Here's exactly how to write your education and training on your resumé, in three steps!  This section can also be called education and professional development. 

1. Select which education and training entries to write

You don't have to put all your five degrees on a resumé, especially if you are applying for an entry-level job.  It can make you look overqualified and the employer will think they cannot afford you.  

On the other hand, if you lack in this section, include your high school diploma or G.E.D.  You don't need to declare dates for these, only for post-secondary education.  You may also include key courses (one-off or in a program) you have under your belt. 

Consider including your licenses and certifications as well, especially when relevant to a job posting. 

2. Write the heading of the education/training entry

Head up the education/training entry.  This includes your program title, then the institution.  Identify the city/town and province/state/territory of the institution.  Then include the completion date (month and year).  If not completed, write the start month and year to the estimated month and year of completion.  

If you discontinued the program, you can include the start (month and year) and end (month and year), or only the end (month and year) and mention how much you have completed in semesters, years, or credits. 

Here are examples of headings for education entries in bold (headings for training entries follow).  Remember, no dates are required for high school diplomas or G.E.Ds. 

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Example one:

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G.E.D, Calgary Centre for Adult Learning (Calgary AB)

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Example two:

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Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry, University of the West Indies (Kingston, Jamaica), Oct 2016

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Example three:

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Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, University of Massachusetts (Amherst MA), Nov 2020 to Jan 2022

• Completed two years in the program. 

Here are examples of headings training or professional development entries in bold.

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Example four:

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Driver's License Class D and Z for air-brake trucks (Ontario), April 2013 to Present

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Example five:

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First-Aid AED/CPR Class C, St. John's Ambulance (Toronto ON), April 2022 valid to April 2024

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Example three:

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Red Seal Carpentry/Framing Certification, Sept 2008

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Example six:

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CNA (Certified Nursing Practice), Ontario, Sept 2015

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Example seven:

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Design and Sewing Certificate (Albion Community College), York ON, Sept 2015

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Notice that if a license or certification does not have an expiry date, there is no need to mention two dates. Mention which province/state/territory it covers.  Your degree or diploma you completed to help you achieve it should also be mentioned under education.

3. Detail the education/training entry

You may want to detail your education and training entries as they may win points with the employer according to what they're asking for.  Detailing your degree might involve mentioning your capstone project or including key courses in the program.  You can even detail one-off courses by including key topics you covered or mentioning what you achieve by the end of them. 

If you discontinued a program, a bullet stating how much of the program you have completed (years, semesters, or credits) can work as a detail. 

Some licenses or certifications only need a heading and don't need to be detailed, so they're sufficient as one-liners. However, detail them if they include a specialty. 

Here are examples of detailing education entries in bold.

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Example one:

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Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, University of Massachusetts (Amherst MA), Nov 2020 to Oct 2022

• Completed two years in the program (including toxicology labs and client needs assessment in triage). 

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Example two:

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Electrician Pre-Apprenticeship Diploma, Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency (Halifax NS), Jan 2011

• Capstone project included upgrading a residence's electrical box and breakers and was approved by an electrician.

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Example three:

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Design and Sewing Certificate (Albion Community College), York ON, Sept 2015

• Three-credit course.  Produced design details and completed pieces (business blouse, skirt, and blazer). 

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And there you have it - that is how you cover your education and training on your resumé.

You might think that by writing your education and training like this, you can talk about them more confidently in your interview.  That's correct. 

Here's a recap so you can go ahead and make your resumé work better for you.

Summary

Here's how to write your resumé's ducation and training section in three steps:

1. Select which education and training entries to write: Select which programs, key one-off courses, and licenses and certifications are relevant for the job.
2. Write the heading of the education/training entry: Head up the education/training entry so it has the program title, institution, the city/town and province/state/territory, then the date (month and year).
   
3. Detail the education/training entry: Provide a bullet or two to detail the entry to catch the employer's attention, e.g., mention your capstone project or key courses in a program.  For a one-off course, mention what you achieved by the end of it. 
   

Notes

This article contains no text pictures to ensure that every word can be read aloud by a text-to-speech application. And was tested using Google Chrome’s “Read Aloud” add-on.

Bio

Tiffany Persaud is a freelance writer and resumé writer who has helped dozens of people find jobs they like during the pandemic and coming out of it. Enjoy her collection of articles for job seekers and more!

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