Recently I was involved in a
discussion with my peers regarding the Education section on a resume. The
question posed lead to some interesting points presented by those involved.
However the discussion never lead to a firm conclusion or if there was even a
firm conclusion to be made. Curious to see if there was some sort of rule of
thumb or general consensus to be had I wanted to explore this further. I didn't
however expect that there was necessarily a wrong or right to the question. I
felt that researching this further could provide some useful advice and/or
direction to candidates as they look at their own Education section of their
resume. Of course this certainly does not apply to everyone but I’m certain
pretty much everyone knows someone who is does apply to and you never know when
you might even be asked this question as a friend or co-worker seeks your
advice.
So I contacted 20 accomplished
Human Resources professionals that I know and asked them the question:
“If a person attended one or two
colleges before attending at the one from which they obtained their
undergraduate degree, do they include those colleges on their resume? Or do
they only include the one in which they actually obtained their undergraduate
degree from?”
The responses first confirmed that
indeed there is no wrong or right. In addition there seems to be no real rule
of thumb or general consensus. The responses varied and really seem to be a
matter of opinion over anything else. Overall there looks to be a slight edge
to only listing the final school in which the person obtained their
undergraduate degree. However it can also depend and here are some interesting
thoughts that should be considered when an individual creates this section of
their resume.
- Sometimes listing all
colleges attended can catch the eye of a fellow alumni of a particular
school and create interest. (Within my company we actually see this quite
frequently. There seems to be a stronger bias in certain areas of the
country such as the deep south. Hiring managers specifically look for
alumni from their alma mater.)
- If it could benefit you
by listing the other college(s) then by all means list it.
- If the candidate took
courses at one college that are directly related to the position they are
applying for then they should include it.
- Another reason for
listing all the colleges is that one college may be more prestige and the
candidate would like a future employer to know that they attended that
college for a period of time.
It was pointed out by all however
that all colleges attended must be included on the application. Background
checks typically only include graduation date, major and degree obtained.
In summary, look at your resume as
a strategic marketing tool. With that in mind, if it will benefit you to
include all schools attended, then include them. If it does not benefit and
could perhaps even place you in an unfavorable light by creating questions,
then do not include.
Some other pieces of advice that
came out of my research regarding the Education section of your resume….
Typically put Advanced Degrees
first:
Usually, you should lay down your
educational background by listing the most recent or advanced degree first,
working in reverse chronological order. But there are exceptions. If you earned
a degree in agriculture, but are now working in the field of marketing.
If you more recently completed coursework specific to social media or digital
marketing, list that first to catch the reviewer’s attention.
Attended but did not complete
Degree? Mention it anyway:
It is completely acceptable to
list completed coursework List it something like this:
Master of Business Administration
degree candidate
Anticipated completion June 2015
Drake University, Des Moines, IA
OR;
20 credits earned at Drake
University towards undergraduate degree
List Honors, Not GPA:
If you graduated from college with
high honors, make note of it. While you don’t need to list your GPA (especially
if it’s under 3.0 or if you’ve been out of school for more than three years),
show the summa cum laude status or the fact that you were in the honors
college at your university.
Position it strategically:
Most people list educational
background at the end of the resume, which is perfectly fine. However, if you have a degree
from a prestigious university or one that may serve as an advantage
for the types of positions you’re pursuing, consider listing your education at
the beginning of your resume instead.
