I graduated 2 years ago, should I still list classes on my resume?

A reader writes:

"I graduated with my MBA 2 years ago, but haven't found a job in my field. Should I still list relevant coursework?"

The longer you've been out of school, the less relevant your classes become to potential employers. So, at the two-year mark, it is time to remove classes from your resume and look for other ways to get experience related to your field.

Look into related intern and volunteer positions if you are not finding a job in your field. You should consider both paid and unpaid opportunities, if your financial circumstances allow you to do unpaid work. If you need to work, try to find a part-time related intern and volunteer position that works with your schedule.

If you've been working, interning, or volunteering in the past two years, even if it isn't in your field, you want to highlight that experience over coursework on your resume by tailoring your resume to field-related positions. 

As I've said before, when your experience is not directly related to the position you're applying for but that "unrelated" experience gives you valuable skills that might be relevant, you want to highlight those on your resume. You should be focusing on what you think is important about your current "unrelated" experiences from the potential employers perspective.

One last thing: you may want to reconsider the types of positions you are applying for if you haven't landed anything in your field yet. I see a lot of students with graduate and professional degrees like the MBA applying for positions which require more experience than they have based on the assumption that their degree is enough. Unfortunately, and especially in this tough job market, experience far outweighs education when a graduate or professional degree is not a specific requirement for the job.

For example, some people mistakenly believe an MBA qualifies for a manager position on it's own. However, without any management experience outside of the degree, it would be pretty difficult to land a manager position. If you are in this boat, you may need to consider entry-level positions because, well, you ARE entry-level even with an MBA in many cases. Good luck in your job search!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.