Every student knows their SATs will be here one day and in most cases, just the thought of it can make them feel uncomfortable. It takes dedication, skill, and knowledge to pass these tests. Fortunately, all of these are qualities that employers look for in employees. Thus, if you are looking for a job or…
College students usually have major and minor study areas they focus on. Minor courses are a set of courses a student offers to study to complement or enhance the value of their major courses. When listing your courses on your resume, it is important to know how to include a minor on a resume. It is also essential to do it so that the recruiters can identify your major and differentiate the two.
This article will discuss how to list minor on resume, how to add a minor to your resume, the frequently asked questions about the subject matter, and if the minors should be listed at all, among other items.
Should I Put My Minor on My Resume?
Yes, you should include it in your CV if you perceive that it would increase your chances of getting the job. The decision to include this has become a bone of contention for some persons.
The decision to include your minor in resume will depend on the relevance of the information to the job being applied for and the value it adds to the company being applied to. If it adds no value or is not relevant, then it can be left out.
It is similar to putting your fraternity or sorority on the resume. Want to learn more about it? Check our blog.
Is it Important to List a Minor Degree on Resume?
It is vital that a student or graduate lists their minors on their CV for several reasons. If you are creating or drafting a resume of a student who just graduated or has very little or no work experience, the educational section must be very detailed. This is the area recruiters need to see the most, seeing as the applicant has not garnered any work experience or little work experience.
A person must know how to include minor on resume. The education section of the resume gives the potential employer an insight into the educational competence and intelligence of the candidate.
It will also inform their decision and contribute to the factors they need to consider before deciding to offer you the job or not. The more relevant and resourceful data your resume has, the better and stronger your chances of getting the job. Hence, it is very important to learn how to list minors on resume or to put a GRE score on the resume.
There are instances where the candidate may not need to include as much information in the education section of their section. This is when they have adequate experience in their work industry. But the inclusion of your minor in your resume may be necessary if the subject areas are relevant to the job position you are applying for.
“Teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror and not run from what I see, I have a chance to gain self-knowledge, and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject. In fact, knowing my students and my subject depends heavily on self-knowledge.” – Parker J. Palmer
How to Write Minor on Resume?
There are some steps you must follow strictly if you need to learn how to put a minor on a resume. These steps give you an insight into how to add minor to resume without making it look unorganized.
- Determine if you need to include your minor on your resume or not: this is the first step.
You must evaluate the position you are applying for and determine if the inclusion of this phenomenon will be relevant to the job. You want to ensure that your resume is as precise and detailed as possible. You do not want to overload your potential employer with unnecessary information or data. You should only include details and information that adds value to the application.
Hence, the need to only include your minor if it is proven to be relevant to the position you are applying for. Also, do not forget about putting your GPA on the resume. Should you do it? Learn more here. Spoiler, if your GPA is lower than 3.4, then you should not list it on your resume.
- Create an education section on your CV if you have not:
If you have not added an education section to your resume already, you should. It is one of the information a potential employer needs to see when reading your resume. After doing this, ensure that your education section has the name and location of your institution. Then the start dates, finish dates, the degree type, your major and minor areas of study.
You should also include your GPA, relevant coursework, activities, wards, or honors awarded during the course of your program. This section should come before your work experience if you have any. This is the second step on how to list minors on a resume
- Choose where to list your minor in the education section on your resume:
Any decision to be made is to decide where you want your course of lesser focus to be in your resume. There are several options available regarding this. You can decide to list your minor on the same line as your degree type and major.
You can achieve this by using a comma to separate the two from one another. You can also list your minor separately from the major by listing one under the other. Major should come first, preferably.
- Proper Formatting:
You must ensure that the right formatting protocol is observed when listing minor on resume. The format on your doc must be constant. The font type, size, colors, and other formatting elements must be consistent all through the resume. The inconsistent format may make your work look unorganized and unappealing to read.
You can achieve this in your resume using these formats:
Instance 1:
Harvard University
Cambridge, MS, 2016-2020
Bachelor of Science in Biology, Minor in Psychology
Instance 2:
Harvard University
Cambridge, MS, 2016-2020
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Minor in Psychology
Where to Put Minor on Resume?
Putting minor on resume is not hard. You can put your minors in your education section in your resume as indicated above.
Key Take-Aways
The key takeaways from this article are:
- Your minor can be listed on your resume, but this depends on the job you are applying for
- Your resume is not rigid. It can be edited and modified to fit the job position you are applying for.
- You can decide to include or exclude your course of lesser focus from your resume depending on the circumstances. If adding it is in your favor, then do so. If not, do not.
FAQs
Does Listing a Minor Hurt Your Chances?
There are pros and cons to having a minor. Your minor complements your major, allows you to explore other areas, and gives you points for effort recognition. However, the cons of having a minor are that it requires more money and distracts you from your major classes.
One cannot expressly say that listing a minor on a resume would hurt your chances of getting a job. This is left to the discretion of the employer.
However, many employers perceive having a lesser course of study to be a plus rather than a minus. Hence, the need to know when and how to put a minor on resume.
Should I Always List my Minor in my Resume?
You may find yourself asking questions like, ‘do you put your minor on a resume’. No, you should not always indicate this in your resumes. You should not because your minor may not always be relevant to all the jobs you apply for.
You should ensure to read the job description you are applying for, consider including additional information in your education section and consider other places you can list your major and minor before listing it in your CV.
This would make listing minors on resume easy. But if you are still not sure about your CV, cover letter or LinkedIn profile, hire an assistant from one of the best resume writing services. Where to find them? Check our list.
“It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought of as a fool than to talk and remove all doubt of it” – Maurice Switzer.
If you are unsure about your course specifications, and qualifications, you can visit the academic bureau of your school to determine your minor. You can also know how to put minors on resume by evaluating what area is your major focus of study. Your majors are selected to complement and prepare you for your chosen career. This helps you with the differentiation.
Conclusion
Your minor is a small area of focus that enhances the value of your major. An applicant must know when to include or exclude their minor from their resume to get the maximum outcome from potential employers. Drawing conclusions from this article, it is safe to establish the fact that all graduates must know how to put minor on resume.
Featured Photo by Lewis Keegan on Unsplash
Relevant articles
Let’s face it, your chances of landing your dream job are much dependent on how you present your resume to your potential employer. You need to get it right if you want to be considered for the job. All your qualifications need to be added neatly to make your resume stand out among the rest….
One of the hardest periods a teenager could experience is probably his or her high school life. When you have to start thinking about your future – what course you want to take, where you want to study, and what your career plans would be ten to twenty years from now. But to get into…