
PDF Resume Templates to Download in 2023 (+ Format Tips)
It matters what file format you send your application to the recruiter. In this article, you’ll get 18 PDF resume templates and find out why you should format them this way.
Putting relevant coursework on a resume could boost your chances of landing a job. But is it always a good idea to add such info? Our guide has the answers you’ve been looking for.
As a student, you may find it challenging to fill up the experience section of your resume with relevant content. You even considered adding taming younger siblings to it, but your friends advised against it.
Fret not! Even though employers value previous work experience much, it’s not the only thing they’ll be looking at on your resume. Listing relevant coursework on a resume can give the recruiters a peek into the types of skills you’ve developed as a student, and effectively convince them you’re the person they’ve been looking for.
This article will show you:
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1
Relevant coursework is a list of subjects and courses you took at school that are pertinent to the position you're applying for. You can include relevant coursework on your resume in the education section. Any courses, subjects, and projects you list have to be related to the job opening.
This is a great addition to any entry-level resumes or student resumes alongside projects, academic achievements, extracurriculars, and volunteer experience. It may also come in handy on an internship resume when you want to show the recruiter the skills that make you a perfect fit.
That being said—
Listing relevant courses on a resume isn’t really necessary if you can show more than a year of experience on your resume.
If that’s the case, focus on tailoring your resume's job description section and consider including other resume sections.
And—
As the name suggests, relevant coursework should be... relevant. So, don’t force this section into a resume where adding coursework makes no sense.
At the end of the day, it’s what you can do that counts most, not the number of courses on a resume.
So, rather than populate your resume with fillers, focus on your skill set and put your skills in the spotlight.
Remember—
It’s relevant experience that truly matters.
Pro Tip: Look at the job offer to judge whether or not you should include relevant coursework on a resume. For example, if the employer requires you to put GPA on a resume chances are they’d be interested in your relevant courses as well.
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2
Once you decide that relevant coursework should be on your resume, you might start wondering where to put courses on a resume.
Most of the time, relevant coursework is a subsection of your resume education section.
Depending on how much work experience you have, the education section might either come first on your resume or follow the experience section.
You can add relevant coursework to your resume in several ways:
1. Put relevant coursework on your resume in an additional line in your education section.
2016 BA in Psychology
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Relevant Coursework: Language and Cognitive Development, Psychology of Emotion, Psychological Statistics, Cognitive Linguistics
If you add the relevant courses to a resume in this way, you’ll have plenty of room for including other academic achievements on your resume.
2. List relevant coursework on your resume in bullet points to give it more prominence.
2016 BA in Psychology
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Relevant Coursework:
3. Finally, use detailed bullet points to explain the relevance of coursework to the position.
2016 BA in Psychology
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Relevant Coursework:
If the candidate above applied for an SEO-related position all the coursework would be relevant.
In combination with some previous work experience (e.g. internship) and strong computer skills, their SEO resume would look very solid.
Finally—
If the position you’re pursuing requires strong academic background and credentials, you might want to consider allocating an entire resume section exclusively for your relevant coursework.
In such case, it would make sense to go for a bullet point, list and describe each course in detail.
3
When listing relevant coursework on a resume, remember:
Pro Tip: Spend a lot of time editing your resume. Get rid of all typos and grammar errors. Make sure your punctuation is spotless and formatting is consistent throughout the entire document. Then read our guide on resume dos and don’ts.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Here's all you need to know about putting relevant coursework on a resume:
Still not sure whether or not you should put relevant coursework on a resume? Give us a shout out in the comments below! Always happy to help.
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It matters what file format you send your application to the recruiter. In this article, you’ll get 18 PDF resume templates and find out why you should format them this way.
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