We all know that resume is one of the most potent advertising and a marketing tool that helps job seekers to grab the right opportunities or land their dream job. So it is essential to showcase every detail of your academic background and skills in the resume. But most of the time, we get confused about what shall we include and what shall we not?
Enlistment in courses is one of the most significant problems for job hunters who don’t have much experience on their resumes. The competition is increasing, and everyone tries to showcase skills to get a proper job. Nowadays, students can opt for several majors and degrees in colleges. You could enlist your academic credentials irrespective of minor-major and double major when you apply for a job.
What Are These Minor Majors and Double Majors?
Nowadays, colleges give an option to the students to opt for a minor degree while also pursuing their primary degree.
The significant or major degree refers to the main course you are studying. For example, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Hotel management, etc., are all significant courses. This is your main academic background or field of interest. Employers generally use this educational background to find the correct candidate for a job.
A minor degree generally means a subject of your interest that may have a few credits in the primary course that you are taking. Many colleges provide an option to the students to opt for any course that may be their interest. For example, even if you are majoring in a Bachelor of Science, the college allows you to opt for any language course, physical education course, fashion designing course, etc., irrespective of your mean degree.
It does not necessarily mean that your major and minor degrees are co-related. It can be a completely different subject that you might love to know more about. The recruiter generally takes this information as extra information, but this may also play a crucial role in grabbing the right opportunities. When your minor degree is not significantly correlated to the job you are applying for, you can generally skip this minor degree.
A double minor degree can be simply defined as a degree like B.Sc. but in 2 different academic disciplines like botany and zoology. It can provide a significant advantage when applying for a job. It does not mean that your dual primary degree would be considered two degrees because you are earning only one degree, i.e., B.Sc., but don’t worry, even this double degree can play a vital role in landing you a proper job.
It means that you have majored in 2 different fields, which shows that you want to learn and work in your interest area, and you can do anything to do this.
Why is it Important to List a Minor, Major And Double Major in Your Resume?
In this competitive world, many students are opting for what they love. Even a minor specialization in a particular field can help them provide great opportunities in the future. It is essential to correctly include all these academic backgrounds in the resume because if the employer doesn’t focus on these, they might get passed over your resume.
First, we will know why enlisting these things in your resume can enhance your chances of getting a better job, and then we will move on to how to list these in the resume.
Talking about the importance, obtaining knowledge in any discipline or multiple disciplines can make you much more marketable than the other candidates applying for the same job. Whenever you mention various degrees, it opens the other doors. Every student does not opt for a minor degree, making you unique from many other candidates.
Bonus Read: Answer to “Why are You the Best Candidate for This Position?” With Samples
How to List Minor, Major And Double Major in the Resume
The interviewer doesn’t know who you are, and a resume is the first way of impressing them. So it should always follow a format that doesn’t confuse the recruiter about you. You should always follow the below-listed steps while writing your resume and mentioning the major or minor courses in your resume:
Also Read: How To Email a Recruiter? 5 Best Examples, Tips & Templates
1. Create Education Section
The relevant education section is critical because no resume can be completed without mentioning this section. The recruiter gets an idea about your academic background and which subject you have majored in. So it needs to be correctly listed, which also has a heading to make it stand out from any other information. If you want to list your education background based on recent years to last years, it is entirely your wish. But any wrong information can put you in the lousy limelight, so always avoid giving false information that is not correct or true.
2. Listing the Macro Information
The macro information generally includes the graduation date, year, or institution you attended. If you have any experience, you can also list your employers and the year you worked for a company. If you list your data in a particular order, it would be better for the recruiter to understand. Make your resume clean and easy to understand.
3. Avoid Listing the Unrelated Degree
As mentioned earlier, your educational background is the most crucial aspect of your resume where a recruiter gets an idea about your interest. You should also always mention the other minor degree in this section when you list your education degree or graduation degree (primary degree).
