Properly Listing Education on a Résumé

Oftentimes, I see some awkward management of how people list their education on their résumé. Here are some tips and tricks to help effectively convey your investment into your educational career to prospective employers:

1) Understand what constitutes education. The EDUCATION section of a resume actually is composed of two parts: your formal schooling (with an accredited institution), and then everything else, which should be listed under a separate subheader (not 'training', 'coursework' or 'classes') called "Professional Development." "Professional Development" constitutes any kind of educational coursework that you've taken that enhances/updates your knowledge, hones your skills, and helps you do your job better. This can include workshops, trainings, classes, CEUs, industry certifications, conventions, conferences and the like. Many people can have a lot of listings under this area from years of being at conferences/workshops. Two dimensions that you want to use to cull this down to a shorter list include relevancy towards the job target you are pursuing, and going back no more than 5-7 years. Anything more than that is going to be fairly obsolete - we simply don't do business now the way we did 10 years ago, and you definitely don't want to look like an ancient dinosaur who hasn't keep their knowledge up-to-date!

2) Don't be afraid to list degrees that weren't completed. Many people hesitate when told it is okay to list educational degrees that they started but didn't finish. "It makes me look like I can't finish something," is a common concern. Look at it this way: ANY type of learning beyond the high school/GED level shows initiative and an interest in bettering oneself. Give yourself credit for the time, effort and money you've invested!

3) Beware the most common educational deception - a 'perceived' graduation date. Did you know that the EASIEST thing to check on backgrounds is education? Many people don't realize this. Several clients of mine have come to me with résumés that, when in our consultation, turn out to be listing a school attended rather than a degree earned. "Bachelor of Science", the document reads. When I probe a little further, the person clears their throat uncomfortably, and says, "Well... I didn't REALLY graduate...." If you are playing this game, thinking you are smart, you need to stop. Human resource people are all over this little tactic. Either you graduated or you took program coursework. It's just that black or white. And believe me, you'd rather hear it in this blog than not to hear that you didn't get the job for 'fibbing' or inaccurately portraying your credentials.

4) Don't fall into the educational credibility trap. Unless you are seeking employment in an educational or highly technical field which requires constant educational commitments, avoid needlessly listing scholarships, honors, GPAs and for pete's sake, what year you graduated. The harsh reality, unless you are pursuing the above-mentioned fields, is that employers only care about this: Did you graduate? Yes/No. They don't care about the other details. And by listing a lot of irrelevant information, you appear desperate to justify yourself. Sure, if you graduated Magna cum laude or similar, you can list this, but the rest of the info just isn't going to make or break you for the most part!

5) List EDUCATION later in your résumé. Résumé writers and school career centers have a running battle going on about where to list EDUCATION on a résumé, believe it or not. Schools (including colleges, universities and institutes) tell students to put EDUCATION right near the top of their résumé. But again, most employers put more weight on experience versus education. Professional résumé writers advocate listing this section later in the document because you need to address the employer's priorities first. My own humble opinion is that the school career centers are rather self-serving in that respect- OF COURSE they want the school front and center on that résumé! But is that what the employer really cares about? Not really- experience first, education second (except for educational/technical fields, of course).

6) To include or not to include unrelated educational experience? Good question. The key is to know your audience. If the target company culture values education and adult learning, listing unrelated educational background might make sense. Other times, job seekers are shifting fields, and their formal educational field is incongrous from their new career direction. It's acceptable to list just the degree (i.e. Bachelor of Science) only if the emphasis going to distract employers.

7) Spell it out! There's an alphabet soup out there of degree names, and you can't assume that your intended audience is fluent in the language of academia. Spell out (not abbreviate) every degree.

8) How MUCH education to list? Again, knowing your audience is important. There are lots of articles online that talk about 'dumbing' down your résumé, but the truth is, many employers are on a talent shopping spree. They are able to afford top industry talent they couldn't have just five years ago. Sure, there's the risk that you'll jump ship as soon as the economy improves, but if they can hire you now at the top of your game, they stand to benefit. So at least do some research on what the corporate culture is like to find out how you should approach listing your educational background.

