Resume Help Needed- I didn't go to college

March 29, 2018 12:00 PM

How do I have a captivating resume without any college experience? I'm 42 years old and have worked in middle management and as a corporate trainer. I won't be deceptive on a resume, my integrity is important to me. I need a resume that can get me in the door without that gaping education gap.

I've been in the workforce for 20 years, and in that time have been a people manager, process manager and a corporate training. I started from working in the mailroom of a company and worked my way up to management. Then I took a training position and have decided after much deliberation to start looking for other employment.

Once in the door, I can easily tell my story and present well. It's getting in the door which is tough. I would never misrepresent myself on an application, and I'm coming to you for ideas on how to make my resume sparkle and get me in front of a recruiter or hiring manager. I didn't see this on a search of previous askmetas

Bonus points to any recruiters or executive level managers who have tips for battling the college driven.

And I know how important higher education is. I missed an opportunity to do it and now have so much on my plate that I can't manage to do it.... plus I want a job now.

Thank you in advance for your kindness.

posted by Draccy to Work & Money (9 answers total)

You're a mid-career professional with literally decades of experience. Your education is not front and center on your resume, right? So, I'd be inclined to leave Education off completely and replace it with a Certifications or Professional Development section. And I would be inclined to stuff it with some certifications as fast as possible. If you don't have any, or don't have any from the past 5 years, you could get your CTDP almost immediately.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:16 PM on March 29, 2018 [4 favorites]

Yeah, just leave the education section off. I think you have an amazing story, and you should be using your resume to tell that story. Obviously you know how to get things done and accomplish a lot, so your resume should reflect that. As a hiring manager, I really like resumes that show both responsibilities and accomplishments.

FYI, if I saw a resume for someone who had accomplished all you had but left education off, I would be really intrigued, and would want to interview you if your expertise matched my needs. If we got to the interview and it came out you hadn't been to college but worked your way up from the mailroom ... I'd want you on my team. And I am someone with multiple degrees. Obviously, there are a lot of hiring managers out there who are into credentialism, but for the right hiring manager, It's a badge of honor.
posted by lunasol at 12:27 PM on March 29, 2018

Once someone is a few years into their career, most people don't even look at the education section. I literally wouldn't notice if it wasn't there on someone with at least a few relevant jobs listed. Agree with just leave it off. There are positions (especially at larger companies) that have dumb requirements for education, but even then they almost always have "or equivalent experience". Nthing just don't bring it up and leave it off your resume entirely.

Has this been an issue that you've run into? How has that manifested?
posted by brainmouse at 12:34 PM on March 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I promise that even the most finicky, credentialist hiring manager is not expecting you to include a section that says "DIDN'T GO TO COLLEGE". You're using words like deceptive and misrepresent but I think everyone understands that the idea of the resume is to present the picture of a person who could fit in the role. Can you produce a true resume that plausibly does that? Great! I work at a place where someone was justifiably fired for resume fraud after serving for years in a top position, because they claimed to have a PhD but did not. Falsifying experience, titles, or degrees is right out, sure, but presenting yourself in the best light is not deceptive.
posted by wnissen at 12:35 PM on March 29, 2018 [5 favorites]

I have post-graduate education and my resume only includes Education at the very end in two lines. I've had many people tell me to just leave it off entirely because it's not relevant for someone who's already been working for decades, and the only reason I leave it on is because dammit that shit was expensive!
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:43 PM on March 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I sort of think it might benefit you to put some certification or coursework in a section. I have a few people in my team who have some college - it's unclear from their resumes how much and I think a lot of people leave off dates now because it can reveal age for people on a traditional college right after high school track.

But having something there kind can get you in the door for non-invested screeners who might be looking for college.
posted by vunder at 12:53 PM on March 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

Be a little careful about certifications. Relevant, useful certifications absolutely. Even MOOCs that applied to your field. But personally I would be much more skeptical of someone with that CTDP (which I have never heard of before right now) on their resume than someone with no Education section at all.
posted by brainmouse at 12:58 PM on March 29, 2018 [5 favorites]

Just be prepared to not make it past the automated resume screening, if the job specifically requires a degree of some sort, and they require you to submit your resume electronically. The software will be looking for the edu data and, when it can’t find it on your resume, it might be rejected without a human ever seeing it.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:25 PM on March 29, 2018 [8 favorites]

If you went to college, even if you didn't graduate, include it if you need to. If you only went for a year (and it's obvious from the dates that you couldn't have graduated), just include your "leaving" date:

St. Ratsburg College (1989-1992)
or
Saltpeter State University (1991)
posted by tapir-whorf at 1:33 PM on March 29, 2018