This section will only consist of the degrees that have been awarded to you. The degrees that you are pursuing do not come under this section. When a student or a candidate has done a double major, you need to summarize the level and category of your degree.
For example, if a candidate has done a dual degree in graduation from 2 different subjects, they should mention Bachelor of Science: Biology and Biostatistics.
4. List Your Minor Degree
You have already mentioned your primary degree, so now is the correct time to mention your minor degree. The formatting will always remain the same, but at this time, you can write like minor in accounting, minor in botany, etc.
5. Including the Additional Coursework, Awards, and Certifications
After mentioning all your majors and degrees, you can always include the other certificates, awards, and coursework in the resume related to the job. Try to avoid saying anything that is not relatable to the job description.
For example, the complex coursework, specialty certifications, and other credentials can always highlight the ability to multitask and achieve the goals. The recruiters always want an employee who can adapt to the changes very well and is motivated to perform the job continuously. They also want an employee who can bring a positive working environment and improvement or growth to the company.
6. Proofread Your Resume
After you are finished with your resume, always re-read it to avoid any mistakes, grammatical errors, or typing errors. Furthermore, you should also check the marks you have obtained in your education listed in your resume. Any false information in the resume can negatively impact your career growth.
Few Real-time Examples
To help you with how exactly you should list a minor, major and double major degree in your resume, we have come up with a few real-time examples. Scroll down to check below.
Minor Degree
2009-2013
Georgia State University – Atlanta, Georgia
Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Minor in Nutrition.
Major Degree And Minor Degree
2007-2011
Columbia University – New York City, New York
Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Research and Optometry
OR
2007-2011
UCLA, Los Angeles
BA in Arts, Major in Psychology
Double Major Degree
2015-2019
University of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, California
Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics, Double major in Biostatics and Applied Mathematics
Pro Tips
The candidate should never forget to add some skills, academic background, or experience to make their resumes stand out. Tips for listing minor on resumes:
- While applying for any job, never forget to read the job description first. By reading the job description, you can quickly determine what kind of candidate the company requires. The employers generally add a preference in the education eligibility requirement. It becomes essential to go through the job description. This can help you know what information should be mentioned in the resume and what should be avoided.
- Always try to include the additional certificates in the education section. This will help you list all the information and majors and minor degrees. It helps your resume stand out.
- You should also include a summary of the cover letter and personal information. Listing all the certificates and the information helps the recruiter maintain the flow and allows the recruiter to review your application very efficiently.
When You Should Stop Putting Resumes?
This is a fundamental question, but the situation varies from one person to another. You should always include your minors or majors only when it is appropriate or suitable for the job position so that you can easily impress the recruiters. But there will always be a time when your degree will not add something extra to your application; this is when you have so much experience that your work speaks for itself.
This specific time should be determined only by you, and this is not so hard to figure out. While concluding, you should always keep the following listed factors in mind:
- Does this job description highlights your skill, or is it related to your skill?
- Will this job provide you with better opportunities in the future
- Does your skill show or give any value to the job?
- Do you have any experience in the sector?
- Will you be able to communicate with people easily?
Conclusion
The majority of the people or job candidates searching for a job have done several major or minor degrees, but they are always confused if they shall list these degrees in their resume. This shows the recruiter that you have extensive knowledge about a topic in a particular field and that your qualifications will help you land your dream job.
Whenever you list your multiple degrees in your resume, it shows that you are hardworking and have the tendency or motivation to achieve your goals. It helps your resume to stand out from the other resumes. This will always work in favor of you.
Whenever you mention your multiple degrees, always follow a particular format so that the employer wouldn’t get confused about your qualifications. Always include the education section and then the experience section.
The degrees you have earned, the graduation dates or years, college, and the location should be mentioned in the resume. Always add your skills according to the job description in the portal, and don’t add any irrelevant skills that will not help you get the job. We hope that the above information enables you to make your resume better and more effective.
