely be longer than someone who only has a high school diploma.

The Right Way To List Education In Your Resume

• Write the associated accomplishment with the degree/course: Well you must have seen a different accomplishment section on some resumes. But that is one approach and works better if you have multiple professional achievements as well. To keep the resume to the point and reader-friendly, mention your academic awards and medals with the respective academic engagement.
• Use reverse chronological order: Reverse chronological simply means listing the most recent or ongoing course first, followed by the older ones. This keeps the resume relevant.
• Mention high school details: As a first-time job seeker, you often miss this, thinking no one bothers. But no, this is a misconception. Your high school details are relevant, especially when you do not have any experience. You might have won some science or math olympiad during your high school days, and no wonder it impresses the recruiter!

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If Youre A Recent Graduate

As a recent graduate, always include your graduation date on your resume. If you dont have a lot of work experience, a recent graduation date makes it obvious why.

Unlike more experienced hires, recent graduates can use your education section to highlight your achievements. This includes awards, student initiatives, study abroad programs, language proficiency, key leadership skills, and any major accomplishments.

Experience Or Education: What To Put First

Which section should go first on a resume work experience or education? Read on for advice on how to organize your resume sections.

Depending on your personal situation you may want to list first your education section or the work experience part on your resume. It could also depend on the position youre interested in or the skills you have gained from different roles in your professional and academic career.

• If you have recently graduated or are still studying, it is highly likely that you will have a short professional work history in your desired field or that most of your achievements have come from your academic experience and therefore will benefit more from a resume with the education section before the work experience section.

• This is especially true for those applicants who have an outstanding academic record with many awards or honors, even if they have a brief work history.

• On the other hand, if you have been working for several years, even if you are deciding to change careers, you would most likely benefit from a resume with emphasis on the work experience section as this is where your recent expertise will have developed including any transferable skills.

For those jobseekers who are unsure of which section should be highlighted and therefore come first, it is possible that using an online resume creator or resume template could help them to build a suitable resume for their ideal job.

Read Also: What To Write On Objective Section Of Resume

Where To Put Gpa On A Resume

You should put your GPA in your education section, next to your major. If youve earned honors at your university , those honors should be listed below your majorin italicswith your GPA beside them.

Heres how it should look:

DePaul University | Chicago, IL | December 2009-March 2013

Bachelor of Arts in English Composition

Bear in mind, you should only list your GPA on your resume if it is over a 3.5 and if youre a recent graduate. If youre a recent graduate and your GPA is below 3.5, use the space to talk about an impressive senior thesis project instead.

Resume Vs Curriculum Vitae

If youâre applying for a PhD or research program or a job in academia, you may be asked to submit a curriculum vitae, or CV, instead of a resume. If this is the case, your education section should come before your work experience. CVs are generally longer than resumes, so you can include your complete academic history, including all certifications and achievements.

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Examples Of Different Cv Education Sections

There are a number of different ways in which you can present your education or qualifications on your CV. There is no single right way of doing it.

Below you will find 3 good examples of how to present this section on your CV:

Example 1 University graduate 2014 2017 BA Sociology University of PortsmouthDegree classification:

• Geography

Adding Associates And Bachelors Degrees On Resume

• When listing an associateâs or bachelorâs degree on a resume, always include the name and location of the institution, as well as the date or expected date of graduation.
• While the education section should still be kept short, inclusion of any collegiate level academic achievements, such as honor societies or deanâs lists, can be useful to include.
• Donât go too crazy including coursework of extracurricular information â stick to including the most relevant information.

Read Also: How To Write Bachelor’s Degree On Resume

How To Proofread Your Resume

Now that youve updated your resume with your education section, its time to prove it.

Catching any typos, grammar errors, bad formatting, and other mistakes is important. You can be the best candidate in the world, but if your resume is full of typos, spelling errors, and other mistakes your resume will get tossed.

15 easy tips to proofread your resume effectively:

How To Put Study Abroad On Your Resume

Adding a study abroad semester or year to your resume can show employers that youre a go-getter. This information doesnt need to take up much space and should be included in the education section as well.

