Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Is it obnoxious to list degree acronymns behind your name on your resume?
#1
I can't find the article I read but I was reading on this debate on just how many academic degree abbreviations are appropriate to put on your resume? I said acronymns before...whichever.

Anyway, do you think you should list only professional certifications after your name on your resume or do you list your master's degree as well? Also do you only list the ones applicable to the job you are applying for but still include the certifications within the body of your resume? In the debate I read some were saying it came across as arrogant to list a Master's degree on a resume that way. They accepted it for a Ph.d. or some other higher level graduate degree, however.

For example, suppose you saw this name:

Jane Doe, JD, MBA, CPA, PMI-PMP, PMI-ACP (That is someone's real title).

Is that too much? Or, would you proudly list all of it.

Yes, I'm bored. I graduated from school, submitted my application to graduate school, and now I don't know what to do with myself except study for the next certification exam but I'm waiting for my books to arrive from amazon. LOL
Don't miss out on something great just because it might also be difficult.

Road traveled: AA (2013) > BS (2014) > MS (2016) > Doctorate (2024)

If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. Psalm 94:16-19
Reply
#2
I'd say it varies by professional field and context. As a starting point, what do peers in your profession, in your area, at your organization or similar do? Two fields that come to mind where long strings of degrees and certifications seem common are nursing, and financial planning / investment and insurance sales. On which, see

Alphabet Soup: Why So Many Letters After Nurses' Names? (Genevieve M. Clavreul, RN, PhD, Working Nurse.com)

and Is Your Adviser Pumping Up His Credentials? Those Fancy Initials After Your Financial Adviser's Name Might Not Be As Impressive as They Seem (Jason Zweig and Mary Pilon, The Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2010).
Reply
#3
At the school where I teach, we were asked to list our degrees after our names in emails. I just put the highest degree since the others are assumed, so mine says, "KayV, Ed.S." It's also listed on my business cards like that, but nowhere else do I reference it.
BA, MA, EdS, MMT, etc.
83 hours of ACE-worthy credits
Reply
#4
The letters tell a lot about a person. I couldn't tell you what the example you linked means, I don't know anything about that industry, but if you were a chef and you used this:

Jon C. Chef, CC, CPC, MB, CCP

I'd know you were a loser trying to buy certs to puff yourself up. On the other hand, if you showed up with this:

Jon C. Chef, CEC, MS

those are solid. If you applied with this:

Jon C. Chef, CMC

I couldn't afford you. (But I'd double check the registry....just to be sure you weren't bluffing Smile )

I think people can see through puffed up show pony certifications, but real-valid- credentials should always be included in your resume. Using letters? What better place? I think if your snap chat siggy has credential letters you've gone too far.
Reply
#5
As others stated, it varies by profession. For example a professional counselor can simply put LPC (or LMHC in some states) and that's enough but some people will use John Doe LPM NCC MA. To me that's kind of obnoxious and redundant to a degree. You having passed the NBCC exam really doesn't mean much to most people. And you having at least an MA is sort of a given if you're an LPC. Most mental health workers who are in private practice will already have their various degrees and certificates plastered all over their offices anyway along with membership certificates like ACA etc. No need to give yourself a ton of prefixes too. The average person doesn't have a clue what that stuff means anyway.
BA Psychology - TESC

CLEP Biology - 56
CLEP Human Growth and Development - 56
CLEP College Mathematics - 54
CLEP Educational Psychology - 58
CLEP Social Sciences and History - 70
CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature - 59
ECE Psychology of Adulthood and Aging -B
ECE Research Methods in Psychology - B
DSST Substance Abuse - 429
DSST Fundamentals of Counseling - 53
DSST Intro to World Religion - 458
Reply
#6
A common combination I see here in Texas is LPC, LCDC (licensed chemical dependency counselor). Sometimes I might see PhD, LCDC; LMFT, LCDC; or LMSW or LCSW, LCDC. I guess this lets people know that you specialize in substance abuse counseling. Of course I see PhD, LPC (or LMHC or the other masters-level licenses) because the assumption is that the LPC or LMSW or whatever usually only has a masters degree.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
Reply
#7
Well also many people with a PH.D after an LMHC/LPC note both because their PH.D is actually in counselor education, not strictly counseling. (to my knowledge there is no "counseling" Ph.D)
BA Psychology - TESC

CLEP Biology - 56
CLEP Human Growth and Development - 56
CLEP College Mathematics - 54
CLEP Educational Psychology - 58
CLEP Social Sciences and History - 70
CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature - 59
ECE Psychology of Adulthood and Aging -B
ECE Research Methods in Psychology - B
DSST Substance Abuse - 429
DSST Fundamentals of Counseling - 53
DSST Intro to World Religion - 458
Reply
#8
sklineho Wrote:(to my knowledge there is no "counseling" Ph.D)

Oregon State University
Ph.D. in Counseling
Hybrid, with in-person sessions twice each academic quarter.
Reply
#9
Is it obnoxious, you ask? Certainly, there are some in what I'd call the "overkill zone." Try this one. 21 completed degrees and more underway! More Associate degrees than a Community College prospectus!

Aric W Hall* -* Resume* -* Education* -* -* -*

Johann
Reply
#10
I think TJC changed its rules because of him (bless his heart). He got 6 of those associate degrees on December 16, 2000... now page 49 of the TJC catalog says:

A student may not earn more than one Associate’s degree per calendar year. Students may not receive a certificate at the same time as receiving an Associate of Applied Science within the same program.
BA, MA, EdS, MMT, etc.
83 hours of ACE-worthy credits
Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Python List Comprehension Error: Unexpected Output tom22 3 383 08-29-2023, 03:17 PM
Last Post: Pikachu
  Abide University Honorary Doctors Degree bjcheung77 0 541 07-07-2023, 02:17 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  TEFL opportunities without a degree Personherebb9 3 488 06-11-2023, 03:09 AM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Resume Question ROYISAGIRL 11 1,096 07-12-2022, 08:38 PM
Last Post: jsd
  Resume Rewrite from Indeed Vle045 6 750 06-22-2022, 04:04 PM
Last Post: Vle045
Rainbow Compiled List of Student Discounts jsd 0 602 05-11-2022, 09:57 AM
Last Post: jsd
  for those who have a math degree - is your job math related ? bluebooger 0 528 03-22-2022, 11:42 AM
Last Post: bluebooger
  How do you list length of course? carebear_007 8 882 01-27-2022, 01:47 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  How has getting a degree from the Big Three (and others) changed your career or life? schristian10 3 929 01-21-2022, 09:43 AM
Last Post: williammosher
  Banished Words List Alpha 0 497 12-31-2021, 06:03 PM
Last Post: Alpha

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)