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Under the subheading for education on my CV, I have written

BSc [main subject], [university], [grade]----------------------2012-2020

In the country where I'm applying for jobs, this makes it sound like I took 5 years longer than normal. However, I was only actually studying within my main subject area 1.25 years longer than normal. This is due to

  • The normal length of a bachelor being one year longer in my country of study than in the country where I'm applying for jobs (+1 year)
  • Studying in a different subject area in my first year (passing all my modules), and then switching subject (+1 year)
  • Taking a break from my studies (+1.5 years)
  • Finishing 3 months earlier (in February) than what might be expected (May) in the final year of my studies (+0.25 years)
  • Repeating a semester in the middle (to compensate for a so-called "deletion of studies" due to special circumstances), and then being allowed an additional 0.75 years at the end to complete coursework (again due to special circumstances) (+1.25 years).

I would have thought my reasons would be interesting to an employer, and if I could demystify on my CV why my degree took so long I would like to do that. I am just not sure how, maybe you can advise.

NB, I had been planning to write

BSc [main subject], [university], [grade]---------------------[secondary subject] 2012; [main subject] 2013, 2016-2020

However, two of the people I asked for advice for this told me that writing it as 2012-2020 draws less attention to the matter or sounds less complicated.

The country where I am looking for a job is Germany. I appreciate if you are able to clarify whether your answer applies to German CVs.

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    Please mention in which country you want to apply with the CV. CVs are vastly different between countries. One country's "mandatory requirement" might even be illegal in another. Be careful with answers claiming their advice is valid no matter where you are.
    – nvoigt ♦
    Commented Nov 30 at 5:35
  • Do you have anything interesting to fill that "study break" gap ? 10 years sounds a lot more then 8.5 for some reason, imo.
    – nick
    Commented Dec 2 at 8:37

9 Answers 9

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I took 6 years to get a 3 year degree. My CV lists only the year I received it, along with the name of the degree and the institution where I earned it.

You'll find after your first job that no one really cares other than that you've earned it, and the only reason that a first job might care is that academic transcripts are probably the closest thing to a professional reference that you have yet.

Note that at least two people with local knowledge (Heinzi and Nvoigt) have pointed out that this advice is not appropriate for Germany or Austria. Employers in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada have been fine with it.

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    "No one" is factually incorrect, since I there exists (at least) one counterexample: I hire people, and I do care both about the time it took to achieve the degree and about the grades earned. This also applies to people with work experience, since, in my country (like in Germany), professional references are (as required by law) full of lies.
    – Heinzi
    Commented Dec 1 at 12:26
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    @Heinzi, Nvoigt's comment beneath the original question is saying that you need to take CV advice on a country-by-country basis. Since you have experience in a nearby country, would you mind sharing whether you think omitting from a CV the start for a bachelor would be frowned upon there (assuming the academic transcript is included in the application anyway?)
    – novice
    Commented Dec 1 at 17:07
  • @novice: Almost all CVs I get include both the start and the end date of the applicant's studies. If someone omits the start date, I have to do more work to check the things I want to check, which is mildly annoying. Of course, I try not to let that influence my decision. That having been said, I doubt that mildly annoying the person reading your CV is a good strategy. We're all human, after all.
    – Heinzi
    Commented Dec 1 at 19:58
  • @Heinzi You should post that as a separate answer, as 1) It contains useful information for hiring in Germany, (which sounds different to other locales based on all other answers here) and 2) comments can be deleted at any time for any reason.
    – Player One
    Commented Dec 1 at 20:23
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    @Heinzi I was asked about the time it took me to get my degree in a job interview about a year ago. To me, they decided to spend time on something from about ten years ago instead of who I am right now was a minor red flag. Of course, being able to care about such minor red flags is a position of luxury
    – Jasper
    Commented Dec 2 at 12:56
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I would have thought my reasons would be interesting to an employer, and if I could demystify on my CV why my degree took so long I would like to do that. I am just not sure how, maybe you can advise.

