Should studying on a scholarship be listed in a resume?

Question

If I am two years out of university, is it still worthwhile listing that I was studying on a scholarship on my resume? It wasn't anything especially prestigious, just a standard Merit Scholarship.

Related questions:

• How important is a grade point average on a resume?

Answer 1

Before putting it on a resume or application you have to ask yourself the question "will it be recognizable to a recruiter or hiring manager?". In the US the Intel Science Talent Search is an example of a scholarship that should be listed.

If you find yourself having to write an entire paragraph to explain what the scholarship is for, then it might be a sign it isn't significant. If hundreds earn it every year, it isn't prestigious enough.

Yes, as time goes on the prominence of the award should decrease on your resume because it relevance to being able to do the job is less important. The qualities that went into earning the scholarship: hard work, dedication, perseverance, are still important; but they don't help the hiring manager know that you still have those qualities.

Answer 2

In short: what you put in resume should be relevant to jobs you want to apply for. Or in other words it should be something that either gives a potential recruiter better background bout you or it is something you'd like to talk about during interview.

For me personally most of the time scholarship isn't significant enough to make it through above criterion. Note however, different hiring people may look differently at such thing. But then again -- is it important enough that you'd like to talk about it during an interview?

Answer 3

Two questions:

1) How long have you been out? The longer you are out, the less you emphasize your degrees. They go to the bottom of the resume, you take out clubs, and other things. Very few people 20 years out of school have anything more than a single line.

2) What is the brand you are trying to present while showing the resume? By brand, what is the one sentance (or 3-4 words) you are trying to get across in the 30 seconds it's read. If it supports that brand, leave it in. If it detracts from that brand, leave it out.