Wondering how to swing my progress in school on my resume/cover letter.

July 8, 2009 8:38 AM

Wondering how to swing my progress in school on my resume/cover letter.

I've been working on my BS in computer science slowly over the last several years. I am now done with the computer science part and have a handful of general electives I need to take to finish my degree, which will be next year if all goes as planned.

I was laid off recently and I'm looking for a job. A lot of jobs I want do, and are qualified for, are looking for a BS in computer science. While I do not have it technically, I have completed all the computer science education associated with it. Currently on my resume, I just list the degree with in progress to be complete in 2010.

I wonder if I should note that the CS part is complete on my resume and/or cover letter, and if so, what is the best way to do it.

posted by disaster77 to education (6 answers total)

When I was very close to finishing my MBA (nights) I would put expected graduation date on my resume and in the cover letter say something like course work complete - pending thesis (or some such)

Anyway really the place for this would be the cover letter, more then the resume. The downside of this is that some HR systems don't carry cover letters with them so YMMV
posted by bitdamaged at 8:53 AM on July 8, 2009

You can put like this in your coverletter: My experience and education in Computer Science makes me an excellent candidate for this position. I have completed all of the coursework required for my major with a GPA of [ ] and expect to graduate in 2010.
posted by Pineapplicious at 8:55 AM on July 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh for CS stuff too, usually these resumes have some sort of "Expertise" section where you put your familarity levels with particular languages/OSs/Software etc. This might be a good place to put what you've learned in school. (Generally don't fudge in this section, when I was hiring software engineers if you said you we're expert in Java and Algorithms we'd make you prove it)
posted by bitdamaged at 8:56 AM on July 8, 2009

I have a section on my resume for "Relevant Coursework," where I put any specific classes and their descriptions that I feel are important.
posted by kidsleepy at 11:06 AM on July 8, 2009

I posted this AskMe question a little while ago. I came from the social sciences, so there are some obvious differences, but I got some great advice and landed a job shortly thereafter. Thanks MeFites!

On the cover letter, I just stated what stage of the process I was in. Something like, "I will be submitting my thesis within the next few weeks, thus completing the requirements for my MA in basket weaving."
posted by futureisunwritten at 11:18 AM on July 8, 2009

Personally I'd leave it off the cover letter.

Mention in your resume's educational qualifications section that that your expected date of graduation is 2010. If they're interested, they'll call you to clarify and you can explain directly in-person.
posted by the_ancient_mariner at 1:08 PM on July 8, 2009