College Degree or Not?

Too often I’ve reviewed resumes where people list colleges they’ve attended, the dates, and the areas of study. But the degree isn’t listed. I don’t know if these candidates are trying to imply a degree was earned. But I’d say it is in the candidate's best interest to list hour taken so the reviewer can get an idea of where this candidate was in the college process. I think it works against the candidate to fail to identify that a degree was earned, but also fails to list the hours completed. It is more complete to list it all, and it separates this candidate from the others that don’t provide the information.


I’m certainly not suggesting a degree guarantees success. It’s just that many employers require it, or commensurate work experience. And for that reason, be as thorough as possible. And if you don’t have a degree, be very specific about the nature of your work experiences. Employers love to read examples of work product to they can visualize how it may translate into the job.