| If you're a senior-level professional or manager, | | | | You may have attended hours of seminars, |
| you've probably worked your way up the | | | | leadership training sessions, and other professional |
| corporate ranks through demonstrated leadership, | | | | development endeavors. Now's the time to take |
| dedication, and proficiency. | | | | advantage of your participation. |
| At some point, you may find yourself wanting to | | | | Keep a complete list as fodder for an educational |
| transition upward in your career, and this can be | | | | section on your resume, thus avoiding any |
| where that nagging doubt sets in: you never | | | | temptation to simply skip this information. Adding |
| finished (or even started) college. | | | | this data can demonstrate not only a passion for |
| What if this holds you back? | | | | lifelong learning, but also a dedication to learning |
| In my work as a professional resume writer, it | | | | concepts that benefit employers. |
| amazes me how often this question comes up. It | | | | Mention partial degree programs and other studies. |
| seems that ascending professionals divided into | | | | College coursework, even if you did not finish a |
| two camps: those who fear what might happen | | | | degree program, still counts toward secondary |
| during the job search because their career took | | | | education requirements in the eyes of many hiring |
| off too quickly to attend to educational matters, | | | | managers. |
| and those without a degree who have ascended | | | | In fact, one of the key questions I always ask |
| the career ladder just the same. | | | | leadership professionals is whether they attended |
| If you aspire to the corner office, moving from | | | | college without graduating. Most employers |
| the first group into the second requires using | | | | understand that life happens, and that not |
| some key strategies to pique an employer's | | | | everyone finishes their degree programs. |
| interest. Consider these tips to present a | | | | Use every opportunity to your advantage! Don't |
| confident image, no matter what your educational | | | | forget to list college studies, including majors and |
| status: | | | | areas of concentration, on your resume. |
| Look at your career contributions with dollar signs. | | | | Showcase your personal brand and leadership |
| Employers are always interested in the bottom | | | | qualities. |
| line. Can you add to it, or control the expenses | | | | Everyone has unique strengths and capabilities to |
| affecting it? Then, by all means, get this | | | | offer their next employer. What are yours? Have |
| information onto your resume. | | | | you thought about the impact you have on the |
| Now, extracting this data can be a challenge, but | | | | company's business? |
| consider the payoff! A powerful leadership resume | | | | Ask yourself what pattern emerges when you |
| must practically shout this information in order to | | | | name personal qualities and traits that allow you |
| prove the strength of your performance. | | | | to succeed. Believe it or not, these are very |
| Ask yourself hard questions about the results of | | | | relevant to employers, and OFTEN stand out |
| your work, and then put figures to as much of it | | | | more during a job hunt than degrees do. |
| as possible. For example, when working with a | | | | Make a list of what you achieve that consistently |
| telecommunications executive lacking a degree, I | | | | affects revenue, the corporate reputation, or |
| discussed his leadership role in a reengineering | | | | efficiency, and then describe the steps you've |
| project. | | | | taken to attain these results. |
| Our analysis yielded sentences such as "Eliminated | | | | Ensure that this information takes center stage |
| $34M in rework and achieved 78+% ROI by | | | | on your resume, rather that just listing mundane |
| leading sales and service delivery teams to | | | | tasks and other details. |
| identify core revisions." Information such as this | | | | In summary, establishing a link between your |
| helped him quickly demonstrate fitness for a | | | | expertise and consistent corporate performance |
| leadership role, while minimizing questions on his | | | | is the fastest way to gain attention during your |
| educational status. | | | | job search. |
| Results such as these speak for themselves and | | | | And consider this: For every employer requiring a |
| can cut through any doubt about your | | | | degree, there are probably two others that will |
| abilities-degree or not. | | | | look at your "on-the-job education" as equivalent |
| Add professional training as proof of ongoing | | | | (and possibly even stronger) credentials. |
| development. | | | | |