Page 178 - Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Resume

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Part 2 ➤ Six Steps to a Perfect Resume

The Not-So-New High School Diploma

If you received your high school diploma more than two years ago and
have no additional schooling, you do not need to have an Education
section on your resume unless the job you are applying for specifically
asks for a high school diploma. If it does, put “Graduate” or “Diplo-
ma,” followed by the name of your high school. State your graduation
Career Casualty date only if it doesn’t blow your cover with regard to your age (as
If you’re tempted to lie about a explained in Chapter 8, “Step Three: Been There, Done That”). If you
degree or certification, resist! have a high school diploma but no formal higher education, one
Getting caught in a lie could put option is to create a section titled Professional Development. In this
your job in the can. section, you can list any training, workshops, seminars, or classes you
have attended. Another option is to simply omit the Education section
on your resume. Rose Manson didn’t put an Education section on her
resume (following) because she didn’t have a college degree, her high
school graduation was many years ago, and her professional experience is all that she needs
to qualify for her objective.

Bonus Check

Presenting your material so that it looks appropriate for the company and position you’re
applying for is one way of telling the reader that you understand the industry and will fit
in. For instance, Frank Jordan’s resume is a very simple one-pager that makes him look
like a straightforward, easy-to-approach guy. That’s appropriate for his job objective (bus
driver).

Bonus Check
If you don’t have any formal higher education, consider having a section called Training or
Professional Development, where you list relevant workshops, seminars, and classes.

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