Resume Help: Are You Sure about How to Present Your Education?
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Education is an important qualification on the resume. Therefore, it is important to present your education in the proper format and in a position to balance your education and experience. Today’s example resume could be improved by changing the location of the education and editing the actual content in the education category.
1.) Move the Education Section
This candidate completed her degree six years ago. She has more than six years of professional experience. Therefore, her education should be placed after her professional experience on her resume. Her degree may be a qualification for the job and validate her as a strong candidate. However, her recent experience in her target industry is more relevant at this stage.
2.) Use the Actual Name of the Degree
Surprisingly, many graduates don’t know (or accurately present) the name of their degree. Some even misspell a degree name. In this case, we verified the degree with the college. Today’s candidate earned a Master of Business Administration degree but presented it otherwise. There was no named major. In other words, the major field of study is implied in the degree name. The lesson to learn is that if you are unsure of your degree name, check with your college or take a look at your diploma.
3.) How & When to Display Graduation Dates
It is appropriate for a recent graduate to display the year of graduation. The words, “Class of ___” are not necessary or appropriate. Simply place the year after the degree name, separated by a comma or enclosed in parentheses. The reason is it necessary for recent grads is to justify the lack of professional experience. However, established professionals do not need to show the year. More mature candidates should avoid the date entirely. This is common practice.
If you are unclear about how to present your education, contact me. I would be happy to assist you with your resume’s education section or any aspect of your career documents. To read additional resume writing tips, check out these blog entries.