Daily Archives: January 30, 2015

Can I Create a Resume If I Dropped Out Of College?

Posted: January 30, 2015 at 4:43 pm

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How to find a job as a college dropoutIt’s a fact: not everyone is cut out for college life, for one reason or another, and this might lead to someone dropping out before finishing a degree program. For those who have dropped out of college, there is nothing holding you back from being successful in the business world or from creating a resume. Just because you dropped out of school, it does not mean you have nothing else to put on a resume. It also doesn’t mean you will look “bad” to potential hiring managers.

Here, we will discuss different ways to craft a resume if you dropped out of college or just haven’t yet completed your intended degree.

Focus on Professional Experience

An excellent way to craft a resume if you dropped out of college is to focus on the professional experience you have gained over the years. No matter when you dropped out of college, it can be daunting to find a job, but it does not have to be impossible. Make sure your resume focuses on your work history because many employers today want employees who have held important positions that came with top requirements.

Use a Functional Resume Format

If you do not have a strong professional background to focus on in the resume, consider using a functional resume format. With the functional resume format, you will be able to lessen the blow of not having a college degree. Begin the resume by focusing on a set of skills you have along with any other types of qualifications or certifications you have earned during your career. Also highlight accomplishments from those areas. If you want to include an education section on your resume, you can put it at the very end of the document so the employer focuses less on it. In the section, list the school attended, the years attended and the number of credits earned towards the degree.

List Other Forms of Education

When a company asks for your resume to highlight your education, but you do not have a college degree, you can highlight other forms of education on the resume. Seminars, training courses, workshops and other programs can all be considered forms of education. List all of these items on your resume with the dates of the events and what the events taught. Make sure you also include the name of the courses, where they were taken and any sponsors of the course.

Highlight Education In-Progress

Maybe you are currently working towards finishing your college degree from five or ten years ago, but need to write a resume right now. There is nothing wrong with putting a section for education that is in-progress on your resume. Name the school you are attending, the classes you are taking and the anticipated date of earning your degree.
There is nothing stopping you from applying for jobs even though you do not have a college degree. Success will come based on how you write the resume. Use the tips outlined in this post and your resume should shine.