Comments on: Leave the Irrelevant Degree Off Your Resume

By: lynne

lynne — Fri, 06 May 2011 05:36:33 +0000

I think its fine if you also attach a (well written) cover letter explaining how the degree will help you in this new role or why you changed your mind.

By: sandrar

sandrar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:01:42 +0000

Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. Cheers! Sandra. R.

By: terrence

terrence — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:51:56 +0000

Very insightful comment. Care to tell me where I’m wrong?

And thanks for the including ‘$’ signs in your comment. Not sure if that was meant to be derogatory or not but it wasn’t to me. If money isn’t important to you best of luck, but always find it funny when people deride the dollar when it is a store of value, and simply is a method by which humans are able to trade their work.

By: graduate degree

graduate degree — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:01:56 +0000

I think you are an a$$.

By: terrence

terrence — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:16:38 +0000

Like I said, I agree you need to put the degree on your resume if you have a gap you can’t otherwise explain. But this is only important if the gap exists recently. I honestly only look at the last job or two on a resume anyway, so I might not even notice a gap that exists further away.

The reason I emphasize the bad answer portion of this is because you can literally lose a job on one bad answer. In fact, I bet you that happens more often than not. There just aren’t many “good” answers to the question of why you don’t use the degree and so you are opening yourself up to questions that could easily lose you the job.

By: Jo

Jo — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:27:03 +0000

I don’t think you can avoid putting your advanced degree on your resume if you got it while studying full time and not working. There will be a gap on your resume, which you will have to explain unless you list the fact that you were in school.
If I was an interviewer, I would have no problem with an employee with an advanced degree not directly related to my business or field. Just as long as that person knows that their compensation will not be based on that degree. I consider experience in the field more important than advanced degrees. But I won’t discredit someone even for a “bad answer” since like someone else mentioned, knowledge is power. You never know, that person just might find a way to relate that degree to benefit your company down the line in ways you can’t imagine…the surprise principle.

By: John

John — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:31:00 +0000

If you’re adding an irrelevant degree as a conversation starter (like a hobby or foreign languages you speak), then I would advise leaving the degree off. You’re going to have to justify why you didn’t pursue a career related to that degree, which often times is not easy in itself. What can you say but, “It wasn’t what I thought it would be” or “It wasn’t a match for me”. After saying one of those two things, does that conversation make you look any more qualified for the job you’re seeking? No! Did it make you look worse? Maybe. The point is if you’re starting a conversation that won’t put you in a better position for the job, why bring it up and risk causing the interviewer to be indifferent or dislike you?

By: Kirah

Kirah — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:04:03 +0000

If you’re applying for manager or project manager position, listing soft sciences degree (like behavioral therapy, sociology, education, etc.) can help you reach to that level, especially if you’ve never managed people before. You can at least show the interviewer that you have had training on how to develop or support people.

Bottom line: A degree could be relevant if it can use it as training for a crucial skill for the job you’re seeking.

By: Rick Brewster

Rick Brewster — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:46:31 +0000

I think you’re grossly overestimating the “irrelevancy” of an unrelated degree or experience. Diversity extends past making sure your org chart isn’t all male / white / Indian / whatever. Having diverse education and experiences should also be seen as an asset. Someone with a random sociology degree may have some insights when it comes to certain areas of designing or marketing.

A lot of people still don’t know what they want to do even when they graduate, so they do a master’s. Nothing wrong with that. Some of the more interesting people out there never really figure it out.

By: bluestreak

bluestreak — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:26:12 +0000

You can put the irrelevant degree down, if you know for sure that the interviewer can relate. For instance, you know the interviewer has the same degree. You could use your degree as a talking point to build a quick rapport with the interviewer.