Tailoring Your Education Section For A Specific Role

80% of hiring managers are more likely to review a resume if it includes keywords from the job description.

For most job seekers, the education section is an afterthought. It’s treated like a dusty old trophy on a shelf—you put it there once, and then you never touch it again. You list your degree, your university, the year you graduated, and you move on.

But what if that dusty trophy was actually a powerful tool you weren't using?

While your work experience is the star of the show, your education section is a critical supporting actor. And depending on the role you’re playing, you can change its costume, its position on the stage, and even its lines to make your whole performance stronger. Ignoring it is like ignoring a secret weapon in your job search arsenal.

It's all about strategic placement

The first way you tailor this section is by deciding where it goes. There’s no single right answer—it depends on your career stage.

• Put it at the TOP if:

  • You're a recent graduate. Your degree is your most significant and relevant qualification. Lead with it.

  • You're a student. Your current academic work is your primary experience.

  • You just earned a new, highly relevant degree. If you're a career changer who just got an MBA to move into management, that degree is big news. Put it front and center.

• Put it at the BOTTOM if:

  • You have more than a few years of professional experience. In this case, your work history is far more important. Let your achievements speak for themselves and place your education at the end as a final qualifying point.

Go beyond the basics: add relevant details

This is where the real tailoring happens. You can add specific details to your education entry to make it resonate with a specific job description.

• Add relevant coursework: This is a game-changer for recent grads or career changers. Scan the job description for key skills. Did you take classes on those exact topics? List them.

  • For a marketing role: Relevant Coursework: Digital Marketing Analytics, Consumer Behavior, SEO/SEM Strategy.

  • For a software role: Relevant Coursework: Data Structures & Algorithms, Database Design, Artificial Intelligence.

• Showcase academic projects: Did you complete a major project, thesis, or capstone that acts as work experience? Describe it briefly.

  • Senior capstone project: Developed a comprehensive marketing plan for a local non-profit, resulting in a 15% increase in online donations.

• Highlight a high GPA (selectively): If your GPA was 3.5 or higher, feel free to include it, especially if you're early in your career. If it wasn't, just leave it off. It’s that simple.

Knowing when to add and subtract

The art of tailoring is knowing what to include and what to leave out. Does this specific job value academic projects? Is listing coursework for this role seen as professional or amateur? It can be confusing to know how to adjust the dial for every different application.

It's easy to either over-share irrelevant details or miss a golden opportunity to connect your education directly to the job's needs.

Your personal academic advisor

Wouldn't it be great to have an advisor who could look at a job description and tell you exactly how to position your education for it? That’s what the TailorMyResume app does.

Our app analyzes the role you're applying for and helps you decide where to place your education section. It identifies keywords from the job ad that might match coursework you've taken, prompting you to include relevant details that will catch a recruiter's eye. It takes the guesswork out of customizing what most people think is an unchangeable part of their resume.

Stop treating your education like a dusty trophy. It's time to polish it up and put it to work.

Ready to unlock the hidden power of your education section? Download TailorMyResume from the App Store and make every part of your resume work for you.