How To Write Education On Resume

How To Create A Resume With No Education

Once you know how to effectively highlight your skills and experience, a resume with no education won’t keep you from getting hired.

You’ve found a job you know you’re qualified for based on your skills and experience but you don’t have the right education or lack a specific degree. Essentially, you have a resume with no education relevant to the position. Should you pass over that job? Absolutely not!

According to a 2019 TopResume survey asking employers to rate what they desire in their candidates, education was at the bottom of the list. Instead, their preferences were potential , experience , personality , and finally education .

Given this data, a lack of education shouldn’t keep you from considering a job you could otherwise perform and perform well. You just need to put in a little extra effort to create a resume that shows you’re truly qualified despite your less-than-compatible educational background.

What To Include In The Education Section Of A Resume

What’s the best way to include your education on your resume? In the education section of your resume, list the schools you attended, the degrees you attained, your GPA if you’re a student or a recent graduate, and any special awards and honors you earned.

You should tailor the education section of your resume to fit your circumstances, including whether or not you’re still a student, and the nature of any academic achievements you’ve accrued. By including the right information, you can impress your employer and secure an interview.

How To Write An Education Section

Here’s a quick guide on how to write a resume education section:

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Tips Around How To Include Your Education

Even though content will differ across people, industries, experience levels, there are a few general rules of thumb when buttoning down how to include your education on your resume.

Always be honest. No matter what, never stretch the truth about education on your resume. Its a small world, and its extremely easy for someone to verify your education when necessary.

If formal education isnt the focus of your resume achievements, there are better ways than lying to demonstrate how education is woven into your professional life. If you have no education to add, beef up the special skills section to focus on soft and hard skillslearned outside of the classroom. Dont lose confidence about skipping education on your resume all together. If you are qualified for the job, it should come across in your experience, skills, and the overall presentation of your resume.

Keep it clean and consistent. Well jump into this a bit more below. When wondering how to put education on your resume, keep it short and sweet and pay close attention to the format and consistency. The right resume template can guide toward a clean design or you can use the examples below for inspiration.

Tailor your info. Always customize your resume for each job application from the hobbiessection to work description to the education on your resume. Though college degrees always make the cut, you dont want to list that youre trained as a chef if youre applying for an office job.

Lead With Your Personal Contact Details

Make it as easy as possible for a recruiter to get in touch by making sure that your contact details are easy to spot. Use your personal phone number rather than your work line. Make sure your email address is suitable, and if not, consider setting up a new one to help you maintain your professional credibility. For example, an email address with just your name is more professional than one that includes your hobbies or a quirky trait.

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Education For A College Student With Some Work Experience

If you are a college student with work experience, place your education section above work. Include the name of the institution, degree type and the expected year of graduation. You can also mention coursework, extracurricular activities, organizations and other academic achievements relevant to the role. Dont include your GPA if it is below 3.5.

Example of the education section for a college student with work experience:

California State University, California

Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance, September 2017

Minored in Accounting

Relevant Coursework: Accounting Systems, Actuarial Sciences, Anti Money Laundering Protocols

Extracurricular activities: Treasurer for the Association of Accounting Students

GPA: 3.95/4.0

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.

• Your resume education section should be placed 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

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Include Your School’s Name And Location

It’s customary to include your high school’s name and location on your resume. Hiring managers and human resources representatives use this information to confirm what appears in your background check and also to get a better understanding of where you went to school. Be sure to explain the kind of high school you attended if it’s not clear from the name. For example, there are some high schools that specialize in performing arts. You may list the name of the high school, plus a short description, so a hiring manager fully comprehends the environment you were in.

How To List Education On A Resume In 2021

Not sure what degree to list? If you should include a GPA? It just so happens that there’s a variety of ways to effectively list your eduction.

The education section of a resume may not always be the star of the document but knowing how to properly list your education can be essential for advancing into the next phase of the hiring process.

In this guide, we will cover all the ins and outs of crafting an education section for your resume.

We’ll cover the following:

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Tips For Writing Your Education In Your Resume

The following expert tips are very practical for jobseekers learning how to write an education section for a resume. Read them carefully and get the most out of them.

