Effectively displaying educational credentials on your cv/resume and professional profiles provides potential employers and professional connections a quick and straightforward way to understand the education of an individual who has foreign education.
It is human nature to scan our environment, and quickly look for answers. The employment arena is no different. For example, an employer on average looks at a cv/resume for only 6-8 seconds, quickly scanning for key pieces of information (Indeed, 2024). Education is often one of the first data points they look for.
Best Practices
Presenting content in a concise way which highlights educational achievements helps an individual get noticed and builds credibility rather than confusion. Clarity in presentation is especially important when information is not universally understood or considered common knowledge.
In the case of a foreign-educated individual, this could include highlighting key content from your foreign credential evaluation in the Education section of your cv/resume or professional social media account.
The following are some best practice tips on how to do this:
- Include your credential evaluation information alongside your education in the Education section of your cv/resume or professional profile.
- Indicate that your foreign degree has been evaluated, followed by the U.S. degree equivalency, as stated on your credential evaluation.
- Indicate the evaluation service provider used and the date the report was prepared to create credibility and transparency.
- Provide a short explanation in your cover letter such as: "As I have completed my master’s degree in engineering in India, I had a professional credential evaluation prepared by Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), which confirmed my degree to be equivalent to a master’s degree in the United States."
Sample Resume Entry:
Education
Bachelor of Business - University of Bombay
Evaluated as the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) Evaluation, March 2024
Relevant Coursework: Accounting, Strategic Management, Marketing - GPA: 3.7
General Tips
- Consistency adds credibility to your professional identity. Remember to be consistent in all mediums but modify the language to keep the content interesting.
- Remember to keep your resume and professional profiles updated, ensuring that the information is accurate and relevant to your current professional goals.
- Recent graduates with top grades and limited experience may consider including the GPA conversion information (for GPAs of a 3.5 or higher).
By incorporating your credential evaluation information in a clear and consistent manner, you help potential employers understand the equivalency of your foreign credentials. This transparency can facilitate a smoother hiring process and showcase your commitment to providing accurate and relevant information.
If you don’t have a credential evaluation report, ECE can help. Get started here.