Partial education on resume? Current, not old.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified)
in
Career Management

I am taking 2 current programs. Do I put either of these on my resume, or leave them off?

  • An industry specific 10 course program that culminates in a designation, it is usually 2-4 years to complete.  I have 9 of 10 courses, and started 2 years ago.
  • Bachelor of Commerce - started 2 years ago and am 30% done. I started this later in life and have been taking the classes in the evenings.

I have them listed at the bottom of my career document as seen below; something tells me I should just leave them off the resume, as a wise man once said "until you got something you got nothing".

  • Insurance Institute of Canada, CIP Courses Completed.
  • Athabasca University, enrolled in B.Comm program.
Submitted by Rich Ruh on Tuesday February 1st, 2011 10:49 am

Absolutely leave them on.
It shows that you are actively improving your skills and your career. 

Submitted by Mark Horstman on Wednesday February 2nd, 2011 10:30 pm

Yes, you can take credit for things you've done.  And you can indicate education that you are working on.  But there are limits.
I would NOT list either item the way you are doing so. 
First, the Insurance thing is just an accomplishment that gets listed under the job you were in when you achived it.  It is NOT university level education, for which resumes reserve special treatment.  It is industry specific training. List it, but not at the bottom.  Recruiters won't like that.
Second, you can't list the B.Comm program when you're only 30% complete.  Frankly, if you put down "enrolled", there will be a slight negative - happens all the time that people enroll in one class with no intention of finishing so they can say they enrolled.  Sorry about that, but there it is.
So, the generally accepted practice is you put down undergrad work if you are over 50% complete, and you list it not as % complete but rather with an estimated completion date.  At 30%, the estimation of a future degree granting is not firm enough to warrant the line.
And remember, this isn't that big of a deal.  The resume is supposed to get you an interview.  You're not going to get an interview at 30% if they want a degree.  3)% says I'm trying, you should like that I'm working at it.  That's a good thing...and it's not a degree.
Mark

Submitted by Tim Rhodes on Thursday February 3rd, 2011 2:33 am

Thank you both. I will move the certificate program up to my current job, which I agree is a better place for it. As I move through the technical roles in the industry to management/leadership roles, technical training will be most relevant to this time in my current position.
I am going to take the B.Comm off entirely for now, until I feel my completion year is firmly within 2 years. I am still moving internally within my company and it will be at least 2 jumps before it will really be looked at as a 'must have' to move further. In the meantime, I will let my achievements speak on their own merit.
Tim
 

Submitted by Mark Horstman on Thursday February 3rd, 2011 8:55 am

Start doing it right now, it will be easier to keep it ready.
Mark