Should Education Go at the Top or Bottom of your CV?
When building your resume, should you include education before professional experience or vice versa? This is a problem that confronts many job seekers, and unfortunately, everyone seems to have his or her own take on the situation. There are pros and cons to either arrangement, so it really depends on a number of factors (industry, job, HR rep, etc). Below are some quick pointers to aid you in your CV design:

Fresh out of School?
Although some might disagree, I’ve always felt that if you’re fresh out of school, your education should go near the top in descending chronological order (i.e. most recent degree at the top). Presumably, your degree is pertinent to the industry you’re pursuing, so putting it here makes the most sense.

Technical Job?
When applying for an overly technical job that requires very specific training and certification, your education should go at the top (assuming you have said education). Don’t bury the fact that you have HVAC certification or EMS licensing. These are things you should promote front and center.

Impressive Experience?
If you have an impressive professional history, it probably makes sense to highlight these accomplishments prior to any mention of your education. “Impressive” is extremely subjective, but years as a volunteer firefighter or Himalayan Sherpa will definitely turn some heads.

Impressive Degree
Advanced degrees (anything after a bachelors diploma) should go near the top. When you have nearly 20 years of schooling (kindergarten through master’s degree) under your belt, you deserve to flaunt it. This is especially true if you don’t have many “career-builders” in your resume already.

None of these prescriptions represents the gospel truth. For every HR rep who prefers one way, you can find one or more who prefer it the other way. But by using these as guideposts, you can potentially increase your chances of getting your foot in the door.