Education is often one of the key areas of your resume that prospective employees will review when considering you for a role. College experience (if you have it) is necessary to detail on your resume, but how long ago you finished college will dictate where you place it. It is also important to determine what specific parts of your educational background or credentials you should highlight that could potentially set you apart from other job candidates. Keep in mind the following areas when you are crafting your resume:
It’s important to first clearly list your degree, major, institution, location, and date of graduation. You don’t need to list your GPA, but if you’re a recent grad, you may be asked to list it on an application.
It is not always important to list individual coursework or courses taken, but if a particular course or certification is listed as a requirement or need in the job description you are applying for, it would be beneficial to have this course or certification listed under your general college information. This portion of the resume is probably the shortest and could easily be kept between 15 – 30 words. Again – this is relevant if you’re a recent graduate and you’re applying for your first post-college job.
When listing college extracurricular activities in a resume it’s important to focus on those that show leadership qualities, team coordination/building experience or skills that directly or indirectly relate to the job description.
If you had jobs or internships in college they should be listed in brief chronologically or only listed if they are relevant to the job description. Any leadership roles or skills acquired during those internships should also be included.
Keep in mind these above recommendations during your resume building and remember that when you get an interview, be prepared to discuss the qualifications you listed in your resume. You may be asked to give additional detail or explain any or all of the courses, internships or experiences you listed and you should always be prepared to share more information with your interviewer.
If you’d like some help streamlining your resume to maximize results in your job searches, please get in touch.