Put Your Education to Work

Whether you're a Harvard-educated MBA or recently obtained your Degree, you can use your resume's education section to outshine your competition. If you are unsure about the best way to present your education, here are some common scenarios and strategies:

Where to Place Education?

The best placement depends on what you are trying to emphasize.

· Place experience before education if you have five or more years of experience related to your goal. Hiring managers will be more interested in your job accomplishments than your education.

· Place education before experience if you are a recent graduate or have less than five years of work experience. If you are changing careers and have continued your education to support your new goal, education should come first. Academic and scientific professionals typically place education before experience on their CVs.

On your r resume, better to place your education after experience. If you need to highlight educational credentials, use the "Objective" section as a career summary and mention your relevant education and training both here and in the designated "Education" section.

Honors

Include academic honors to show you excelled in your program. New Grads

Students and Freshers with little related work experience may use the education section as the centerpiece of their resumes, showcasing academic achievements, extracurricular activities, special projects and related courses. For example

College Of Engg. JNTU -- Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

BA in Communications, concentration in advertising, anticipated graduation December 2001

Senior Project: Currently completing mock advertising campaign for Coca-Cola (billboard/print/TV/radio ads, direct-mail campaign and press releases).

Related Coursework: Advertising, Advertising Writing, Direct Mail and Telemarketing, Media Plans in Advertising, Marketing and Advertising, Public Relations, Broadcasting

Degree Incomplete

If you abandoned an educational program, list the number of credits completed or the type of study undertaken.

Experienced Job Seekers

If you are focusing more on experience than education, list the basic facts regarding your degree, including institution name, location, degree, major and date

Educational Credentials Lacking?

Some job seekers are concerned that their educations don't measure up to HR requirements. If you don't have a degree but have been participating in ongoing training, list your related courses, seminars, conferences and training in the Education section (create a list called "Professional Development"). Your training might be so impressive that a lack of a formal degree is overlooked. For example:

Professional Development Highlights:

· Product Launch in a Global Marketplace

· E-Commerce Solutions

· Selling the Dotcom Vision

· Increasing Sales Through Relationship Selling

Professional Management Program