How To Format Education On A Resume
While people have different education backgrounds, employers expect that education on a resume be formatted in a readable way.
Follow these steps to format education on a resume:
Include Deans List Under Your Education Section
You should always list the Deans list in your resume education section, because its part of your educational history. This is also where employers expect to see it.
Place the Deans list next to the GPA on your resume. This line belongs beneath the name, city, and state of your university, as well as your degree title and graduation year.
Heres a template you can use for your own resume:
Education
You Attended Or Graduated From A Prestigious University
The more prestigious the university, the more seriously you should consider putting Deans list on your resume.
This applies if you attend one of the Ivy League universities , or any of the colleges and universities widely recognized as the best in the United States. Knowing that you made the Deans list at such a competitive institution will impress employers even more, and help the name of your university stand out.
Even if you only made the Deans list once or twice, consider adding it to your resume if you attended a prestigious university like any of the above.
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What To Put On A Resume If You Have No Work Experience
Now, if you just graduated and have absolutely;no work experience, heres what I recommend
However, if you have absolutely no work experience, heres what to put on your resume
Were going to follow the sections outlined above, but move #5 up to #3 so it will be right below your Summary section.
So it will look like this
Education On Resumerelevant Coursework
City University of New York, New York, NY
Relevant Coursework: network & security applications, internet-of-things, cloud foundations.
- Museum of Science Student Guild
Some even suggest adding your thesis as an educational element. You may want to include a separate Thesis subsection under the appropriate educational degree and indicate the title of your thesis in italics,states Harvard Law School.
Our advice is, if its relevant, go right ahead!
Please note, of course, that two or more of the various education subsections above may be combined. Just stack them one atop the other.
Expert Hint: Only add extracurricular activities in your education section if they are relevant and affiliated with your time at the school. Otherwise, list relevant activities in a resume hobbies and interests section.
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What Should You Include On Your Resume When You Havent Finished Your Degree
How do you address your incomplete education on your resume in a way that looks positive to potential employers?
If youre still pursuing your degree or certification, then you should absolutely include this information on your resume.
Especially if the position requires whatever degree or certification youre pursuing. There are two great ways to handle including this information on your resume:
1. State the college youre attending
2. The degree youre pursuing
3. Your area of study
4. Current GPA
5. Include your anticipated graduation date; this is very important if your graduation date is within the next 12 months.
It could look something like this:
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FLBachelors of Science Degree, Communications/Public RelationsGPA 4.0Anticipated graduation date: May 2021
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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When You Didn’t Go To College
If you didn’t go to college or only took a few courses, you don’t have to list them. Of course, you also have the option of leaving college off of your resume entirely, which becomes a better option as you gain valid, relevant work experience.
There are many things you can;include on your resume;besides college, to highlight and prove your qualifications for a job. Relevant coursework, awards, certifications, volunteer positions, and even clubs and hobbies can often be included appropriately in;other sections of your resume.
If you don’t have work or much;other experience, you may want to list your;GED or high school information on your resume. Otherwise, you don’t need to include it. For example:
General Educational Development Certificate
- The Susan Jones Family
- The Dean and Janice Blake Family
- The Franklin Travers Family
Where To Include Education On A Resume
When it comes to placing your educational credentials on a resume, there are many considerations to make.
Resumes can serve a variety of purposes and, as a general rule of thumb, should be tailored for specific jobs.
It is also important to take into consideration the level of education you have completed, as this will impact how it should be presented as well.
For instance, a job applicant seeking a position in academia would have a much heavier emphasis on education and academic-related achievements â than someone seeking a job in a corporate environment.
Ultimately, not all resumes are the same, so the placement of the education section will differ depending on the type of resume being used and the intention behind its structuring.
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Option : Describe Projects
Yet another possibility is to actually describe any course projects which are related to your target job. This can be a good approach for candidates who don’t possess much or any related work experience.
For example, a person who is aiming for a job with a focus on information technology might describe a programming project which involved the creation of a complex Excel database. If you received any recognition for the project, or an outstanding grade, you could also mention those.
Coursework in Information Technology
Casleton High School, Castleton, VAHigh School Diploma, May 2019GPA 3.9, Honor Roll Each Semester
To Demonstrate Additional Skills
In some cases, your certifications might prove that you possess certain valuable skills beyond those that the job listing requires. For instance, if you apply for an administrative assistant position and list your A+ IT certification on your resume, the potential employer will know that you are highly skilled with computers, which may increase your chances of landing an interview.;
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If You Have Limited Practical Experience
You might have the skills you need to do a job well but not enough experience to qualify for an interview. In this case, listing a certification that verifies your relevant skillset and commitment to the industry may make up for what you lack in practical experience. Many employers are happy to hire employees who have already invested in their own professional development by pursuing certification.
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Where To Position Education On Your Resume
So, should your education or experience come first in your resume?
Think of it this way:
The top third of the resume is reserved for your accomplishments that are most relevant to the job you are applying for.
So before you continue, ask yourself: Is your education your most relevant accomplishment?
The answer most of the time will be no. Work experience will be a more important requirement for just about any position above entry-level.
However, education can take priority in some particular cases.