• For each entry in the education section of your resume, it is only advisable to include your GPA if it is superior to 3.0.
• You can include the modules studied, projects and coursework completed and any thesis topics you produced throughout each course, describing any relevant and important factors.
• It is especially important to mention any awards, honors or scholarships you may have been granted.
• If you are writing an student resume you may also find it beneficial to include societies or clubs of which you were a member, especially if you held a position of responsibility in any association where you learnt skills which can be transferred to the workplace. This can also apply to entry-level resume candidates and for recent graduate resumes.
• As a general rule the education section on a resume can be longer for jobseekers with little to no professional experience whereas it will only include the basic information for candidates with professional resumes for example, as they will be more focused on other areas.
• Amplifying your education section on your resume can have a positive effect by providing evidence that the candidate is achievement or goal-oriented.
• Remember to include any educational or extracurricular activities that could prove you are equipped to deal with the pressures of a working environment.

An Example Of Education On Resume For A High School Senior

A resume for a high school senior will look like the following example:

EDUCATIONMarsland High School3.56 GPACourses: Mathematics, History, French, Drama

As stated above, a high GPA can be included, as it is here. Also, listing some of your main courses will show your employer what your areas of interest are and give you something to discuss at the interview stage.

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How To Write A Resume For Education Professionals

If you work in education, your resume is the key way for you to convey how well-suited you are for your next job in the industry. Teachers and administrative professionals who work in educational institutions present particular skills, and some roles require specific qualifications or experience.

You can adjust your resume to suit the role for which you are applying to help it stand out. In this article, we tell you how to make your applications shine and provide some education resume examples to give you guidance and inspiration.

Tips To List Education On Your Resume

Here are a few tips you can use to list education on your resume:

• Start with your most recent degree and then list the others in reverse chronological order. If you want to highlight a qualification relevant to the job you are applying for, you can place it at the top of the education section.

• Use abbreviations for the most common degrees like BE, BSc, MSc and MBA. If the degree is not popular, you can include it in full so that it is easy for the recruiter to identify it.

• You can skip listing your high school marks if you have other higher educational qualifications. If you want to highlight a specific academic achievement during your high school years, you can include it in the education section.

• You may list your professional certifications along with the date of completion after the education section.

• You can also list the courses you are currently taking, with an expected completion date.

• It is essential to include keywords relevant to the position. For example, if you are applying for the role of an English teacher, you can mention that you have completed a Diploma in English language teaching.

• If you have graduated from a famous college, you can highlight the college’s name before the degree to attract the recruiter’s attention.

• Mention accurate information on your resume, as interviewers can request proof of your educational qualifications like the school leaving certificate and graduation certificate to verify the details.

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Organize Your Qualifications With The Most Relevant Listed First

If one particular continuing education course involved particularly relevant coursework for the role youre applying for, list that course first so that the hiring manager is more likely to notice it.

However, if all the entries in your continuing education section are equally relevant, then default to ordering them with the most recent first.

Employers expect candidates to organize the work experience on their resume from most recent at the top to least recent. So you should also organize your continuing education this way.

Continuing education thats irrelevant to the job youre applying to should be omitted from your resume. For example, if youre planning to switch fields into accounting, leave out creative writing workshops youve attended.

How You Can Add Your High School Education To A Resume

A great resume format ensures great readability. This, in turn, can increase a candidateâs chances of getting the job and boosting their career. Adding high school information on the education section on resume is mostly relevant to entry-level job seekers without much professional experience. Thus, listing education on a resume can become crucial.

If oneâs highest education is being a high school graduate, they should still mention it because many companies are always on the lookout for interns or freshers. Resume creators should always keep this section concise and sweet by providing the most appropriate information.

One should consider the perspective of the employer and what they need from this section. Adding the name of the school, graduation date, coursework, and other achievements and skills should be enough to get started.

• First, letâs look at the weak way to highlight high school education.

Washington Blueâs High School, Washington, DC

Graduated in 2016

• Now, letâs consider an example of how to write your education on a resume with relevant coursework information.

Washington Blueâs High School, Washington, DC

Graduated in 2016

Coursework â Introduction & Specialization in Robotics

• Hereâs an example with achievement and award.

Washington Blueâs High School, Washington, DC

Graduated in 2016

Awards â Young Changemaker for the Environment

• Lastly, see an example for those who have not completed high school yet.

