Latest / The Resume Room with Fexingo: Resume Writing, Cover Letters, and Application Strategy / How to Explain a Return to School on Your Resume
Transcript
- Lucas: Let's say you're 38 years old, you've been a marketing director for six years, and you just finished an Executive MBA from a top program. You're proud of it. You want it to open doors. But when you put it at the top of your resume — right under your name — recruiters look at you and see 'student' before they see 'leader.' That's the problem we're tackling today. Luna: So the conventional advice — lead with your highest degree — actually hurts experienced candidates? Lucas: It absolutely can, especially when the degree is recent and your work history is more relevant. I've seen it happen with mid-career professionals who go back for an MBA, a master's in data science, even a certificate in project management. They list education first because they think it's the shiny new credential. But recruiters spend about six seconds scanning a resume. If the first thing they see is 'University of Whatever, 2024,' they mentally file you as a recent grad. Luna: Right — so you're competing with 22-year-olds for a senior role. That's not the frame you want. Lucas: Exactly. So the first rule is: for mid-career resumes, the professional experience section stays above education. The degree is an asset, not your identity. Now, there are two exceptions. One: if you're making a hard pivot into a completely new field where the degree is the only relevant credential you have. Two: if your most recent job was a decade ago and the degree is your most recent activity. But for most people, the work section stays on top. Luna: What about the graduation year? I've heard conflicting advice on whether to include it. Lucas: Good question. If your degree is from 2025 or 2026 — which it could be, given we're mid-2026 — including the year signals to a recruiter that this is brand new. If you're worried about age bias, leave the year off. It's optional on resumes. I usually recommend including it if the degree adds a clear, recent skill set that's relevant to the job. But if you're 50 and worried about being seen as overqualified or too old, drop the year. Luna: I think the year omission works better for executive programs and certificates than for traditional degrees. If you have a PhD from 1995, omitting the year just looks suspicious. Lucas: That's a fair point. For a PhD or a long-established degree, the year is expected. But for a mid-career return to school, you have more flexibility. Let me give you a concrete example. I worked with a client — 42 years old, spent 18 years in operations management, no college degree. He completed an associate's degree in logistics at night school last December. On his old resume, he had it at the top. We moved it below his work experience, and we wrote it like this: 'Associate of Applied Science in Logistics, 2025. Relevant coursework: supply chain analytics, lean operations, and inventory management.' That coursework line is key. Luna: Because it tells the recruiter what specific skills the degree covered, rather than making them guess. Lucas: Exactly — and it helps with applicant tracking systems that scan for keywords like 'supply chain analytics.' Now, here's the second mistake I see: people list every course they took. You don't need fifteen bullet points. Pick three to five courses that directly map to the job description. If you're applying for a logistics manager role, don't list 'Business Communication 101.' List 'Global Supply Chain Strategy.' Be surgical. Luna: What about the format of the degree itself? Does it matter if it was part-time online versus full-time residential? Lucas: It depends on the employer. Some traditional companies — think banks, law firms, old-line manufacturers — still prefer seeing 'Full-time MBA, University of Pennsylvania' over 'Online MBA, University of Phoenix.' But that's changing fast. In tech and startups, nobody cares if it was online as long as the program was accredited and you can demonstrate what you learned. My advice: don't lead with 'online' unless the job description specifically mentions a preference for in-person programs. Just list the institution and the degree. If they ask in the interview, be honest — but don't make it a headline. Luna: I'd add that for mid-career professionals, the resume isn't the only place this matters. Your LinkedIn profile should also reflect the new degree, but again — keep the work history prominent. And your cover letter is where you can tell the story of why you went back to school. That's the space to connect the dots. Lucas: That's a great point. The cover letter is your narrative space. In two sentences, you can say: 'After 12 years in marketing, I returned to earn my Executive MBA to deepen my strategic finance skills. I'm now looking to apply both my industry experience and my new analytical toolkit to a vp level role.' That's powerful. It frames the degree as additive, not foundational. Luna: So the takeaway: don't let your resume scream 'student' when you're really an experienced professional with an upgrade. Lucas: Exactly. Lead with your track record, use your education section to reinforce the skills the job requires, and save the story for the cover letter. If you do that, your degree becomes a differentiator — not a distraction. Luna: And honestly, this is the kind of advice that takes five minutes to implement but can change how a recruiter sees you in those first six seconds. Lucas: A hundred percent. And since we're talking about practical changes that make a real difference — I want to say something quickly. This show exists because of listeners who value this kind of specific, ad-free career advice. A small group of you already chips in at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that monthly support is what keeps us from running ads or sponsored content. So if you've gotten something useful out of episodes like this one, and you want to help us keep making them, that's the way to do it. No pressure — just a sincere thank you to everyone who already does. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. We hear from listeners who say a single tip changed their job search, and that's the whole reason we do this. Lucas: Alright — back to the resume. One more trap I see mid-career returners fall into: the 'Education' section gets bloated with certificates, workshops, and seminars. You don't need to list every LinkedIn Learning course you took. Pick the certifications that are most relevant — like a PMP or a CFA — and leave out the one-hour webinars. Luna: And if you have multiple degrees, how do you order them? Reverse chronological, I assume? Lucas: Right — most recent first. So if you have a bachelor's from 2005 and an MBA from 2025, the MBA goes on top within the education section. But remember: that section is still below your work experience. One more nuance: if your GPA was strong and the degree is recent, you can include it — especially if you're applying for a role that values academic rigor. But once you've been out of school for more than three years, the GPA becomes irrelevant. Luna: What about honors? Summa cum laude, Dean's list — should those stay? Lucas: If the degree is within the last five years and the job is in a field where prestige matters — consulting, law, academia — keep them. Otherwise, drop them. They take up space and can make you look like you're trying too hard. Your work achievements do the talking. Luna: I think for a lot of people, the hardest part is letting go of the idea that education is the centerpiece. Especially if they're the first in their family to get a degree, or they worked really hard for it. It feels like a disservice to bury it. Lucas: I understand that sentiment. But the resume is a marketing document, not an autobiography. Your goal is to get an interview. And what gets you an interview for a senior role is showing that you can do the job, not that you can sit in a classroom. The degree is a credential that supports your candidacy. It's not the candidacy itself. Luna: Well said. So let's crystallize this into a quick action plan. Step one: keep professional experience above education. Lucas: Step two: include only relevant coursework — three to five lines max. Step three: consider omitting the graduation year if age bias is a concern. Step four: use your cover letter to tell the 'why' behind the degree. And step five: don't let the education section become a laundry list of every certificate you've ever earned. Luna: That's a solid framework. And if listeners want to see an example of what this looks like on the page, we'll put a sample in the show notes. Lucas: We will. And if you have a specific situation you'd like us to cover in a future episode — maybe you're returning to school later in life, or you're balancing a part-time program with a full-time job — drop us a note. We read every one. Luna: Thanks for listening. See you next time.