The correct place to put study abroad on your resume is just below the university you graduated from. You can format it the same way as you format the other institutions attended. For example:

DePaul University, Chicago, IL, December 2009-March 2013

Bachelor of Arts, Major English Composition, Minor Journalism

Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy September 2010-December 2010

• Completed coursework in journalism and international affairs.
• Became fluent in the Italian language

Everything you include in your resume should relate back to the job youre applying for. Its good to mention coursework and other activities that apply to that job when including your study abroad experience.

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How To Write Resume Education Section

You might have an unusual or interesting educational background, but whatever the nuances, a hiring manager still wants your education section to be laid out so itâs easy to navigate.

Here are the steps you need to follow when formatting your resume:

• Name the school or education provider, then type of school if itâs not obvious, and where it is
• Give the time that you went there or your graduation date, with a clear note if your studies are completed, in progress, or not finished
• Add your specialization and the level of qualification, certificate, or diploma, if it applies to you
• Note your field of study and what your major and/or minor were, if applicable
• Where itâs relevant, include your GPA, too

It should look a little something like this:

Itâs important to note that you should list your education starting with the most recent achievements.

If youâve got both a masterâs and bachelorâs degree, the masterâs comes first on the list and then you note down your bachelorâs.

Itâs as easy as that!

Pro-Tip If youâre lucky enough to have a lot to pack into your education section, you can use subsections to keep it ordered. Use headings like âAwards and honorsâ, âCertificatesâ, and âProfessional qualificationsâ.

Writing The Education Section Of A Resume

Here are the common guidelines to follow when listingeducation on a resume:

Of course, these guidelines dont apply to all situations. Illdiscuss all of these in more detail in the succeeding sections:

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Adding High School And Ged On Resume

• If your highest level of education is a high school diploma or a GED, this should still be included as there are many jobs that are open to high school graduates as well as college graduates.
• Generally, this type of education section should be kept short and sweet. Listing that you have received either a diploma or a GED should be sufficient.
• If you have recently graduated high school or received your GED, including additional high school-related achievements may be beneficial

Does My Gpa Belong In My Resume

If your college years were a blur of frat parties, beer pong, and borrowing class notes, should you be including your GPA on your resume?

Thereâs a simple ruleâ¦

If your GPA isnât impressive, leave it off.

Meaning thatâ¦

A student or someone freshly graduated with a not-so-great GPA, but other accolades and achievements, can leave off their GPA. Instead, look to include something else significant, like âJones Scholarâ or âHockey team captainâ. After youâve been out of school for a few years, you donât even need to add in your GPA at all.

To give you a feel for what it can look like:

Include a list of any coursework that you completed

Orâ¦

You can include a different section called âProfessional developmentâ where you can highlight how you continued your vocational education.

For unfinished college education, you can still add details to your resume to show how far you did get:

• Write the number of credits earned and the major you were pursuing, so: Completed 120 credits toward Bachelor of Science, Organic Chemistry, 1997-2000.
• Students still at college should include this fact on their resume, for example: Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Anticipated graduation date: June 2021

This is also a good place to add details of any coursework that has already been completed and talk about classes youâve taken that have relevance to the job you want to land.

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If Youve Graduated In The Last Five Years

If youve been out of high school or college for five years or less, youll want to include your education section before or right after the work experience section on your resume. Because you likely have more experience in school than you do in the workforce, youre education is the most important component of your experience. You should include the name of the school, the years you attended the school, the subject you majored in, and any awards or accomplishments achieved during your schooling.

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A key factor to consider is the relevance and importance of what youâre talking about.

Those principles make it easier to decide what details should come first and whatâs better off leaving out.

And with this approach, youâre more likely to leave a stronger first impression.

Alternatively, another solution is to use a resume builder that takes into account every detail and provides the necessary feedback. This was one of the reasons why 62% out of the 176,000+ users using Rezi have landed an interview.

