Resume Education Section Writing Guide

Resume Education Section Writing Guide Resume Education Section GuideSeptember 23, 2019 By Mark Slack, CPRW How to write the education section of yur resume depends on your current life circumstances and past experience. Click the link below in the table of contents that best describes your situation.Build My Resume NowWhetzu sichbei youre a high-school or college student, a recent graduate, or a professional with several years of experience under your belt, read on to discover the most effective way of presenting your education section on your resume.Table of Contents (Select Your Education Level)High School StudentCollege Student/Recent GraduateWorking Professional1. High School Student Education SectionAs a high-school student, the education section is one of the most important things to put on a resume no matter how much work experience you have. The format and content of your resume depends on how much work experience you have and how active you are as a high-school student.Cl ick the link below that best describes your situationNo Work ExperienceSome Work ExperienceHigh School No Work ExperienceAre you a high schooler with no professional work experience? Dont worrythis resume example can help you write a strong education section that will land you more interviews. Check out how the candidate fills out their education section in this high-school resume exampleWhat this applicant didThe above resume depicts a high-school applicant who does not have work experience. In the education section, she lists herGPA (only do this if its above 3.0)Relevant coursework (courses that are pertinent to the specific position you are applying for)Honors/academic achievements Further down in her resume, she adds a section dedicated to her extracurricular activitiesLast, in lieu of a formal work experience section, she adds volunteer workWhat you can doWith no work experience, you should aim to write your resume in a similar format. Try to think of activities you participat e in, like school projects and clubs, volunteer work, or even athletics. You can list unterstellung in distinct sectionslike our example candidate doesor you can compile them under a major achievements section of your resume. This gives you more leeway to stretch your activities and projects to fill space in your resume. Your aim should be to present yourself as an active person who can be trusted to learn quickly and manage an entry-level job efficiently, so dig up whatever evidence you can to show that youre up to the task. TipWant to make your volunteer experience look professional? Learn how to do so with our guide to putting volunteer work on your resume.High School Some Work ExperienceAre you a high schooler with some work experience?Check out our babysitter resume sample for a great example of how to write an education section as a high-school student (or recent grad) with some work experienceWhat this applicant didNotice how this applicants education section is present but not particularly prominent. She lists the high school she attended, as well as a certificate received during her education, but leaves off her GPA because it is below 3.0. Because the applicant has actual work experience, she keeps the education section to a minimum and describe her work duties and achievements in detail.What you can doYou should aim to format your resume in the same manner. Your education section should briefly detail your academic activitiesincluding relevant clubs, athletics, theater, student government, or other projectsbecause they are important indicators of your personality and character.If you already have work experience as a high schooler, you should be proud of yourselfits an asset that will help you get entry-level jobs easily in the future.However, there are many rules to writing a work experience section, so be sure to read our guide on how to write an accomplishments oriented resume.2. College Student/Recent GraduateAs a college student or recent grad uate, your education section will likely be placed at the beginning of your resume, and details throughout your resume will reflect your skills and achievements as derived from your higher education. Beyond that, the length of your education section and what it includes will depend on the amount of work experience you have.Click the link that best describes your situationNo Work ExperienceSome Work ExperienceCollege StudentNo Work ExperienceAre you a college student with no work experience? Dont fret take a look at this college resume sample to see how they formatted their education sectionYou may be concerned that because you have no work experience, its impossible to make a one-page resume. This isnt true.As you can see from the example above, the candidate fills up over half the resume without any mention of work experience. She does, however, use the next section to detail relevant experience, in the same manner you would list professional experienceNotice how her first experien ce listed is a semester studying abroad. She even quantifies her achievements from this experience, giving any hiring manager a firm idea of how competent a candidate she is, given her communication skills, writing abilities, and adaptable nature. How you can also make a one-page resumeDo you also have experience from your university that has in some way prepared you for your target position? Feel free to move that experiencewhether its study abroad, a big project or report, volunteer work, campus clubs, or athleticsto a relevant experience or major achievements section of your resume, instead of listing it in your education section. This will fill up more space, and allow you to expand on what involvement you had in these activities, and how they make you the perfect candidate. TipIf you dont have a wealth of extracurricular activities or particularly relevant coursework to boast, you can start building your resume by volunteering in your local area.College StudentSome Work Experi enceAre you a college student with some work experience? We have several resumes on this site that reflect the experiences of college students and recent graduates. Click the example youre interested in to check out the downloadable template and writing guide.Entry-Level Janitor Open GalleryEntry-Level Nurse Open GalleryOffice Work Open GalleryNow, read the following explanation of the resume sample below to learn what you should and should not include in your own section.AEducation section This applicant kept her Education section to a minimum, because she already had some work experience. BWork Experience The work experience section trumps Education, because it lets employers know that youre already familiar with the pressures and expectations of the professional world. Real work experience is more valuable than the activities you may have managed in an academic setting, like clubs or events.CExtracurriculars While she emphasizes actual work experience, as this candidate is still a recent graduate, its acceptable to list relevant school activities. As she earns more professional experience, she should remove them.What you should doIf you have work experience, your resume should be formatted in the same way. Feel free to list your clubs and activities at your college, but emphasize your work experience. For you, writing a successful resume will come down to writing the strongest work experience section possible, and keeping the education section to the bare necessities. 3. Working Professional Education SectionFor a working professional, the education section is very straightforward. Mostly, the section exists as evidence that you have a degree of some sort. It should be placed less prominently than the professional experience section, and take up significantly less room. All working professionals should format their education section like thisInclude the followingName of schoolSchool locationType of degree/field of studyGraduation yearGPA (if above 3.5 /4.0)What if you recently went back to college?Working professionals who recently went back to school should put their education section at the top. Those who have not recently been back can keep it below the professional experience section.Resume Genius Resume BuilderResume Genius Resume Builder Tool makes it easy to format the education section, along with the other sections of your resume. You can use this guide to help you add content to your own section within the builder and make a powerful resume. Alternatively, we encourage you todownload our free resume templates and start writing a resume on your own. In addition, use ourprofessionally written resume samples to help guide you in the resume writing process and find some resume inspiration in your chosen field.