Demonstrating success during higher education can lead to future jobs, better-paying positions and an easier job search process. Despite job losses during the late 2000s, a college degree still shows you have the intelligence, dedication and panache to accomplish a long-term goal. Employers look for education as an ideal component on your resume.
Higher education often defines a person's personal brand early in his career, and it can set the tone for the rest of his professional life. How you address education on your resume is important, especially if you do not have a lot of space. Expand on your education with your cover letter, online presence and professional bios.
Once you graduate college, your high school education becomes less important, and you can leave high school off completely. Be clear and concise with respect to what occurred during your higher education years. Include the type of degree earned, majors, minors and specializations. Write the name of the institution and the date you graduated.
Include your GPA, honors received and any memberships in professional organizations. If you graduated with honors, or cum laude, write the exact verbiage from your transcript. Honorary and professional fraternal organizations are important; tout any leadership roles you held within these groups.
Higher education courses taken and projects completed should be relevant to the position at hand. While it is great you helped the Arbor Day Foundation plant 1,000 trees in 2003, perhaps it is better you competed in the national Students in Free Enterprise contest the following year just before you graduated. If you apply for a marketing job, include marketing courses in your educational expertise. Even better, contact your former professor and get a professional reference.
Internships and research as they relate to your field of expertise also show your future employer you think outside the box, take on extra duties and take the initiative to better your educational experience. Place these aspects in the "experience" section of a resume as opposed to education. The educational section should remain brief. Do not be afraid to expound on these things within a cover letter, LinkedIn profile or your professional website.
If you feel like changing careers after you earn an advanced degree, there are ways to appear less qualified for a position. Edit out your most advanced higher education degree from your resume and online profiles, while simultaneously removing fancy job titles that may seem like you are stepping down to a lower position. There is no shame in switching careers in mid-life, but do not outright lie about something on your resume with regards to your qualifications lest you self-sabotage your job search.
Ideally, your career goals should follow what you accomplished during your college years. When you passionately followed your dreams and earned your higher education degree, you told yourself this is the type of future career that makes you happy. Employers see degrees as committing to principles over a long-term project to see it to its completion. As such, you earn future rewards for your hard work.
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