Making the most of your qualifications and
training on your CV*
The more work experience you have, the lower down
the Qualifications and Training section will
come in your CV. This could explain why many people
feel this section should be little more than a list.
The truth is that these details add value to your
CV, but only if you tailor the information
appropriately.
We will now look at a variety of educational
backgrounds. Whichever you fall into, you need to
order your qualifications and training in reverse
chronological order, including:
-
The schools, colleges and universities you
attended.
-
The qualifications you've gained and the
dates you attained them.
-
Subjects you've trained in and level of
achievement.
-
Professional memberships.
If you left school at 16 or 18 years,
include details of all examinations that you took
and passed. List them in order of grades achieved.
If your grades weren't that great, leave them out
rather than risk damaging the impression the
employer is building up of you. Never include exams
that you failed, as these can be checked up on at a
later date.
If you've completed a degree, and passed
it, there's no need to include details of exams
taken at 16 or 18 years of age. The degree
qualification supersedes these on your CV.
If you've a postgraduate qualification,
include your graduate and postgraduate
qualifications. Don't include earlier exams. If you
did a postgraduate research qualification, or
studied in a subject relevant to your work area, it
might be worth adding a line or two about your
specific line of interest.
If you're in the middle of a qualification,
such as an Open University or part-time degree,
include all the details above, but replace the dates
with a word such as 'current' or 'ongoing'. Position
this at the top of the list.
If you're a recent graduate, there's no
need to include details of exams you took previously
at the age of 16 or 18 years. If you're looking for
your first job, or first job on your career path (as
opposed to vacation or temporary work), it can be
worth including some more details of your study if
they're relevant to the work you're seeking. So, you
could include a list of the units you took, or a
line or two about a research project you
individually selected and fulfilled.
If you failed a qualification, it's still
worth including a line about the degree even if you
didn't complete it. This explains what you were
during that time period. So simply include the
institution and title of the degree, together with
dates you started and finished studying. You can
write something along the lines of "Studied towards
… " This shows that you were accepted onto the
programme, even if you didn't complete. But be
prepared to explain the reasons for this if asked at
an interview.
Professional qualifications come under the
same section, yet should be divided from academic
qualifications by a line break. Include any
qualification that you had to gain by examination,
such as a Certificate. Also list membership of
professional associations if you had to sit an
examination to join.
Professional training should also be
separated from the above by a line break. If you've
had to complete a lot of seminar days in similar
areas, don't list them all, but mention the area
you've trained in - ie, first aid, health and safety
regulations. If the training has been presented by a
widely recognised body, do mention this. |