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Tip: Dont Assume The Reader Will Understand Your Qualifications

There are dozens of terms and abbreviations that are used to describe courses and qualifications. Do not assume that the prospective employer, who may not be highly experienced, to be familiar with all types of qualifications and their significance.

Consider the following terms for various levels/types of qualifications:

• SCQF
• SVQ
• PMQ

Ask yourself: Will the prospective employer understand all the academic terms and abbreviations that I have written in my CVs education section?

If in doubt, expand on these terms by using the full title rather than a simple abbreviation and also state at what level they were taken.

Use What You’ve Learned To Your Advantage Learn How And Where To Include Your Education On Your Resume

Include your education background on your resume.

Your resume education section seems like it should be the easiest thing to writejust list your school, program of study, degree, and date, and youre done. However, its not so straightforward for many job seekers. Unsure about the best way to present your education? On resume templates, youll find a few ways to best display your credentials. We laid out some common scenarios, examples, and strategies below to help you determine the best way to look smart.

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How To List Education On Resume For Working Professionals

If you are a working professional, your resume education section is just evidence of your degrees.

• You should place your resume education section below the Professional Experience section
• Be straightforward, do not include unnecessary details
• State your educational degree with your field of study and best achievements
• Try to avoid positions of responsibility, awards, recognitions
• Try to include a vast skill set, list your training, certifications

Where To Put The Education Section Of Your Resume

Current students, recent college graduates, or career changers may want to put the education section towards the top of their resume. This is because students typically have limited work experience and want to highlight academic success.

If you have been out of school for at least a couple of years, you can move this section to the bottom of your resume. By this time, you have enough work experience to highlight that you dont need to rely on your education.

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How Often Should I Update My Cv’s Education Section

As your education is such an important part of the CV, it should be reviewed every time you update the document with a new job or ongoing education course. Make sure that you still have the right amount of detail for your experience level and that irrelevant parts are removed. You should find yourself gradually moving from a long and detailed section to a one-liner as you progress from high school or college student to seasoned professional.

Be Strategic With Dates

For the most part, you should always include your graduation date.

There is, however, one exception: if you completed your education 15 or more years ago and youre an older jobseeker. In this case, its a good idea to remove your graduation date altogether. This encourages the hiring manager to focus on your experience and achievements rather than how long ago you graduated and, consequently, your age.

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Describe The Degree You Earned

Your education section provides an overview of your degree and areas of study. Along with the level and title of your degree, include your major and any minors. Showing the topics you pursued and any specialized areas of knowledge conveys your experience and ability to practice skills related to those topics.

Related:How To List a Major and Minor on Your Resume

If You Transferred Schools

If you started and finished your degree at different institutions including transferring between four-year schools or from a community college it’s fine to just list the name of the school you graduated from. If you’re a recent graduate and have achievements on your resume from your previous institution , you can consider listing both schools for clarification.

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College Student: No Work Experience

If you dont have work experience, you shouldnt worry you still have a good chance of landing an interview. The student in the example below doesnt have any experience, but still made a solid resume that will catch an employers attention.

You might also be worried that you dont have enough substantial material to fill up a page. Again, the applicant managed to flesh out their resume without any prior real world experience. The truth is, you have many tools at your disposal its just a matter of learning how to use them.

How To List Education On A Resume If Still In College

Besides writing a killer career objective, this applicant made sure to beef up their Education section by mentioning their expected graduation date, GPA, relevant coursework, awards and honors and extracurricular activities. This not only takes up space, it bolsters their credibility.

In this resume education example, the college student lists out the following 4 sections:

• GPA: 3.93/4.0
• Relevant completed courses: Consumer Behavior, Retail Concepts & Policies, Professional Selling, Social Media & Public Relations, Advertising, and Creative Marketing
• Awards & Honors: Won First Runner Up at the 2015 Texas A& M Collegiate Sales Competition in a pool of 48 competitors
• Clubs & Organizations: Treasurer of the Aggies Advertising Club, Vice President of the Texas A& M Key Club

What Should You Do