Degree Vs Years Of Experiencehow Do They Compare
Theres no one size fits all when it comes to the type of employee companies are looking to hireit varies from industry to industry. However, we did find through our conversations with human resource professionals that employers make several presumptions strictly based on whether or not you have graduated from college. At the end of the day everyone always wants the top candidate, said Briona, an HR administrator for a staffing agency with 2 years of experience.The person with a degree is always going to have the upper hand over the person who does not have a degree. As harsh as it sounds, its true. Briona also explained that usually, employers can trust that candidates with a degree in a relevant field also have the necessary background information about their particular industry. Employers often assume that applicants without a degree have little knowledge about the position of interest. Without basic familiarity, they will require more extensive training, which will result in higher long-term costs for the company. As a result, many places of employment only offer entry-level positions to people without a degree. These entry-level jobs usually mean lower starting wages and lesser benefits.
Tiffany, an HR generalist in the gaming industry recalled her own experience in searching for a job, I was able to bypass a lot of the entry-level positions.
Unrelated Or Obsolete Skills And Experience
You don’t need to list every job you have held on your resume. Generally, you only want to include positions you’ve had in the past 10 to 15 years unless an earlier job strongly demonstrates your qualifications. Leave out any positions that are unrelated to the job for which you are applying unless this will leave gaps on your resume.
However, if you have limited job experience, you can include slightly unrelated positions as long as you demonstrate how they prepared you for a job in your new field. For example, if you are applying for a sales job, you can include your earlier job as a cashier if you explain that the job helped you develop your customer service skills.
Make sure all the skills and attributes you list on your resume are current. If you list skills that are obsolete or not relevant to the position, it won’t help you get an interview. Review this list of skills to exclude from your resume.
The Differences Between A High School Diploma And A High School Certificate
You might have noticed that there are two types of degrees you can get when you finish high school: a high school diploma and a high school certificate. But whats the difference?
In short, a high school diploma is the degree you get when you complete all the education requirements of your school, district, city, and state. Meanwhile, a high school certificate means that youve completed high school, but did not meet all the requirements for you to graduate.
A high school diploma and a high school certificate differ in many ways: first, a diploma is only granted if the student fulfills all of the requirements set for them. A certificate can be granted on more flexible terms .
Earning a high school diploma makes you eligible to join the military and/or apply for a federal student aid program. Unfortunately, a high school certificate is not accepted by either of those institutions. A high school diploma is often the standard requirement for most colleges, although some colleges might consider prospective students with a high school certificate on a case-to-case basis. Most employers will also look more favorably on applicants with a high school diploma, while applicants with a high school certificate might have a more difficult time.
At the end of the day, regardless of what you get when you finish high school, know that your educational journey hasnt ended just yet rather, its only just begun.
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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.
Resume Examples & Samples
Education is tough. You spend four years in college, stressing about exams and living off of gummy bears and ramen, often curled up on the library floor. Thats the best case scenario. Reward your efforts by expertly putting your education on a resume.
Its crucial to know how to list your education on a resume at every stage. Applicants get confused by all the possible scenarios. What if you never finished high school? What if you only completed high school? What if you dropped out of college? Don’t worry.
We will teach you how to:
- List your high school experience even if you never graduated
- Include your education if youre still in college
- Present your education on a resume if you never graduated college
- Mention your college education once its completed
- Leverage skills and extracurriculars to complement your education
VelvetJobs Expert Tip
Need help? Check out our resume builder.
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Sample Resume That Includes High School Education
Here is an example resume that includes high school education you can use as inspiration when writing your own:
Career ObjectiveI am a motivated and hardworking high school student with a 3.9 GPA seeking a position as an administrative assistant with Dallas Dog Rescue so I can expand my knowledge of the nonprofit field and gain experience to build my career path post-graduation.
ExperienceVolunteer dog walker | Dallas County Animal Care | Dallas, Texas
- Create a schedule for dog walking
- Clean and maintain the dog kennels
- Train dogs to walk on leash
- Played with dogs in the open area
- Gave performance reports to dog owners
EducationWestboro High School | Dallas, TexasAnticipated graduation date: May 2021
- GPA: 3.9
- Notable achievements: Placed on the honor roll every year, Student Body Treasurer, Top fundraiser for the school’s charity organization
- Relevant courses: Ethics in Nonprofits, Spanish, Sociology
Skills
Should You List Education Or Work Experience First
Where Should Education Go on a Resume? You can put your education above your work history if youre a student or recent graduate and have little experience. If you have more than a year of work experience, your education should come after your employment history. Your most recent degree goes first..
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What Is Field Of Study In Resume
Always include the following information: the degree you received, your major, the name of your school, its location, and your graduation year. Start with your highest educational attainment. List all other degrees in reverse-chronological order. Delete high-school education if you already graduated from college.
How Can You Be Sure Your Resume Looks Good
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Can You Leave Education Off Your Resume
You dont need to include high school education on your resume . If you have any education beyond high school, the degree is implied and including it would be redundant. Even if your highest degree is high school, you should still leave it off . Instead, you can list in-progress or incomplete degrees.
When Should I Leave Education Off A Resume
Most people list the highest level of education relevant for the job, even if they are experienced candidates. But the more relevant work experience you have, the less important the education section becomes.
Always read the job description carefully to identify whether the employer requires specific education qualifications. Add that education to your resume if you have completed it.
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How To Write A Resume Education Section If You’re A Student
As a student, you should place your education section at the beginning of your resume. Whether you already have some experience or not, employers will be interested to know that youre still a student.
