Focus On Depth And Length Of Commitment
When deciding which activities and accomplishments make the cut, keep in mind that colleges would much rather see you excited about one or two key experiences than sporadic involvement in 20 clubs. If having an after-school job limited your ability to participate in clubs or sports, make sure your resume plays up your work responsibilities, training, and on-the-job skills.
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You’re Still Pursuing A College Degree
If you’re still attending college for either your undergraduate or graduate degree, you can simply add an expected graduation year to this information. You can add a list of a few courses you’ve completed if they’re higher-level courses that are relevant to your job goals, and you don’t have a lot of relevant work experience to market on your resume.
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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Where To Place Your Education Section
Either before or after your work experience section. It depends on your resume format and where you are in your career.
As with the rest of your resume, the rule of thumb is: always put the most important information first.
Are you a student or fresh graduate? Then remember: your education is still one of your biggest strengths. Naturally, you should play to your strengths and put your education section in a place where recruiters can immediately see it.
Place it near to the top of your resume just below your resume objective/profile section.
Are you an experienced professional? Then you can place your education section anywhere on the page .
Just remember: you should always put the most important information first. At this point in your life, your education isnt nearly as important as it used to be. Because of that, it should probably find its place near the bottom of your resume.
Should I Put High School On My Resume If I Didnt Attend College
If you didnt attend college or only took a few courses, you should consider not including your high school details on your resume.
As you gain valid, relevant work experience, you have the option of leaving college and high school off your resume entirely.
There are lots of things you can put on your resume besides college and high school education.
You can often include relevant coursework, certifications, awards, volunteer positions, and even hobbies and clubs.
However, if you dont have work or other relevant experience, you should definitely include your high school information on your resume.
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Option : List College Location And Details
There are a few different ways to include the fact that you attended college.
You can simply list the college and location:
Macanster CollegeCleveland, OH
You can also provide more detail. Include the years attended, the number of credits completed, and your GPA if it is very strong :
Unionville University, 2015 – 2017Completed 42 credits, GPA 3.8
You can mention the focus of your studies, if it is related to your employment objective, and the number of credits completed in that discipline:
Hannaford College, 2016 – 2018Completed 36 credits, including 16 credits in business.
Things Not To Include In Your Resume And Why
When it comes to Resumes what NOT to include is almost as important as the information thats in there. Your Resume needs to give the recruiter a great first impression but it will probably be one of many received. Its therefore important to use the space and words wisely and ditch the unnecessary clutter.
Its never been more important to get your Resume and job application 100% right the first time. Since it will most likely be one of many received, you need to give yourself the best chance at getting noticed. As Resume Writers, we often get asked why certain information hasnt been included.
Heres a list of five things we avoid and why:
1. Career Objective: Dont waste words stating what you want. Put yourself in the employers shoes. They need to understand immediately Whats in it for me? not what youre searching for in life. Instead of your own personal career objective, we suggest including a career overview that provides a snapshot of who you are, your relevant qualifications, skills and experience and the overall value you could bring to the role.
3. Personal Information: It is not necessary to include age, height, weight, marital status, health, children, hobbies, religious, cultural or political associations so dont waste space by doing so.
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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
Takeaways: High School On Resume
Your resume is probably the first impression that a potential employer would have of you.
Make sure that you present the most important information about you in a way that stands out to hiring managers.
Depending on your education and your work experience, putting your high school information on your resume might be a good idea.
When considering it, you should remember:
- Include your high school details only if its your highest level of education, or you are still in high school
- Include your GPA if its higher than 3.5. If it is lower, you might want to leave it off your resume.
- Include your high school details properly, depending on whether you graduated or not.
So now you are good to go.
Now youre ready to write your resume and get your dream job.
***What are your thoughts? Did you list your high school details on your resume? Give us a shout-out in the comments below. Wed love to hear from you!
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You Didn’t Attend Or Finish College
If you didn’t go to college and the jobs you’re applying for specifically list a high school diploma or equivalent as one of the job requirements, be sure to include that accomplishment on your resume.
If you attended college but didn’t graduate, you may want to list the relevant courses you took, especially if you made it to some of the higher-level classes, to demonstrate the skills you built or the disciplines you were exposed to during your coursework.
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.
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Didnt Quite Earn The Degree Mention It Anyway
Last week, I counseled a woman who had completed her masters program, but not the thesis. She wondered if it was OK to list that shed completed the coursework, or if would it appear deceptive. Um, mention it. Absolutely mention it. Id frame it something like this:
Master of Business Administration Degree Candidate, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR
Thesis under development anticipated completion June 2013
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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What If You Attended Multiple Schools To Finish One Degree
Only list the school where you graduated or finished yourdegree. Educational institutions require transferring students to submit theirtranscript, along with a detailed list of the subjects they completed withtheir previous school.
Your school records will be consolidated where you graduate,so thats what you should list on your resume. If you put the wrong school, youmay get a negative result from an employers pre-employment background check.
Listing Dates Of Attendance: Graduate Vs Current Student
When listing your educational background on a resume, its customary to include dates regarding your time in college. Here are some tips on the best way to format this information.
First, listing the range of years you were enrolled in college is unnecessary. Instead, provide only the month and year of your graduation. If you havent graduated yet, list the month and year of your anticipated graduation.
Heres an example:
West Seneca State College | West Seneca, NY | May 2019 Bachelor of Science, Accounting
If you didnt graduate from college and arent anticipating returning to finish your degree, list the years of your attendance along with the department you were a student in, like the following resume education example:
West Seneca State College | West Seneca, NY | 2015-2017Accounting
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What Employers Look For In The Education Section Of Your Resume
Each employer searches for different things in your education and what they look for depends on the requirements for the job. If youre applying for an entry-level job, the hiring manager might want to see that you have a high school diploma or college degree. A recruiter seeking a director of a department might be looking for business or managerial training, like an MBA.
