Page 170 - Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Resume

12 0028633946 CH10 12/21/99 11:56 AM Page 152

Part 2 ➤ Six Steps to a Perfect Resume

Let’s look at how to present each one of these situations.

Hot College Degrees
Perhaps the most common listing for the Education section on a
resume is a college degree. (Don’t let the lack of a college degree stop
Career Casualty you from applying for a job that requires one; life experience often
grabs an employer’s attention and lands the applicant a job!) Let’s
If you don’t have a college
begin by talking about degrees and related information. If you have
degree, don’t let that discourage
one or more college degrees, keep the following points in mind:
you from applying for jobs that
require one. If you have the right ➤ State where each degree (graduate and undergraduate) was
life experience and you present received. You don’t have to list all the different schools you
it effectively in your resume, you attended leading up to achieving your degree, just list the one
might very well win a chance at
where you obtained your degree.
the job.
➤ Dates are optional. They sometimes indicate how old you are
and how current your knowledge is, so be conscious of that
when you decide whether to include dates.
➤ Majors, minors, theses, dissertations, internships, projects,
papers, and coursework should be listed only if they are relevant
to your job objective.
➤ You can spell out a degree (for example, Bachelor of Arts) or use
the representative letters (BA or B.A.).
Job-Hunt Hint
Phillip Reikels listed his Education section near the top of his resume
If you’ve earned a graduate
(following) because his degrees are so important to his Job Objective.
degree and are applying for an
academic or scientific position,
you probably want to create a Getting Credit for Your Pending Degree
curriculum vitae. Turn to
Chapter 15, “When You Really If you are currently in a relevant educational or training program but
Are a Brain Surgeon: The have not yet finished, list the program and name of the institution you
Curriculum Vitae,” to learn the are attending, followed by the date you intend to finish or one of the
ins and outs of writing a CV, following phrases:
including how to create your
➤ Currently enrolled
Education section.
➤ Anticipated completion: Spring 2001
➤ In progress
➤ Six months completed

Robyn Jones’s resume demonstrates this point.

152