Expected to graduate in 2018

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Where To Place The Education Section On A Resume

Before placing your educational qualifications on your resume, you can consider the following factors:

• the highest level of education completed

• work experience

• relevance of your academic qualification to the position you are applying for

If you are a fresh graduate with limited work experience, you can place the education section at the top of the resume, below your contact details and summary. This is because highlighting your academic credentials helps recruiters evaluate if you have the essential skills for the role. If you have graduated a long time back and have sufficient work experience, you can place the education section at the bottom of the resume, after your work experience section.

What If Your Degree Is Not Related To Your Job

I know someone who graduated with a degree in design that is nowworking as a life insurance agent, and I know a nursing graduate who worked inIT for years, before becoming a real estate agent. This happens more than youknow, so you shouldnt let this stop you from chasing after your dream job.

Below are two ways to downplay the lack of formal education inyour target job:

• List the relevant coursework in your degree.Lets say you have a Psychology degree, but want a job in marketing. If youtook units in social psychology, communications, grammar, and business, thosesubjects show you have the knowledge required for the job.
• List professional courses or ongoing trainingyou took to compensate for your lack of formal schooling on the subject.

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If You Are A Recent Graduate

If you’re a recent graduate, consider moving your educational section above your work experience, as most of your resume will comprise your academic training. This will allow you to highlight what you learned in school and how it can benefit the position. In contrast, if you’ve been working for some time, you can move your education section below your work history. Hiring managers are more interested in your relevant professional experience and the skills you’ve honed in real world situations.

Write The Name Of The School And Its Location

The first thing you can add is the name of the school you attended or are currently attending. Next to the school, list the city and state where it’s located. If you’re applying for an international job, you can also list the country. It’s acceptable to list the name of the school before the degree you received.

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What To Include In An Education Section

As we’ve covered, different formats of resumes may require different information to be included within an education section.

In general, there is some basic information that should be included within the education section of a resume:

• The name of the school â “e.g. Georgia Institute of Technology”
• The location of the school
• Your degree
• Graduation year
• Major field or department of study
• Minor field or department of study
• GPA

Here’s what that looks like for and university grad:

Georgia Institute of Technology ⢠Atlanta, GAB.S. in Computer Engineering, 2006 – 2010GPA: 3.9/4.0

For high-school students, you can do something like the following:

Georgia Institute of Technology ⢠Atlanta, GAHigh School Diploma, Graduated in 2010GPA: 3.9/4.0

Remember, including a GPA is optional. Only add it if it’s required by the job listing or it’s relatively high. If your GPA is low , it’s better to just leave it out.

Tips For Adding Education To Your Cv

Apply these tips to create an effective education section for your CV:

• Proofread: A CV provides the opportunity to make the first impression on a potential employer. Proofread your education section to ensure that your degree, major, minor and institution name matches your diploma and accurately reflects your qualification.

• Keep it brief: The education section is only one part of your CV and provides a summary of your knowledge. List only one to three relevant courses or experiences that most directly relate to the job listing.

• Fit the job description: Every section on your CV serves to convey your experience and qualifications for your desired role. When writing the education section and your list of courses, awards and activities, select the accomplishments that accurately reflect the skills and duties provided in the job listing.

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Resume Education Section Format

Many ATS parse the information from an applicants resume into a digital applicant profile. If your education is formatted incorrectly theres a very good chance that information will be parsed incorrectly or left out altogether.

Typically, the degree is listed before the school, but if you went to an impressive, Ivy League university, leading with the name of the school cant hurt.

Remember, a solid education section will include the name of the school, the degree earned , location of the school, and the date of graduation. For example:

Bachelor of Arts: Theater, Shakespearean, 2016Columbia College, Chicago, IL

Masters of Business Administration, 2014University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

You can add societies, activities or relevant coursework if it makes sense to the job for which youre applying. This information can be included at the bottom of your education section, like this:

Bachelors Degree, Elementary Education and Teaching, 2013Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, INSocieties: Delta Delta Delta, Habitat for Humanity, Student Support Group

If you are still completing your degree, you can list your expected graduation date, but be clear that you havent yet graduated. Like the above examples, you dont need to list the start date . For example:

Bachelor of Science: Civil EngineeringWashington University, St. Louis, MO.Expected Graduation Date 2019

University of Miami, Coral Gables, FLEnglish Composition, 65 Credit Hours Obtained