Include information about your extracurricular activities, relevant coursework or studying abroad.
Is your final thesis related to the job youre pursuing? Then you should mention it! Explain how it pertains to the job opening.
Internships. Paid or unpaid, it doesnt matter. The most important thing is that you can show youre motivated and willing to work.
If you havent done any internships yet, its high time you applied. In most cases you dont need any previous experience to get one and it can help you acquire many valuable skills. Moreover, its something that will distinguish you from your peers once you start looking for a job after graduation.
Finally, if youve already got your first degree, you can leave your high school degree out.
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.
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Tips For The Education Section Of Your Resume
Consider subsections. If you have a lot of information to include in the education section of your resume, consider breaking this section into subsections. The main section might include your schools and degrees, and then you can have other sections such as Awards and Honors, Certifications, and Professional Development. If you held a leadership role in a school-affiliated organization , you can list that below the Awards and Honors line.
Provide specifics . If the sub-college of your university is well known and relevant you can include that before you include your university name. For example, you could say School of Hospitality, XYZ College.
You can leave out your GPA. If you’re a student or recent graduate and your GPA wasnt great, but you have other accolades, just leave the GPA out and put something else, like XYZ Award Recipient. Once you’re out of school for a couple years, you should take your GPA out of your resume altogether.
You can leave out high school . Once you’ve been in college for a year or so , you can leave your high school degree and GPA out of your resume. However, you should mention your high school diploma if it is your highest degree.
Tell the truth. It’s very easy for an employer to confirm whether or not the education information in your resume is true or not. He or she can simply check your transcript. If you’re not happy with your GPA, leave it out, but dont make it up. Be honest.
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When Should You List Your High School
The decision to list your high school in your resume education section comes down to the stage youre at in your life. If you’re currently attending high school or college, or if you just graduated from school, definitely list your high school on your resume.
It’s also customary to include your high school information on resumes in some countries outside the United States. If you’re applying for a job abroad, make sure you research whether this information is likely to be important.
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What Do I Put On My Resume If I Have No Education
Five Tips for Addressing a Lack of Education on Your CV
The Best Way To Make Yourself Marketable Is
Our interviews with human resources professionals from diverse industries made it clear that education helps pave the way to a fulfilling career with the highest earning potential and greatest benefits. In the current job market, even having a connection at a particular company only offers a false sense of security. Just because you have a connection, doesnt mean that person has the ear of the authority figure, Holli said. If you dont have the minimum requirements, your connection probably cant help you. If you dont have the experience in a particular industry , the best way to make yourself marketable is through your education. Remember that whether you are looking to finish your bachelors degree or return to school for a secondary degree, Abound is here to help answer questions and aid in the process of finding a regionally accredited program that is the right fit for you.
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Let The Pros Review Your Resumefree Of Charge
Whether you worked a part-time job, volunteered, both, or neither, you can have a professional-looking resume that will position you to get hired. Could you use some help ironing out the wrinkles? Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster’s Resume Writing Service. You’ll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression. Think of it as part of your continuing education.
How To Write An Education Section If You Never Graduated
If youre a college dropout, or if youre taking aleave of absence, this part is for you.
You should always include even unfinished education on your resume. Employment gaps always make hiring managers a bit suspicious.
Just because you dont have a degree yet, it doesnt mean you cant put it on your resume. All you have to do is emphasize that youre still working towards attaining it.
The same holds true if you dont plan on ever finishing your studies. After all, you put some effort into them. Even more importantly, you paid the tuition.
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Is A High School Diploma An Academic Degree
In the USA, a high school diploma is often considered a different kind of qualification than a degree. This kind of idea is also expressed in the Academia.SE question Is it possible for a high school student with no academic qualifications to publish a research paper?, which seems to imply that a high school graduate currently enrolled in undergraduate studies at a university does not hold any academic credentials.
Is there any precedent for considering high school diplomas, similar non-US equivalents, or high school equivalency exams as academic degrees? For example, if John Smith, a GED holder with no further education, needed to be referred to or addressed based on his academic credentials, would he be referred to as John Smith, GED or simply John Smith? Similarly, would it be proper to refer to credential holders such as “Ann Jones, Leaving Cert “, “Hans Schmidt, Abitur”, or William Robinson, NTCE, or would they simply be considered as persons lacking any academic credentials?
How To Write An Education Section If You’re A Fresh Graduate
If youre a fresh graduate, you probably dont have much work experience to put on a resume yet. Thats normal.
On the other hand, what you do have is your degree. Or perhaps even two degrees. Whats more, in the past couple of years youve learned and achieved more things than you probably realize. Dont make your education section only about the degree. Use this space to present your most notable academic accomplishments.
Consider including the following:
- Academic awards: e.g. AP scholar, Duke of Edinburgh award, National Merit Award, Presidents Award, school subject-based awards, etc.
- Scholarships: e.g. athletic scholarships, scholarships for women, creative scholarships, etc.
- Academic conferences and symposia: Dont forget to mention the scope and name of the paper you presented at a conference.
- Relevant student societies: e.g. debating societies or programming clubs. If you were on the committee of any kind of student society, include that too.
- Deans list.
- GPA: Only include if it was higher than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If your overall GPA was lower than that, mention your major GPA. Alternatively, mention your summa cum laudeor magna cum laude.But if it wasnt great, you can simply leave it out. And if you are out of school for a couple years, you should take your GPA out of your resume no matter what.
- Academic publications: This may not apply to you but if you have a PhD , youre expected to include at least one publication.
Few last tips:
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