Written by Nick Thompson, our VP of Recruiting for hi-tech industries for over 15 years. He has seen hundreds of thousands of resumes. Here are his thoughts…
Where should I position my education on my resume?
Honestly, I do not have strong feelings about this particular topic.
If you have credentials that are exactly in line with the role you are applying for, feel free to put them at the top of the resume under your summary. It can gain attention immediately from a reader to see the specific educational background they are looking for. As we always say; the purpose of a resume is to get the company to want to talk to you, and just a few lines into your resume, I am already feeling very positive! (For new grads, keep the education near the top, and do not forget to list your gpa)
That being said, I feel like the ‘normal’ placement of below your work experiences is completely fine. Even if you have the ‘right’ education, it is a nice capper after seeing all the right experiences.
Putting the education at the bottom also mitigates things if you do not have the exact education for the particular role. It allows the reader to see you fit the role from all those years of experience, and it is less likely to matter that your English Literature degree from 1998 is not a sexy additive for your business development experience.
Pro Tip: DO NOT lie about your education on your resume. It will most likely come out down the road. Even if it would not have mattered at the beginning of the process, the appearance of being deceitful can turn off any employer immediately.
Side Note: If you do not have a completed degree, or in process of doing so: list out the program and school and note how many credits you have achieved, or possibly a completion date. Sometimes listing specific courses is acceptable as well. If you do not have any education beyond high school, you can also list certifications or other things that you have picked up over the years.