Does your education appear front and center on your resume?

That may not be the best location.

At graduation, students are encouraged to put their education first on their resumes – and that’s good advice.  Education is a new graduate’s strongest asset. 

If you have experience, it’s a different story.  Throughout your career, you’ve developed more assets – skills, accomplishment, capabilities.  Education may no longer be your biggest strength.  It could even be a liability. When that happens - education does not belong at the top of your resume!

Put your Education Where it Best Supports Your Case

Emphasize a strong Education Section by locating it in the top half of your resume’s first page. Putting your Education above the fold gets it noticed by HR and hiring managers. 

Put the Education Section FIRST when:

• Your education is a major strength to your potential employer
• Your education is not a primary strength, but has a major advantage, such as its reputation, location or  personal connection
• There is a very strict educational requirement for minimal consideration

De-emphasize education by locating it at the end of your resume.  The reader will have had the chance to form a positive opinion of you from reading the previous resume sections before getting to a potentially weaker section.

Put the Education Section LAST when:

• Other sections of your resume are stronger
• Your education is significantly out of date
• Your education is considerably under- or over-qualified for the industry norm
• Your education is conspicuously unrelated to the job opening
• Your education could raise negatives or tangled issues

Every job opportunity is different.  Before sending in your usual resume, consider the hiring manager’s priorities for education and how your strengths measure up.  Put your education section in the strongest spot for a more powerful resume and better results.