You only want facts that will make them hire you to be interesting.

You need them to know that you have degree X. That is the information you want them to get from that section of the resume/CV.

Your detailed accounting of the reasons why you took longer than normal lets me know that when I ask you to complete a task by the end of the week, you will complete it in three weeks and the list of excuses will be long. If that isn't the message you want me to get, then don't do anything that will make me ask why it took so long.

Degree, school, date completed is all that s needed, unless the there are facts related to that process that will make me hire you.

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    Agreed. None of the reasons reflect positively on the OP as a potential employee. They are, at best, neutral. I would do my best to draw as little attention to it as possible and focus on anything else.
    – Kaz
    Commented Dec 2 at 13:21
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Putting the duration on the CV highlights it and makes the CV more verbose. Either leave out the years on the CV or just put down the year you obtained it.

As an employer, I was never looking at when or how long someone took to finish a degree. I was more focused on their employment history. All I needed to know is what qualifications they had and from where.

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    Everyone is different. Some students work full time and take courses as they can fit their work schedule. You can always have a conversation about it, but if it’s on your resume, you risk the person coming up with their own ideas of why it took so long. As long as you actually hold the degree it doesn’t matter if it took you 4 years or 8 years or 15 years. Life happens, taking longer than 4 years doesn’t show a lack of dedication, I would argue it actually shows more dedication and showing you can start something and finish something no matter what.
    – Donald
    Commented Nov 30 at 4:27
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Some employers (like myself) do care about how long it took you to earn your degree, so, yes, it makes sense to address this point.

NB, I had been planning to write

BSc [main subject], [university], [grade]---------------------[secondary subject] 2012; [main subject] 2013, 2016-2020

I like that idea. It's concise and to the point.

Please also (briefly!) include what you did in 2014 and 2015, because having unexplained gaps in your CV is a red flag for some employers (like myself, see that answer for more details).

However, two of the people I asked for advice for this told me that writing it as 2012-2020 draws less attention to the matter [...]

I disagree. Those who don't care, they don't care either way. Those who do care will get the (wrong) impression that getting your BSc took you much longer than those other applicants whose CVs are on their pile. And if they have enough other interesting candidates, they might not give you the chance to explain why.

The country where I am looking for a job is Germany. I appreciate if you are able to clarify whether your answer applies to German CVs.

I'm in Austria, not in Germany, but the countries are similar in many aspects.

Some have suggested to list only the year of the degree. I'd like to point out that (in my experience) this is unusual in the German-speaking job market. Almost all CVs I get follow the traditional format of listing both the start and the end date of studies.

If I get a CV without start dates, I have to do more work to check the things I want to check (study duration, gaps, etc.), which is mildly annoying. Of course, I try not to let that influence my decision. That having been said, I doubt that mildly annoying the person reading your CV is a good strategy. We're all human, after all.

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    Some employers care about if you have tattoos - that doesn't mean you should include a picture of a tattoo on your CV.
    – Yakk
    Commented Dec 2 at 15:47
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    This answer highlights the important difference between advice for a general resume and for a specialized resume. If you are applying to work for Heinzi, clearly you need to put the start date. For a general purpose resume sent to many prospective employers in the US, you definitely should not put the start date, because it's going to cause more problems than it fixes. For a general purpose resume it's a numbers game. Do what will work with a bigger percentage. The million dollar question here is what's the on-odds bet for Germany, generally. I don't know the answer to that one.
    – GrandOpener
    Commented Dec 2 at 18:35
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    @yshavit: Neither. I agree with the other answers that "longer-form explanations" should be avoided altogether in the application. In Austria, the CV should contain a concise, gap-free timeline. OP's example could look like this: 10/2012-01/2013: studied A at university Y, 03/2013-11/2013: studied B at university Y, 2014-2015 traveled the world, 10/2015-05/2020: resumed studying B at university Y, graduated as BSc. If you want to add a (short!) paragraph about how traveling the world made you a better fit for the job, that belongs in the cover letter.
    – Heinzi
    Commented Dec 3 at 9:37
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    @novice: I'm very sorry to hear that, that must have been a really hard time. I thought about it, and I cannot find a good way to phrase it. It might be worth to ask a separate question on this site about that issue (e.g. "How do I list a year where I "did nothing" due to grief in a German CV without leaving a gap?"), maybe linking to nvoigt's answer as an explanation for not wanting to leave a gap for those unfamiliar with German CVs.
    – Heinzi
    Commented Dec 5 at 20:41
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    Thanks Heinzi, and here is a link to that question: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/199783/…
    – novice
    Commented Dec 6 at 9:25
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German CVs do not work like other countries CVs.

