When it comes to preparing resumes for job applications, everyone wants to prepare the perfect one. There are so many rules, and most times, it gets pretty difficult to know which ones to follow. What should or shouldn’t be included in your resume? Should you put your high school on your resume? Should you put references on your resume? These are just a few questions that people tend to ask.
In this article, we will answer one of these questions. If you have been asking questions like, should I include my high school education on my resume, this article will provide an answer to that. We will also show you how to correctly add it to your resume in a way that doesn’t affect the brevity and organization of the CV.
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First things first, should you put high school on resume? To put it simply. Yes, there are instances where putting it on your resume is a good idea. In fact, it might even be compulsory in some cases. However, there are also times when you don’t have to put it on the CV at all.
Typically, if your high school education is the highest education you have, then it should definitely go on your resume. The same applies if you’re a college student or a fresh graduate with limited work experience to put on your CV.
For situations where your high school certificate is the highest level of education you have attained, adding it to your resume will give you an advantage. When examining resumes, hiring managers want to pick the best candidates for an open position. Someone with a high school certificate listed may stand a better chance of being invited to an interview than someone that doesn’t. Thus, showing this on your resume may sometimes make it more appealing to anyone checking it.
In the second instance, adding your education history and performance to your resume is an effective way to cover up your lack of experience and showcase your knowledge, skills, and achievement to the hiring manager.
If you have any form of higher education that is higher than your high school certification, then you can just put the college or university history instead.
Now that we have established that putting your high school education on your resume is not a bad idea, How do you include high school on resume the right way? What are the things to keep in mind when you do this, and what are the errors to avoid?
To start with, you’re expected to write the name of the school, where it is located, and the year of graduation. The example below shows what it should look like:
West Linn High School, West Linn, OR
Graduated in 2018
Notice that there was no mention of a diploma in the example above. Unlike college, receiving a diploma is the norm. So if you graduated, it’s safe to assume that you have a diploma, and there’s no reason to repeat it on your resume.
You might be wondering, Should I include my high school education on my resume if I didn’t graduate? The answer to this question is yes. You may still include it on your resume even if you didn’t graduate. However, it will look a little different.
West Linn High School, West Linn, OR
Attended 2017-2019
If you do not have a high school diploma, there’s no need to say that you did. In fact, it’s not a good idea to do this since most recruiters will do a background check to verify your educational background.
Another thing that prospective employers may ask for during background checks is a list of references. We have an article that answers the question of “how many references should you have on a resume?” that you’ll find helpful.
Since you’re adding your high school history to your CV, you might be wondering if you should indicate your GPA or not. Adding your high school resume isn’t always necessary. As a general rule, you should only include it if the GPA is really high and impressive (at least 3.5).
If your GPA isn’t up to 3.5 or you’re already a University student with a GPA that you can list in your CV, there’s no need to add it to your education history. Also, if the work experience section of your CV is robust enough, adding your high school GPA isn’t necessary.
The main advantage of adding your GPA, especially if it is good enough, is that it shows the hiring manager that you’re brilliant and hardworking. These are desirable traits in a potential employee, and they might make you stand out from others. If the GPA is below 3.5, simply leave it off the resume and just indicate your high school alone.
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Here’s an example you can follow if you’re adding GPA:
West Linn High School, West Linn, OR
Graduated 2018
GPA 3.8
With or without a great GPA, another unique way you can make this section of your resume stand out is by providing some additional details about your education that will show off your accomplishments. Some of the common accomplishments that could fit in include:
You may also include any leadership roles you occupied while in school. For instance, if you were the captain of the football team or if you led the debate club or swimming team, it could really spice up this section of your resume. You could also add the details of any interesting project you completed during your high school study especially if it is relevant to the role you’re applying to.
If you can think of any of the courses that you did that might be related to the position, you can add them to your resume as well. You can include just the name of the course or add the final grade you got if it is excellent.
If you add these last two sections, the high school section of your resume may look something like this:
West Linn High School, West Linn, OR
GPA 3.8
Notable achievements: Placed on the honor roll every year, Top fundraiser for the school’s charity organization, Student Body President,
Relevant courses: Ethics in Nonprofits
People often wonder if there are other forms of educational achievements that go on your CV. For instance, if you took courses on an online learning platform like Udemy, can you put Udemy on resume? We have an article that talks all about this and how to go about it.
It should appear in the education section of your CV. This section usually comes after your job experience and must be labeled with a clear header.
If you graduated college or you’re currently in college or any other higher institution of learning, it should be placed above the high school history. In fact, having a college degree is enough reason to leave your high school education off your resume in the first place. If you’re still in school, you can leave the high school records.
However, you should indicate that you’re a college student and add information such as your current classes, projects, and accomplishments to make your CV stand out.
Adding your high school to your resume is not merely a placeholder. Most hiring managers will try to confirm the information you have included as part of the background check for the role. In some cases, you may add a short description to clarify any potentially confusing detail.
For instance, if your high school specializes in performing arts, you can add a short description that explains this to the hiring manager.
Yes, it makes sense to include high school education on your resume in certain circumstances. It’s a great way to make your resume stand out in situations where a high school diploma is your highest educational achievement.
Also, if you don’t have enough work experience to include in your resume, the extra information included in this section may help the hiring manager form an impressive impression of who you are. And you can consider hiring one of these experts to assist you with writing your resume.
Yes, if the job requires a minimum of a high school diploma and that’s all you have, it’s okay to add it. In such cases, the applicant tracking system may be set up to look for high school education on your resume, and not adding it may hurt your chances of getting hired.
This part of your education history may also help convince the hiring manager that you’re the right fit for the role and score you an interview. Additional details like your GPA, personal achievements, and relevant courses will provide details about you that show your work ethic, dedication, and other positive qualities that might impress the hiring manager.
So should I remove the high school from resume? We have an article that talks all about this and what you should do if you have your high school on your CV already.
by Alina Burakova 
October 29, 2024
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