How to best gloss over a University dropout on your CV?

[Stevenj214]

...twice!

I was reading the comments on another CV thread regarding dropping out of university and how it looks on your CV. It's not something I'm particularly thinking of right now, but it could be an issue sometime in the future...

How would you "gloss over" a CV which showed university experience as:

BA International Business 2005-2009 (Honours degree, 2:1)

BSc Sport & Exercise Science 2003-2005 (certificate of higher education)

BSc Mathematics, Statistics & Finance 2002-2003 (no award)

Edited by Stevenj214 on Friday 11th September 16:01

[TEKNOPUG]

Stevenj214 said:

...twice!

I was reading the comments on another CV thread regarding dropping out of university and how it looks on your CV. It's not something I'm particularly thinking of right now, but it could be an issue sometime in the future...

How would you "gloss over" a CV which showed university experience as:

BA International Business 2005-2009 (Honours degree, 2:1)

BSc Sport & Exercise Science 2003-2005 (certificate of higher education)

BSc Mathematics, Statistics & Finance 2002-2003 (no award)

Edited by Stevenj214 on Friday 11th September 16:01

Don't mnetion it. Say you went travelling or something. There are lots of things that I haven't done or achieved, I don't list them on my CV though.

[Kermit power]

Why did you drop out of the first two? The fact that you made it to a 2:1 in the end suggests you had the intelligence to get through it.

Some people drop out because they can't be arsed. Others drop out because their parents and girlfriend get killed in a freak curling accident. The reaction of a potential employer could very much depend on the circumstance.

[bloater27]

I just omit it from my CV, only once have I been asked about the gap, and I'm happy to explain why i dropped out of 2 degree courses, and never returned to uni.

[ludo]

Stevenj214 said:

...twice!

I was reading the comments on another CV thread regarding dropping out of university and how it looks on your CV. It's not something I'm particularly thinking of right now, but it could be an issue sometime in the future...

How would you "gloss over" a CV which showed university experience as:

BA International Business 2005-2009 (Honours degree, 2:1)

BSc Sport & Exercise Science 2003-2005 (certificate of higher education)

BSc Mathematics, Statistics & Finance 2002-2003 (no award)

Edited by Stevenj214 on Friday 11th September 16:01

I would say that if you were not applying for a job involving maths, stats or finance end of business, it should not be a problem as you have a good honours degree.

I wouldn't lie about it and say you were off traveling. I have seen many things written on applications forms that turn out not to be true at interview (student places, not job applications) and it really doesn't create a good impression. I would regard your honesty and persistence to be a good thing.

ETA: Best of luck in finding a suitable post!

Edited by ludo on Sunday 13th September 15:27

[Stevenj214]

Kermit power said:

Why did you drop out of the first two?

1. 1 I was too young in my opinion (17) and completely unprepared for the culture shock - I essentially breezed through school with minimal effort and took the same ethos to university with me.

1. 2 I got halfway through and decided that the market for Sport & Exercise Scientists was just too small

I like the idea of ommitting it and explaining the education gaps at interview if it's questioned.

ludo said:

ETA: Best of luck in finding a suitable post!

Thank you, but as I said, it's not an issue for me at the moment - I'm in the fortunate position that the company I was working for part time during uni offered me a graduate level job! I'm just trying to keep on top of updating my CV to reflect everything I'm doing at the moment.

[Engineer1]

I have a similar potential problem, dropped out of uni changed course and got a 2II then recently attempted a PGCE, but found it really wasn't for me, I recon if you can spin your reasons for dropping out into positives then you should be ok.

[BigAlinEmbra]

IMO honesty is the best policy. Saying you were doing nothing at the time or lying about travelling will get caught out at some stage, and then you're dishonest which to most employers is a bigger turn off than someone that booted a uni course they didn't like.

Just say that you went straight out of uni, and what you'd picked didn't suit you. You persevered to find something that was more to your skills, and have now found something that you do want to do. Loads of folk out of uni don't settle to anything straight away. My first graduate job, when I was straight out of uni was an accountancy training scheme. There were folk with PGCEs, folk that had been doing pensions admin and IFA type stuff, and various other wierd things.

In the current climate, I wouldn't get too excitable about nailing a "graduate job", just get something that offers a decent amount of variety and get stuck in. Experience eventually counts for far more than the few years uni you punted.

[AE82GT]

bloater27 said:

I just omit it from my CV, only once have I been asked about the gap, and I'm happy to explain why i dropped out of 2 degree courses, and never returned to uni.

i'm intrigued? Why did you?

I dropped out of Collage at 17 simply because it was full of retards, sufficed to say I had a very successful International career with a large US corp, now run my own company....

Always interested in why other people "drop out"

[Jasandjules]

I'd say that your reasons are sound, and understandable. I'd hope that most potential employers would recognise that.

IF you lie on your CV and get caught out, you can be dismissed. Is that a risk you want to take?

[Hedders]

Jasandjules said:

IF you lie on your CV and get caught out, you can be dismissed. Is that a risk you want to take?

I guess it depends if you want to try and get your foot in the door to show them your are better than your CV might suggest. No employer will fire you because of a lie on your CV if you are doing a good job!

Or would they??

[Scraggles]

got a 13 month gap on my cv when was on the dole, was not fun and anytime I got offered a job, it had to be for 3 months as would have lost HB and the dole for about that sort of time...eg work a week and then it takes 2-3 months to get dole and HB back, so it was quite a disincentive

went to uni at the end of that time and whilst I never lied, the time was so far down the cv that the companies I worked for were marked as years and years and months

[Stevenj214]

Jasandjules said:

IF you lie on your CV and get caught out, you can be dismissed. Is that a risk you want to take?

I would never lie on my CV, was simply wondering if it was better to have it in, have it in with explanations or leave it out and explain if questioned...

I think I'll go with the latter

[Jasandjules]

Hedders said:

Jasandjules said:

IF you lie on your CV and get caught out, you can be dismissed. Is that a risk you want to take?

I guess it depends if you want to try and get your foot in the door to show them your are better than your CV might suggest. No employer will fire you because of a lie on your CV if you are doing a good job!

Or would they??

Well, in my old company it was policy that you were straight out the door in the event that you lied on your CV (only ever heard of it happening once mind). In fact, I had to provide copies of my certificates for examinations on the day I started, and when I sat exams for the company the result were sent to the company, then HR would let me know the result.... But then that's banking, and you need to be "fit and proper" to be SFA registered.

The bottom line is it CAN be taken as fraud. It is essentially obtaining a pecuniary advantage (your salary) by deception.....

[Hedders]

I am sure you are right

Luckily i didn't get caught. For years, half of my CV was fictitious.

This was back when companies had personnel departments, rather than litigious human resources departments!

[Gedon]

Hedders said:

I am sure you are right

Luckily i didn't get caught. For years, half of my CV was fictitious.

This was back when companies had personnel departments, rather than litigious human resources departments!

Lol. Just bullst away!

My first steelwork job (outside meccano) was on a CV based on previous experience (meccano) for a firm who had secured a contract and were very short of staff/desparate. I led a team and made a fortune as well as getting important experience as well as a reference. Major steelwork on a major feature of the UK infrastructure.

Don't bullst about anything you can't do.

Elaborate as much as possible to get that chance to prove yourself.

fk the moral bks, it's about getting ahead and you have to do whatever it takes to succeed. Failing with the moral highground is marginally better than empty, total failure.

Cue moral highground...........