The educational requirements of a job are often listed under a requirements or education section on the job description, so read carefully to see if your background is a good match.
There are some professions such as finance or healthcare where specific certifications or degrees are essential to getting the job. If you know a potential employer will need to see that you have the right credentials before considering your other experience, place your education at the top of the page just below your contact information and professional summary.
The most important thing to keep in mind as you document your education is honesty. Potential employers may conduct a background check before offering you a job. If they come across information thats different from whats on your resume, this could hurt your chances of getting the job.
High School: No Work Experience
Are you a high schooler with no professional work experience? Dont worry this resume example can help you write a strong education section that will land you more interviews. Check out how the candidate fills out their education section in this high-school resume example:
What this applicant did
The above resume depicts a high-school applicant who does not have work experience. In the education section, she lists her:
- GPA
- Relevant coursework
- Honors/academic achievements
Further down in her resume, she adds a section dedicated to her extracurricular activities:
Last, in lieu of a formal work experience section, she adds volunteer work:
What you can do
With no work experience, you should aim to write your resume in a similar format. Try to think of activities you participate in, like school projects and clubs, volunteer work, or even athletics.
Then, create an outline of a resume to see where these activities might fit. You can list these in distinct sections like our example candidate does or you can compile them under a major achievements section of your resume. This gives you more leeway to stretch your activities and projects to fill space in your resume.
Your aim should be to present yourself as an active person who can be trusted to learn quickly and manage an entry-level job efficiently, so dig up whatever evidence you can to show that youre up to the task.
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How To List Education On A Resume: Educational Information
Choosing the correct resume education template is also very important! Professionals at Hiration tell you how to write education on a resume. Check out the coolest templates here.
Follow the tips below to write a very effective resume education section:
- Put your highest degree first.
- Follow reverse-chronological order for other degrees.
If you are a distinguished professional with tons of experience, it is not recommended to add your high school information.
The information that must be added to your resume education section is:
- Degree you received
- Location of your institution
- Graduation Year
Hiration Pro tip: Stating your CGPA is optional. Add it only if you have a decent score.
Following are the resume education examples:
- BA in English LiteratureCambridge University | Cambridge, US | 20173.8 CGPA
- Stanford University | Chicago, US | 2013Masters in Computer Science4.0 GPA
In case you’re lost, here is a quick resume education checklist:
How To List College Education On Your Resume
How you include education on your resume depends on when or if you have graduated. If you’re a college student or recent graduate, your college education is typically listed at the top of your resume. When you have work experience, the education section of your resume is listed below your employment history.
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How To List High School Education & Geds On Your Resume
If youre a student in high school, the chance is you probably have some volunteer work and extracurriculars under your belt. If these aspects are relevant to the job you are applying for, you can put them before the education section.
In all other cases, the education section would take the upper hand, and would look something like this:
EDUCATION
2015 – 2017
Dissertation: Leveraging User-Generated Content for Advertising Purposes Through Information Systems
Theres a lot more to creating a good resume than just the education section. Become an expert with our complete guide on how to write a resume.
Use The Proper Format
As with any resume, a high school resume should not be wordy or difficult to read. The best is a one-page resume but its not uncommon to add a second page if you have a lot of activities or job experience. Make it any longer, and the reader gets bored and stops reading. Employers always recommend that job applicants keep the resume concise and to the point. If readers dont see something to grab their interest on the first page, its unlikely they will keep reading.
The resume should be written in an easy-to-read font and look professional.
Use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation ask a teacher, parent or other mentor to proofread it! The contact information should be at the top of the resume and specific area should have a bold heading: Education, Activities, Work Experience, etc.
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How To Write A High School Resume For College Applications
Think resumes are only for job seekers? Think again. High school student resumes give colleges a snapshot of your accomplishments, extracurriculars, hobbies, and work history. They can also be a useful tool for prepping for a college interview or to give to the teachers who are writing your letters of recommendation.
Not sure how to get started? Follow our tips for crafting a standout resume for college and scholarship applications.
What About Listing High School Diplomas
If youre a current college student or college graduate, drop any reference to your high school diploma from your resume. Resume space is limited, so conserve this extra space for information such as computer proficiencies or listing accomplishments from the jobs youve had.
Additionally, a hiring manager who sees that youre in college or have graduated from college will realize youve finished high school or obtained a G.E.D. These are required for acceptance to college.
There is one exception to this rule: The only time a college student or graduate should include a reference to high school is if applying to a job knowing the hiring manager has a preference for graduates from that high school. For example, the hiring manager may be an alum of the high school you attended. However, this is a rare and unlikely scenario.
Once youre officially attending a college or university, remove any mention of your high school diploma from your resume.
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Information To Include In Your Resume Education Section
Hiring managers are looking for a few basic pieces of information when they scan your education section, including:
-
The name of your school
-
Location of your school
-
The degree you obtained
-
Your field of study
-
Graduation year
-
Your GPA
-
Any relevant honors or academic recognition, coursework, activities or other achievements obtained during your education
Though varying levels of detail are required for different jobs, the education section is often the shortest portion of the resumetry keeping it around 1530 words.
Its important to format your educational experience to match the requirements of the job youre applying for. For example, a recent graduate will want to include more detail and place the education section in a prominent position on their resume because this is the bulk of their experience. Alternatively, a person who has been in the workforce for several years will move their education section below their professional experience and keep this section short because their interviewers will be more interested in the work theyve done at previous employers.