1. Developing Your Resume: The Education Section
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Developing Your Resume: The Education Section
A workshop brought to you by the Purdue University Writing Lab
Rationale: This workshop helps students make informed decisions about the content, organization, and design of the education section of their resumes. After reviewing how this section fits into to the overall resume, this workshop focuses on content possibilities. Comparing two samples, students learn what to include in a “bare bones” version and also what they may include if they wish to develop their education section with additional content. Students are encouraged to brainstorm content, experiment with organization and design, and work toward tailoring their section for their resume readers. The workshop concludes with suggestions for next steps to take.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click, unless otherwise noted in bold at the bottom of each notes page.
Writer and Designer: Bryan Kopp
Editor: Jennifer Liethen Kunka
Contributor: Muriel Harris
Developed with resources courtesy of the Purdue University Writing Lab
Grant funding courtesy of the Multimedia Instructional Development Center at Purdue University
© Copyright Purdue University, 2000.
© Copyright Purdue University, 2000
Purdue University Writing Lab
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

2. What is an education section?
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
What is an education section?
A section that emphasizes your educational background and formal training
Usually a major section for college students and recent graduates
Key Concepts: An education section highlights your relevant schooling and formal training. For students who have substantial work experience, this section may be very short, simply listing basic information about schools and degrees. Currently enrolled students and recent graduates, however, will probably want to put extra thought into this section.
Activity: Initiate discussion by asking the following questions before advancing to the next slide:
Why write a resume? What are your overall purposes?
How does the education section help achieve these overall purposes?
Rationale: Students will have a good idea of the “default” version of this section, which simply lists degree information. Subsequent slides will underscore how many content, organization, and design choices may be made when presenting educational experiences. The next slide identifies main purposes to consider when developing this section.
Click mouse to reveal each item.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

3. Purposes: to inform and persuade
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Purposes: to inform and persuade
Give information about your schooling and training
Persuade employers your educational background is relevant to the job, providing evidence of your qualifications
Help your resume stand out from others in the stack
Key Concept: No matter what one is writing, whether a resume, memo or essay, it helps to know one’s purposes. With resumes and education sections in particular, many have the impression the main idea is simply to report information. Although informing is a major purpose, students should remember they are trying to persuade prospective employers they are the right person for the job. Students may want to think about their resumes as arguments, which present evidence of qualifications rather than just lists of facts.
Rationale: Before examining the education section by itself, students are encouraged think about their overall purposes. The next slide discusses placement options.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

4. Where should you place this section?
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Where should you place this section?
Above or below your experience section?
It depends…
Which is stronger, your education or your work experience section?
How much relevant work experience do you have?
Place strongest, most relevant section closest to top of the page
Example: Imagine two different college students. Elizabeth is 19 years old and plans to be a computer programmer. She is applying for an internship in her field, but has no relevant work experience. In contrast, Leonard is a non-traditional student. He is pursuing a degree in aviation technology after working years as a supervisor and mechanic at an airport.
Activity: Discuss the example:
How may Elizabeth and Leonard’s education sections differ?
Should Leonard list his work experience or education first? Why?
Key Concept: Education sections, like experience sections, are usually placed in the middle of a resume, somewhere between the objective statement and the honors and activities section. Unless one is following a specific format, an education section may be placed near the top or bottom of the page. Because the eye is usually drawn to the top left part of the page first, students may want to place their strongest qualifications near the top.
If the educational background is the applicant’s strongest qualification or may help his or her resume “stand out” (e.g. if the applicant’s degree program has an especially good reputation), then the education section should be placed near the top. This section may be a major focus for recruiters if you are a recent graduate. On the other hand, if the experience section is stronger or more relevant, then the education section may be placed below it.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

5. The “bare bones” education section
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
The “bare bones” education section
Schools you have attended, including universities, community colleges, technical schools, etc.
Location of school(s)
Date of graduation, actual or anticipated
Degree(s) earned or pursued
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Activity: Ask participants to take out a piece of scratch paper and jot down all they can remember for each bulleted item listed on the slide. We will build on this basic information in the next slides. Alternatively, have students take out a draft of their resumes and put a checkmark next to each item.
Key Concept: Generally speaking, high school experience is not listed once one has entered a college degree program. For location, one need not list the school’s full address, only city and state. Dates of graduation may be either actual or expected. For degree and GPA information, it may be necessary to check school records for the exact name of your degree program and your GPA.
NOTE ON GPA: Some people choose to withhold their GPAs because they feel it is irrelevant or not high enough. If a company specifically requests your GPA, however, it is probably in your interest to provide it. In such cases, not including your GPA may, ironically, call attention to it.
Example: Recalling the scenario on the previous slide, we may reflect on who may most benefit from using the “bare bones” approach. Leonard, the non-traditional student with a lot of experience, may include only this basic information in his education section, saving space on his resume for developing his work experience. For Elizabeth, the student who is applying for an internship to gain relevant experience, this may be only the foundation for building her complete education section.
Rationale: The “bare bones” approach is illustrated with an example in the next slide.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

6. Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Are we done yet?
Education
B.A. in English
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Anticipated Graduation: December 2004
GPA: 3.4/4.0
Activity: Invite discussion with the following:
How may this sample be improved with additional content?
How may the visual design of this sample be improved?
Key Concept: Even those wishing to use the “bare bones” approach may have problems with this sample. Why? Primarily because it seems thin and poorly designed. The rest of the workshop will explore ways to develop this section.
Rationale: The next two slides will ask students to brainstorm ways to move beyond this sample. Some may in the end decide to use a minimal approach after all. To make an informed decision about whether or not the “bare bones” approach is best, though, it is necessary to explore other possibilities and then compare approaches.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

7. What else may be included?
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
What else may be included?
Extra information about your degree (major, minor or selective GPAs, funding sources, honors, etc.)—usually listed or included in parentheses
Specializations and special projects—usually listed or described briefly
Other relevant skills and training (relevant coursework, computer skills, language proficiency, certifications, licenses, etc.)—may be subsections or separate sections
Rationale: This slide presents an overview of other kinds of information that may be included in the education section. The next slide follows up on each of these three options with a set of questions for students to answer.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

8. Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Questions to answer
What courses have I taken that are related to my career goals?
With what computer programs am I most familiar?
What language proficiencies do I have?
Any certifications or licenses?
Do I have any on-the-job educational training such as in-house training programs?
What are my major and minor GPAs?
Any honors related to my degree?
How is my education funded?
What are my major(s) and minor(s)? What are my areas of emphasis, specialization, or concentration?
What special course or degree-related projects may be relevant?
Activity: Ask students to jot down whatever comes to mind for each of the questions that apply to them. Later, they will choose which of this information, if any, may work into their resumes. To answer these questions fully, they will need to do some outside research, checking transcripts and school records, for example. For today’s purposes, please have students make educated guesses when they cannot answer questions accurately.
Rationale: The next three slides encourage students to work through the writing process started here. After brainstorming, students should select content, develop an organizational plan, and finally design content on the page, always keeping their resume readers in mind.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

9. Selecting content for readers
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Selecting content for readers
Consider how much space you have on your resume
Read job ads closely
Circle all educational experiences that may prove relevant to the job
Select your most relevant educational experiences or those for which you have space
Key Concepts: How much students can put into their education section depends on how much room they have on the resume. Resumes are often most effective when they are a single page—and ideally that page should be neither too dense nor too sparse. If after developing other resume sections students still have a lot of white space on the page, then they may want to include as much as possible.
Nonetheless, to improve the effectiveness of their education section, students will want to know what content will be most valued by companies hiring in their fields. One can get a good sense for which educational qualifications are most relevant by analyzing job ads and company literature as part of one’s overall job search.
After doing some outside research, students may then go back over their brainstorming work and select for inclusion the educational experiences that seem most related to the job ads.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

