In the article on resume writing it suggests highlighting your school qualifications first. I've heard other views that say put your work experience first. If it's been 13 years since you graduated from university is it really wise to highlight that first? Even though I have a relevant bachelors' degree my temptation is always to put my work experience first since it is more up-to-date as far as my knowledge base is concerned.
Thoughts?
The recruiters I have worked with have asked me to put Education at the end. They feel once you are 2-3 years out of University your work experience is what matters most.
One caveat may be for professional development courses. For instance, I am currently enrolled in a BA Certificate program. It's buried at the back right now, so I'm trying to decide if and how I can bring that up.
Richie,
Different articles say different things and many of these articles are written by HR people who scan resumes to pass along to hiring managers. They tend to have only one perspective and be a little out of touch with the needs of hiring managers.
My personal experience as a hiring manager is usually just junior analysts should place their education up front. Candidates with more senior level experience certainly shouldn't waste valuable resume real estate by putting their education first.
Now if you have many years of experience in another field and you are trying to switch career paths, then it can make sense to move your education to the top IF it is relevant to the position you are seeking.
Makes sense, thanks.
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