Listing Education on a Résumé

So you've gone to the time, expense and effort to complete some aspect of formal education. Or maybe you started to work on this, but then inevitably, life happened... had to take a job to pay the bills, got married, had kids, moved, etc. etc. There's a universe of things that life can throw at you that can interrupt even the most well-intentioned plans for education.

There are some rules of thumb out there when listing education on a résumé which should be considered.

1. DON'T list the year you graduated. Unless you are in an education, government, scientific or highly technical field where having a date of graduation is essential, please don't broadcast how old you are by including this information. (Human resource managers do the math!) Sure, if you are an adult learner who just got done with a degree, it's new and important to you just like it is to a person fresh out of high school who immediately went to college. However, resist the temptation to perhaps look younger by listing the graduation date!

With the exception of the four fields mentioned above, the cold, hard truth about education is this:

Most employers really only care whether you graduated... Yes or No.

They don't care what your GPA was, how many times you made it to the Dean's list, what scholarships you landed, and sure, you can list that you graduated as magna cum laude or summa cum laude... but that often isn't a deciding factor as to whether or not to hire you- it just becomes distracting with all of the scholarships, awards, grade points, etc. Keep it clean and simple.

2. A common mistake recent graduates also make is that they want to list their education FRONT AND CENTER... naturally because this is generally the MOST IMPORTANT THING the person has ever done in their lives to date. However, most human resource managers are really probing for what kinds of experience that the person has, not their education. So the best advice is to put the education later in the résumé rather than near the beginning.

3. DO list all of your education. Some people in this economy are becoming sensitive about feeling 'over-qualified' or 'over-educated.' Think of it this way- employers are in the catbird seat right now... they can afford to hire workers that they couldn't dream of hiring just five years ago. So they are 'cherry-picking' the top candidates and if they can find a top leader in a field who is willing to come work for them, they'll gladly take them. Who wouldn't?

Additionally, if you didn't complete a degree, you can indicate: "Program coursework in: (area of study).

Give yourself credit for the time you've put into it, even if the end result isn't what you had hoped for. It shows initiative and a desire to improve your knowledge and skills.

I've had a few clients that I've worked with who had put down a degree name on their résumé, but it turned out that during our consultation, that, well, they never ever REALLY ended up finishing their degree.

This kind of misrepresentation is one of the oldest tricks in the job search book... if this sounds like you, it would be in your best interest to be as forthright as possible about your educational background. Human resource managers are well aware of this trick!!! Quite honestly, the EASIEST background check to do in the world is to verify whether a person graduated or not from a particular institution. Fudging it or trying to convey a different impression is a fast-track to the trashbin for your résumé.

So this is an 'either' or an 'or' situation.

EITHER you got the degree OR you took program coursework in a field.

If you are currently in progress, you can indicate:
Degree name (spelled out, please): area of study (anticipated completion date: ______)

As for the rest of your education, anything else that is not from a formal, accedited institution or career school falls into the 'professional development' category, and can include everything from industry certifications, workshops, trainings, continuing education units (CEUs), conferences, seminars, conventions and the like.

You'll want to call this specific section "Professional Development," which conveys to an employer that you are always actively taking steps to improve and hone your skills so you can do your job better.

Not working right now? Have some resources? Try keeping up on industry trends by registering for a class in your field through a trade association. It's a great way to keep your 'toe in the pool' and stay current.

Keeping your mind engaged while looking for employment is very important. Sometimes, being laid off is the very opportunity needed to open a new chapter for professional enhancement... there simply wasn't time for it previously. You never know where this can lead to! A recent client of mine spent the money to get certified with another industry credential. One of the requirements of the certification was to take an exam. When she showed up at the exam location, she found out that she was the only unemployed person there- everyone else was there through their company. The amazing thing was that she got three highly-qualified job leads by talking to the people there at the exam location... and she was so thrilled that the exam itself wasn't the highlight of the day!