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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.

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    IMO, one line in the education section is fine.
    – Nobody
    Jul 20, 2012 at 5:27

4 Answers 4

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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.

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    Agreed. As a hiring manager, I would care about this if you were applying for a job while a student (in the university), because it could act as a filter to set you apart from your peers. I might also take note of it if you were applying to a position just out of school, but it would be of lesser importance. Once you have worked a job outside of school, I would probably ignore it (unless it was really prestigious, as noted) because what you did/how you performed at your job is what matters more to me.
    – jcmeloni
    Jul 20, 2012 at 12:26
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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?

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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.

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if it is directly related to your future place of work , you can specify . You can also specify the grant if it is not so easy to get, but you do it. It will show you best. For example, you are a Nigerian , and went throughout the program Scholarships for Nigerian Students, which provides scholarships for students from developing countries . This scholarship has been difficult to obtain because of the large number of persons concerned , but you could . Show it

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