Three Ways to Boost the Education Part of Your Resume (Without Spending a Fortune)

In the past, I've suggested people pursue full degrees.
I've also suggested going to school part-time, in the
nighttime, online, in executive-focused programs, and so
forth.

The point is to make sure you keep on top of things in your
line of work, and while that's important in general, it
becomes even more important when it comes to changing jobs.
And still more important if your job change isn't a lateral
thing. You may, when you distribute your resume, be
thinking about a whole new set of responsibilities, a new
target market, a new industry.

So, what are you going to do about it, if you're not going
to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a new degree?
before you start your job search, do a little planning in
advance, and scope out these three education ideas:

1. Use your company's continuing education job benefits, if
any.

I'm often surprised by the number of people who smack their
heads and say, "Oh, yeah! I forgot I could do that!" The
company benefits manual isn't usually a page-turner, but
it's well worth digging into for nuggets of gold like
continuing education reimbursement.

That may require you to stay on a while after you finish,
or else you'll have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
But if your next executive position could more than make up
for the difference - through salary and/or benefits - then
go for it.

2. Create learning blocks in your day.

Not blocks as in "roadblocks," but block as in time. Heck,
you can always use a break from what you're up to in the
course of a day, just to keep up your effectiveness and
productivity. Why not do something useful with your breaks?
A walk around the block is good for your body, and a bit of
reading and research is good for your mind.

3. Ask your boss about industry-specific or job-specific
training.

Whether on not your company has a continuing education
benefit, they may also pay for training as part of the
departmental budget. Workshops and seminars may not have to
focus on specific job tasks, either - leadership and
team-building training may fall into the approved spending
parameters.

Just one step today - put it on your calendar - and then
follow through. That's all! And soon, you'll have learned a
few new and useful tricks to share when you start your next
resume-to-new-job process.

About the Author:

Allen Voivod is the Chief Blogger for ResumeMachine.com,
the leading resume distribution resource for managers,
executives, and professionals looking to accelerate their
job search results. Get the attention of thousands of
hiring agents with the largest and most frequently updated
recruiter database on the web, and dive into a wealth of
immediately useful career articles and blog posts - all at
http://www.ResumeMachine.com !