Obviously, if you apply to a young startup with only one rather young person in charge, no HR, no official company structures, they might be good with a CV as described in the other answers.

But:

Traditional German HR training (and basically any book about appliying for jobs will tell you that) wants a chronological CV. If they spot gaps, they will assume it is something so shameful, you would rather have them guess. So gaps in your CV will be seen as the equivalent of maybe prison, drug abuse rehab, joined a cult, something similar to that. Something so bad you would rather have them disqualify you, than tell.

So my advice for Germany specifically is to not leave gaps.

If you can explain your "break", do so. If you can explain your complicated studies, do so. In a one-liner. If you just write "took a break", see the above for what people will assume. Maybe you had to work to pay for your studies? Good reason. Maybe you had to care for sick relatives? Good reason. Maybe you are rich and wanted to travel the world before you bind yourself to a desk job? Good reason. But write it down, don't leave a gap or guesswork.

The longer ago something was, the more you can condense it and put it into a single item, but do not leave gaps.

You may want to look into a book on how to write an application in Germany. Amazon has hundreds of them. Or at least limit your internet search to results specifically about Germany. I don't doubt much here is good advice for their respective parts of the world, but it doesn't help you if you are not in that part of the world.

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    Not saying this is bad advice, but I really doubt all but the most stereotypical German-pedantic bureaucrat HR staff would default to assuming jail etc. for an unusually long Bachelor period. Especially in Germany it's super common to study for ages, thanks to lack of fees and perks like cheap public transit. What they will almost certainly assume instead is that the candidate was a lazy slacker during that time - of course not a great look either, but much more possible to be rectified by good accomplishments later on.
    – leftaroundabout
    Commented Dec 2 at 16:29
  • You say don't leave gaps, but that doesn't make clear what your position is on the most obvious answer, which is to simply not list the start date. Then there's no "gap." Your resume simply starts at the point where you got your degree.
    – GrandOpener
    Commented Dec 2 at 18:31
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    German CVs do not start with your degree, they list schools (assuming you have nothing else to fill the page). So it will be blindingly obvious that between end of school and end of studies there is years unaccounted for.
    – nvoigt ♦
    Commented Dec 2 at 18:37
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    @leftaroundabout I never said people would assume you went to jail if you said you studied for longer. They will assume something fishy went down, if you don't tell them you studied this long, but instead try to hide it and be vague by leaving out dates. If studies took that long, explain it. That is not a problem. The real problem is if you try to hide it, then people will assume the worst. At least way worse than "yeah, I was lazy and partied too much".
    – nvoigt ♦
    Commented Dec 2 at 18:39
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Just write the end year, not the start year:

BSc [main subject], [university], [grade]---------------------- 2020

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    I mean, even leave out the end year.
    – Yakk
    Commented Dec 2 at 15:46
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  1. Split of the first year when you studied a different subject. Switching subjects might be seen as a failure or be applauded as recognizing a bad fit early. At least, most people can unterstand the reason easily.
  2. Mention the usual duration of your bachelor. In Germany, it is not uncommon to have different length. Be transparent and add it. Regelstudienzeit is the right term to describe the expected duration.
  3. Add a remark for the other 2.5 years. The break and the special circumstances are difficult to understand. Write the actual reason, the more concrete you can be, the better. "Cancer treatment" and "Family died in tragic accident" are easy to follow, "Personal reasons", "Psychological issues" are unspecific and it is not clear if the reason still apply and might affect your ability to work.