Education comes first if youve just graduated from college and dont have relevant work experience to list. Imagine you are an employer and the first thing you see in someones resume when theyre applying for an entry-level marketing associate position is their summer job as a bodyguard at their local town pool.;
Its also wise to list education before work experience if youve recently gotten back to school to get a degree thats relevant to your potential job.
For example, if youre switching to a career in sustainable energy after having finished a related program, but have work experience predominantly in engineering, you would want your new education to be the first thing the hiring manager sees.
Getting a fresh MSc, Ph.D., or MBA is another case where you would want to highlight those degrees more than the work experience.;
Not sure if you need a CV or a resume? Check out our guide on CV vs Resume and learn whats the difference between the two .;
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Education Section Of Resume
Individual sections seem simple enough, but how does it all fit together? Here are some more tips for how to list education on the dedicated education section of your resume:
- Start with your highest degree first – You don’t need to order by date! Put your biggest academic achievements at the top when listing education on a resume.
- College education is the most important – If you are a professional graduate with some work experience, it is safe to say that you can remove most, if not all, of the information related to your high school education.â
- The small details matter – Double check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and pay attention to formatting. Sometimes there are different ways to present information, for example:
- You can spell out your degree or use abbreviations – Master of Arts becomes MA.â
- You can use periods to separate initials – M.A. .
- You can separate your degree from your major with a comma – MA, Sociology.
As you see, there is more than one way to format your educational experience, but the most important thing is to be consistent.
How To Write Your Resume Education Section
The education section is among the easiest to write. In most cases, you should be fine if you follow these basic steps:
You can use the following template to write your education section. Naturally, dont forget to only include information that pertains to the job you want.
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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.
Education On A Resume Before Your Work Experience Section
You should put your resume education section before your work experience section in the following cases:
Just graduated:
- You can consider putting your resume education section before your work experience section if you have just graduated from high school or college.
- This helps you build a good resume because you will be having more educational background than work experience at that point of time.
Starting a new education:
- If you were a professional and recently planned to get a new degree, it is advisable to put your resume education section first.
- Your new degree should be relevant to the job description.
An academic resume:
- You resume education section should be positioned above the work experience also when you are submitting an academic CV.
- For academic posts/ fellowships, the education matters more than the outside work experience.
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Introduction To Resume Certifications
Itâs more obvious that resumes need to include work experience and education. But listing certifications on your resume correctly can be a bit fuzzy.
Getting certified in something normally involves completing an accredited institutionâs course and passing its requirements. The types of certificates vary across industries, from technical jobs to healthcare jobs.
In this article, weâll show you step by step how to correctly put certifications on your resume to make your candidacy stand out. Specifically, weâll take a look at a few resume examples to learn:
- What types of certifications you have?
- Which certifications to include on your resume?
- Where to put those certifications on your resume?
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.
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Recommended Certifications On A Resume
Employers often use certifications as a resume filter to narrow the pool of applicants. Some certifications can give employers more confidence that a candidate has the right qualifications for the job. For example, the IT Profession has many certificates that prove proficiency in network engineering.
Employers sometimes even compile statistics and report on the number of employees with particular qualifications. Listing highly desired certificates is a very effective way to make your resume stand out. Especially if youâre an entry level candidate or student!
Recommended certificates can sometimes be found in the job description.
Other Details You Can Add:
Other aspects of your educational career that you can add to your education section include any honors societies or Greek organizations, for example, that you may have been a part of. Likewise, if you completed an important and relevant project that seriously demonstrates your skills and abilities, you can mention that project and the role you played in it. Again, these are only to be included if you just recently graduated and do not have much experience to include on the rest of your resume.
What about education you’re still working on? How do you include education you havent completed? You can write the name of your school and the degree toward which you’re working, as well as you’re anticipated graduation date.
Now that you know what to include in your education section, where does it go? Do you start with your education section or do you end with it and how exactly do you format it all?;
“If you have more than five years of work experience, dont lead with the education section of your resume,” according to Live Career. “Hiring managers will be more interested in your work history and your accomplishments in your career than in your degree.”
Here are some tips for writing your education section on your resume.
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How To List Completed Education
Recent Graduate If youve recently graduated, place your education section before or in line with your work experience. Your schooling is likely the most prominent piece of your resume, so it is acceptable to make this one of the first sections for employers to see. You can also include your attendance dates, any honors received and GPA if above 3.4. If you attended multiple schools, include the most prominent one where you were most involved. Heres an example:
University of Hawaii, 20112016Bachelor of Arts in PsychologyBusiness Essentials CertificateTerry Scholar
Experienced Professional If youve been in the workforce for several years, move your education section below your professional experience. Your interviewers will be more interested in what youve achieved in recent years rather than in your academic career. You can also remove more specific details of your education section like attendance dates and GPA if youd like. The more you can create interest around your work experience, the better. If you have advanced degrees like your masters or PhD, include those in rank order of level . In this example, the candidate included two diplomas:
Atlanta Graduate School of Management | Atlanta, GAMasters of Business Administration Masters of Science in Information Systems
University of Georgia | Athens, GABachelors of Accountancy