Resume

The 2nd category in your resume ... ?

EDUCATION CATEGORY: Keep in mind, the placement of this category (i.e. 2nd) may depend on the specific job for which you are applying. If, your education is just as important, to this job, as your professional experience, and if your EDUCATION category is impressive, place the EDUCATION category before the Professional Experience category.

• If you are a recent graduate, or about to graduate, place the EDUCATION category 2nd, before the professional experience category.
• If it's a toss-up, and you will have a full two-page resume, put the EDUCATION category 2nd, on the first page, before the professional experience category.

In today's business world, most of the time, education is a factor. So, we might as well put EDUCATION right up front, quickly available, immediately following your Qualifications category, or whatever you labeled your first category.

If you are applying for a job in construction, mechanics, HVAC, et al, the employer may be more interested in results / experience, so EDUCATION and TRAINING may fit more comfortably after your Professional Experience category.

DEGREES should be listed first and in CAPITAL LETTERS, followed by your major:, minor:, or concentration. Year of graduation and the institution come next underlined and the city, state in which they are located.

EXCEPTION: the year of graduation is optional and would be best omitted, in some cases, if age discrimination could be a factor. You have many more productive years and extensive expertise to share. Don't assume the risk of being rejected because of your graduation date. Leave the date out and when you get in for the interview - dazzle them with your footwork. Seriously, most people do not look their age and when face-to-face with an interviewer you can sell your skills, experience, expertise and make them see the asset you will be to their organization.

Begin with your most recent DEGREE and work back chronologically. If you are in the midst of obtaining another DEGREE, put this first and begin this statement with either 'Candidate for' or 'Pursuing'. Do not abbreviate states unless spacing is a problem.

ALSO: if you happen to have graduated from a Pennsylvania, California, Washington school, you don't have to spell the name out each time. After the initial spelling you can use PA, CA, WA.

Do not list High School unless it is noted for its scholarship and / or national standing, or unless you are applying to a local organization that uses a lot of this High School's graduates because they are known to be successful, reliable, motivated, etc. Or unless a High School Diploma is all you have.

Under each college experience you will want to list Internships, Practicums, or Student Teaching experience and / or relevant courses. ALSO list activities and honors / awards - if they are noteworthy.

Following your college experience, you will want to list continuing education courses, seminars, workshops, independent courses you may have taken through your employer or pertinent courses you took on your own to sharpen / improve your professional abilities. If you have a Certificate for any of these courses, mention the Certificate and by whom it was issued.

Following are a few examples of the EDUCATION category:

• MBA, concentration in International Finance, 1995, from George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia.
• BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE in Communications, 1993, from Towson State University, Towson, Maryland. Professional Coursework included: Group Dynamics; Public Relations and Principles of Advertising.
• CERTIFICATE, Personnel Management / Motivation, 1996, from the American Business Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Additional Courses - Work Training - Conferences: Business Law; Psychology of Verbal Communications.

Another example:

• DUKE UNIVERSITY, Durham, North Carolina, 2002. Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, concentration: Civil Engineering.
• Relevant Courses: Bidding and Estimating; Pre-engineered Building Design; Project Management.
• Activities: Captain Varsity Football Team. Junior Class President.
• HONORS: Deans List - Junior and Senior years.
• Maintained 3.25 GPA. Personally financed 75% of my college education.

Another example:

• A.A. DEGREE in Business Administration; minor in Marketing, 2005, from the Community College of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland.
• CERTIFICATE for completion of Computer Concepts Course, 2007, IBM School, Boca Raton, Florida.
• CERTIFICATE for Supervisory Development Program, 2006, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
• Numerous in-house seminars and workshops.

As mentioned above, if you are in the process of acquiring a Degree, you have two ways to present this information:

• Pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French, from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.
• Completed 48 credits.

The above example (Pursuing) is best for those who have completed less than half of the necessary degree credits. The following category is best utilized by those who have completed more than half of their degree requirements.

• CANDIDATE for a Masters in Community Planning, from the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, Catonsville, Maryland.
• INTERNSHIP: Greater Homewood Association as Coordinator - Directed Human Services Program for diversified social / economic groups.

There are times when you may completely omit the EDUCATION category. If you have had several years of successful professional experience (whether self-employed or not), if your Professional Experience category will be strong and show outstanding accomplishments, if you do not have a High School Diploma ... omit the EDUCATION category entirely. Remember, you will want to do a super job with the Professional Experience category, in these cases. We'll go there next.