7

I attended James Ruse Agricultural High School, which, in Sydney, is widely known as the most selective school in the state (ranked first in the state's end of school exams for the 16th year in a row as of 2011). I list "Completed High School at James Ruse Agricultural High School" as a single line in my resume. Is this worth listing on my resume or is it a waste of space given that I have two years work experience behind me? What about when I have 10 years? Basically, at what point should I leave it off my resume?

Update: My original thought process was that I should try to demonstrate a long history of success that, while mainly focused on the present, also spanned far back into the past. I figured that some people might get this picture and those that didn't would simply ignore this line

Improve this question
1
  • 4
    I suspect that Old Etonians don't put their school on their CV, they just wear the old school tie when they go to an interview where it might matter. *8')
    – Mark Booth
    Jun 25, 2012 at 18:08

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
17

In general, the further you move up the chain (high school, university, first job, etc), the less relevant the information is down the chain. This is especially true early in one's career.

Once you get that first professional job in your area of specialty, your high school wouldn't matter to me (and honestly, your high school would never matter to me, selective or not, after you were attending and achieving in university courses, work-study, and the like). Similarly, once you have worked in a professional setting for more than a year, your university wouldn't even matter to me (although of course this information you should always include).

The reasoning behind all of this, and why it is especially true early in one's career, is because these are all completely different contexts for learning, interaction, and collaboration. For instance, someone who is wonderful and brilliant in a high school context may not be so in a university context because the environment and pressures are different; similarly, someone might be lousy in a university context but be the best employee ever because the constraints of academia just don't fit.

Also (and this would be a minor point but still valid), if I were reading a resume for a junior level employee and I saw they were still listing their high school, I would honestly wonder if they'd not achieved anything since then. Once a person is in the working world, it's the accomplishments and experiences in that world that matter the most to prospective employers.

Improve this answer
7
  • 2
    "If I were reading a resume for a junior level employee and I saw they were still listing their high school, I would honestly wonder if they'd not achieved anything since then" - what if I have other achievements since then listed on my resume too?
    – Anon
    Jun 24, 2012 at 13:22
  • 1
    @Casebash In that case I would wonder if the prospective candidate was more inclined to list everything and hoped it made them look good, versus what was truly relevant to their position and career.
    – jcmeloni
    Jun 24, 2012 at 13:25
  • A good resume is concise and I'm seriously cracking my head but not coming up with any jobs where the high school matters unless you are applying to a similarly "selective" high school.
    – Permas
    Jun 24, 2012 at 13:55
  • 1
    @Permas It would still be ok to list if you're just out of high school, have no completed university experience, and/or are applying to positions within your university (e.g. you're a 1st-year job applying for a work-study position in your school, etc.) Otherwise, agree.
    – jcmeloni
    Jun 24, 2012 at 13:57
  • 1
    The high school you attended after you have attended a traditional 4-year college it is not longer relevant to an employeer. While you should list you completed high school only to provide a complete picture with regards to your education. In the end what high school you went to can effect what college you go into so its important in many other ways
    – Donald
    Jun 25, 2012 at 14:37
2

It depends on your culture and if you went to a school with a high reputation.

I have to disagree with @jcmeloni in some cultures (even ones that like to think they are meritocratic like they do in the United States) the Old boy network has immense power.

If you went to Eaton or another public school you would of course put that on your CV. As would I if we had stayed in Birmingham where I was born and Mums plan of pulling strings to get me into King Edward the 7th had worked :-)

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    Eton. Not Eaton. You'd probably be beaton if you wrote that on your resume and the recruiting manager actually did attend Eton. ;-)
    – TemplateRex
    Jul 31, 2014 at 11:22
  • And the school you wanted in Birmingham was probably the one founded by King Edward VI in 1552, not Edward VII.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    Aug 27, 2017 at 14:01

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .