A bachelor’s degree has long been considered a way to get ahead in the workforce. Still, many Americans eventually forgo higher education (though, not always by choice). In 2021, 27.9% of adults aged 25 and over have a high school degree as their highest level of education, according to the Census Bureau. Nearly 15% have completed some college but no degree.
These days, when it comes to getting hired, that’s probably not a detractor. “We’re seeing a big increase in the share of job listings that don’t require a college degree,” said Sinem Buber, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. IBM is eliminating the bachelor’s degree requirement for more than half of US job openings by 2021, for example, focusing on relevant skills rather than education when it comes to some of their technology roles. Accenture recently did the same.
However, if you are a job seeker without a college education, how do you format your resume to ensure you are considered by hiring managers? This is what experts recommend.
Focus on professional development and credentials
If you have received a certificate or have had some sort of training relevant to the job you are looking for, instead of an education section, consider adding a training or credentials section.
People who add such sections can “talk about some of the professional development they’ve done or any certifications they may have earned during their career,” says Yolanda Owens, career expert at The Muse. “That will suffice as a substitute” for the education part.
If you have completed some college credits but haven’t earned a degree, you can keep the education section at the bottom of your resume. “Write down the schools you attended, the years you attended, or how many credit hours you completed,” says Owens. “That way they can tell you had a college education.”
Many people build soft skills like written and verbal communication during their degree, and showing that you’ve done some of that training can prove to an employer that you earned it too.
‘It’s fine for you to remove it’
If you’ve been in the job market a long time and you’re applying for jobs that are directly relevant to the experience you’ve gained, you may be able to drop your education section altogether.
When it comes to what recruiters see in terms of your resume, what they’re asking is, “what things have you done in your professional career that aligns well with the job I’m currently hiring for?” says Phoebe Gavin, career and leadership coach. What responsibilities have you had at work, what have you accomplished and contributed to the team before, and so on. That’s all for your experience part.
The education section tends to appear at the end of a resume. “Bottom of the first page, bottom of the second page, this is not a place where recruiters spend a lot of mental energy,” he says. “So it’s fine for you to drop that and not have any part of education if you don’t have a degree.”
One thing to avoid: Don’t include an education section that only has a high school diploma.
“It draws attention to the fact that you don’t have a degree and it raises questions that really shouldn’t be asked,” says Gavin. “If you’re applying for a job that you can do, then there’s no reason for us to create additional barriers for you. You can ignore it altogether.”
Check:
How to properly format your resume, according to experts: ‘The standard template is 3 sections’
3 strategies for writing a resume that ‘immediately impresses’ any hiring manager, according to hiring experts
Don’t forget this key part of your resume—it’s your first chance to impress the hiring manager
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