How it might look:

BSc [main subject], [university], [grade]--------------2013-2020
----- Regelstudienzeit 5 years
----- Interruped for 1.5 and 1 year due to [reason]
BSc [first main subject], [university]-----------------2012-2013

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  • Just want to clarify I am still open to all options, including taking the less detailed path by writing only the end date. However, I wanted to check whether the following is what you had in mind for a more detailed approach:
    – novice
    Commented Dec 3 at 1:21
  • BSc [Main Subject], [University] [2:2], (regelstudienzeit 4 Jahre) -------2013, 2016-20
    – novice
    Commented Dec 3 at 1:21
  • Interruption/Break (bereavement/parental illness—volunteer Tourguide/Gardener at XXX Palace)-------2014-15
    – novice
    Commented Dec 3 at 1:22
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    I now have a version of my CV which includes something similar to the example you gave. Particularly tricky is the wording for the section "Interrupted for 1.5 and 1 year due to [reason]". Would "inkl. 2 Jr. Studiumunterbrechung/Beurlaubung, bzw. Krankheit eines Elternteils/Trauerfall" (omitting my volunteering during that period) be ok, or is there any particular euphemism I should use?
    – novice
    Commented Dec 4 at 23:46
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    While searching online, I found the term Urlaubssemester. I don't know if it applies to what you did. A more generic Unterbrechung des Studiums or Aussetzen des Studiums might be a safer option.
    – usr1234567
    Commented Dec 7 at 21:52
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(I can't speak for German culture specifically, but for northern Europe in general)

The employer might not be directly interested in all the details, so keep that out of the CV and write something brief like what you had intended. Do not omit the start date, that would be unusual.

Otherwise you'll just draw further attention to something which could be in your disadvantage. If they are curious about the details why, they can ask that during the interview. It's one interview question you can expect.

If you worry about the employer thinking "wow they took x years to finish a degree of y years, they must be slow", then that's the wrong concern.

What does look bad here is: this looks like someone who don't know what they want, who fail to plan ahead and who isn't in it for the long term.

This got all the warning signs of someone who will get the habit of spontaneously jumping between jobs, never staying at one place for long. Which young people fresh out of school are known to do, so maybe it is not a concern for the employer - or maybe it is.

You mention special circumstances and I don't know what that is, but some reasons for dragging out the studies might be more acceptable than others. If you had to juggle a part-time job to stay afloat during studies, if you did military service, if you got children during that period, or if you have a disability or had temporary health issues, then those are all valid reasons. "I wanted to travel and see the world so I took a 1.5 year break"... far less so.

Another thing to prepare is to have a verified copy etc corresponding to the proof of your degree available on request. (Nowadays there's usually a code that can be used to log in at the school's web site, instead of a physical paper.) This might be a different document than the diploma, issued by your school. Decent recruiters will know the difference between proof of graduation and just some excerpt of finished classes, because this makes all the difference. If you finished 99% of the classes but didn't actually graduate, then you are formally not a Bachelor but just someone who took various university classes. Meaning that the employer can and will use that as an argument to give you a lower salary.

Particularly in case of diplomated titles (ie nurse, engineer etc) and particularly in case you apply for a job where the government/state/region is the employer, as they tend to obsess a lot about degrees and titles. In general, you can't go around calling yourself <title> without having actually graduated.

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As I have mentioned in other answers on this SE the number of times I have been asked about my LinkedIn profile when it is the literal first thing on my CV has given me the distinct impression that I can have a picture of Bozo the Clown on the 3rd page of my CV and apply for a 100 jobs before anyone notices it.

Even if you have an excellent CV and you get regular interviews you are unlikely to get anything but a cursory reading of it. You have to make it so it is not a drag because your CV will get tossed the moment it becomes a hassle, but wrestling with the finer points of your CV is rarely going to be worth it because hardly anybody will notice.

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