10. Organizing content for readers
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Organizing content for readers
Organization depends on content selected and emphasis desired
Do you need sub-sections?
Do you need to develop content into separate sections?
List in chronological order or in order of importance
Key Concepts: Once one has made decisions about what to include in this section, one can begin thinking about organization. Simply stated, organization depends on how much you information an applicant has. Organization is not really an issue with the “bare bones” approach, but if one has more information, one will need to create sub-sections.
Sometimes students will have a great deal of information about relevant coursework or computer skills. In such cases, students will want to consider creating separate sections. Many decide to place computer skills, for example, in a section equal in size and emphasis to the ordinary education section. In other words, one may choose to have multiple education sections.
The other reason for using separate sections is emphasis. If the ability to speak Spanish fluently or the possession of teaching certification is an important qualification, students may want separate sections at the same level of organization as the education section, called “Language Proficiency” or “Certifications.”
Within sections and subsections, students will often use reverse chronological order (most recent first), but they may also organize by order of importance (most impressive first).
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

11. Designing content for readers
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Designing content for readers
Consider using…
Subheadings
Indenting
Columns/tables
Parentheses
Bulleted lists
Paragraphs
Match with rest of page
Key Concepts: On a resume, organization should be apparent to readers at a glance. Resume readers will probably not have time to figure out how information is put together. Thus, when one uses subsections, one should use descriptive subheadings to help readers find desired information. Subheadings are often highlighted or placed in different fonts.
Students may also use white space to separate different kinds of information. By indenting and using columns, writers can make their organization visible to readers. For content within subsections, students can use lists and perhaps place stray information in parentheses. If more extended lists or descriptions are necessary, then writers may need to use bullets or even paragraphs of text.
Whatever design decisions writers make for the education section(s), they will need to make sure their choices are visually consistent with other sections.
Rationale: The next slide gives a sample that uses some of the design and organization strategies discussed.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

12. Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
Are we done now?
Education
B.A. in Professional Writing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana,
May 2001 (Funded 100% of Schooling)
Concentration: Business and Technical Writing
Select Coursework: Computer-aided Publishing, Writing for the Computer Industry, Business Writing, Technical Writing, Advanced Professional Writing
Overall GPA: 3.4/ Major GPA: 3.7/4.0
Activity: Invite students to respond the the following:
Is this sample better than the previous one? Why or why not?
Key Concept:
This sample is more informative, better organized, and better designed, but we cannot know whether it is “better” or not without seeing the rest of the resume and learning more about this individual’s career goals. One must evaluate resume sections on a case by case basis. For this reason, students should seek feedback on their resume sections from professionals in their field, from peers, and of course from tutors in the Writing Lab.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

13. Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
What next?
After brainstorming, select content for relevance
Request transcripts to refresh memory and check for accuracy
Develop plan for organizing and designing
Integrate into rest of resume
Seek critical feedback, especially from professionals in your field
Key Concept: Writing a resume is an involved process—one doesn’t simply throw some words on the page. This workshop has helped participants generate some possible content, but such content needs to be double-checked for accuracy. We have shared strategies for deciding what to include and how to organize and design content, but such strategies must be coordinated with the rest of the resume. To help make these next steps, students should take advantage of campus resources, getting feedback from professors, advisors, peers and tutors in the Writing Lab.
Activity: As a final exercise, you may want students to write a paragraph in which they reflect upon their next steps in developing their education section.
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Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000

14. For More Help Developing Your Resume…
Developing Resume Sections
Purdue University writing Lab
For More Help Developing Your Resume…
Contact the Purdue University Writing Lab
Heavilon 226
Grammar Hotline: (765)
Check our web site:
brief questions:
Rationale: Although this workshop has offered general advice, students will probably have additional questions about developing their own resume sections. Purdue students are invited to meet with a tutor to assist with writing challenges on an individual basis. Viewers outside of Purdue may receive assistance through the OWL (Online Writing Lab) and answers to quick questions through the OWL service.
Create by Bryan M. Kopp, 2000