Should You List Education as a Job to Fill a Resume Gap?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether to list education as a job on a resume to address a gap in employment history. Participants explore the implications of presenting educational experiences in relation to previous job history and how it may affect perceptions during the job application process.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern that listing school at the top of the resume may draw attention away from previous jobs and suggest inexperience in the field.
  • Another participant suggests that education should be included in the resume with dates, but acknowledges the concern about the visibility of the employment gap.
  • A participant proposes that stating "I was attending school full-time" could be an adequate response to inquiries about the gap during an interview.
  • Some participants advocate for honesty in presenting the timeline, suggesting that the education section can be formatted to clarify the gap without emphasizing it negatively.
  • There is a suggestion that resumes do not necessarily need to follow a chronological format and could instead prioritize relevance to the job being applied for.
  • One participant notes that if relevant work was done while attending school, it should be included to fill the gap, while unrelated jobs might only need a brief mention.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on how to handle gaps in employment history related to education. There is no consensus on a single best approach, as opinions vary on the importance of chronological order versus relevance in resume formatting.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various strategies for presenting educational experiences and employment gaps, but the discussion remains open-ended regarding the most effective method. There are also assumptions about the expectations of potential employers that are not universally agreed upon.

Who May Find This Useful

Job seekers, particularly those returning to education or experiencing gaps in employment, may find the discussion relevant to their resume-building strategies.

oneamp
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I went back to school and so I have a gap between now and my last job. It's a 3 year gap. Should I do anything about it, like put school as one of my 'jobs' in the list to close up that gap? I fear that putting school at the top of the resume will call attention away from my jobs that I worked before it and make me look like I'm new to the field.

Thanks
 
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Don't you put information about your education somewhere in the resume, together with dates?
 
Borek said:
Don't you put information about your education somewhere in the resume, together with dates?


Yes. My concern is that the employment section is at the top, and the date gap is the first thing they see.
 
If I saw that, I would ask you about it in an interview. "I was attending school full-time" would be an adequate answer.
 
Just put it in chronological order and be honest about what you did and why
 
oneamp said:
Yes. My concern is that the employment section is at the top, and the date gap is the first thing they see.

Then don't put a gap in the employment section. Simply say from "X-X attended school at ..., details below in th Education section."
 
Maybe resumes don't need to be chronological? I know they often are (that's how I do mine, too), but it seems to me the resume could be organized differently -- say, to show the things most important for the job you're trying to get at the top. Just a thought, I'm no expert on resumes.
 
oneamp said:
Yes. My concern is that the employment section is at the top, and the date gap is the first thing they see.
Yeah, we'll see it. But as Ben Espen noted, we should also see that you went back to college, filling in that gap. It's not something to worry about.

If you worked while going to college on a job related to your career goal, you should have that in your resume (filling in the gap). But now when I get down to the education section I'll see that there is no gap in the employment section. Curious! I'm going ask you about that when I interview you.

If you worked part time on jobs completely unrelated to your career goal, a one liner that fills in the gap will suffice. There's no point in touting your experience as a short-order cook other than maybe a one-liner: "Miscellaneous jobs while going back to school." BTW, I'm still going to ask about that when I interview you.
 
Thank you
 

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