CV - Degree from Open University - Should I still list A Levels years later

SillyOne

I know in general the advice is to leave off your cv anything from "school" once you have a degree, and especially masters degree, and professional experience (I have around 15 years experience at this point).

However, as my degrees are from the Open University as I started them at age 18 while working full time - Should I still put A Levels etc on cv to how that I've always been a solid performer as sometimes the OU can be a "second chance" for people who dropped put of school (no entry requrements)? Or how to get that across?

tomtontom

If people are going to judge you for having an OU degree they'll do so irrespective of when or how you got it. I would not be judging someone who made the effort to get a degree after not doing so well at school, quite the opposite.

Lorian

Leave the A levels on, if I was interviewing I'd be interested in the subjects.

Do be proud of your OU Degree, to me it says something extra about a candidate, something valuable.

Serendipitious

There are many reasons why people choose to take an OU degree and having a 'second chance' at studying is only one of them. Others include finance, affordability and family commitments, while some people just don't have the opportunity to devote three years to full-time study. So I can't see there being any basis for anyone automatically assuming anything during the recruitment process.

I chose the OU simply because it enabled me to do a degree in Psychology as my maths grade wasn't high enough for conventional universities, who wanted a certain grade to show that students could cope with the statistics element of the course. I did well, with all marks and exams scoring over 85%, including statistics, and the OU are known to be rigorously hard markers.

The fact that you studied successfully for a degree whilst working full time indicates your motivation, determination and commitment, and as others have said, these are valuable indicators.

Xikams

You must revise your CV accordingly so that it matches your skillset accordingly and markets towards the particular employer in question. Qualifications should always be below experience as the employer will be more convinced of your real-world condition.

For menial jobs, they will be happy with basic competence ie. GCSEs. If you start talking about your fantabulous time at uni for instance, they won't care. You must construct a CV accordingly. As such, if you are going for an admin job, create another CV which markets your specific abilities in that role. You can have as many CVs as you want and sell yourself however you like.

tomtontom wrote: »

I would not be judging someone who made the effort to get a degree after not doing so well at school, quite the opposite.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

They will want to know in depth - not really for porter jobs, but in general insurance, trade, sales jobs, interviewers will raise an eyebrow if you can't answer this question. And in the security and financial services, they will judge even more harshly - you must be extremely clean, thorough, gentle address and credit history,

So if you're young and looking for work, listing your A Levels or GCSEs is essential to be sell-able. Some people don't finish them so it's worth marketing if you've got them. Some competency tests that interviewers like to sneak in: "What were you like in school?" That kind of thing. And if you are sensitive about it, just summarise it, ie. 7 GCSEs A-C at school X. You don't have to go the whole thing - the recruiter will understand more from your real-world work experience than your school qualifications.

Samsonite1

It is always worth adjusting your CV for every job, but also over time. I would say, put down the A-levels you achieved, but do not put the grades. Putting grades from school looks immature, but mentioning what you studied is more useful to the employer.

Murphybear

An OU degree is highly thought of especially in the academic world. Put your A levels in your CV as well as it gives a complete picture

paddyrg

Serendipitious wrote: »

... to show that students could cope with the statistics element of the course. I did well, with all marks and exams scoring over 85%, .

So you say ;-)

In seriousness, an OU degree shows it wasn't an automatic straight out of school unconsidered action but a deliberate choice. Be proud! A-levels etc can be summarised into a sentence eg '8 GCSE's, A-levels in physics, English and maths'

TBagpuss

If you have a degree and 15 years experience then most employers will not be interested in whether you were a hard worker, or a party animal, at 17/18.
The reason for leaving off lower qualifications once you have more advanced ones is that it leaves you more space to focus on you relevant experience - the skills and experience you have built up over the past 1 years, with emphasis on those most relavant to the specific job you are applying for.

If you want to leave in the A levels, I would, as Paddyrg says, be very brief - e.g. "10 GCSEs at grade C or above, 3 A -Levels"

I would only include subjects or grades if it were specifically relevant - for instance, if the job description mentioned that the company has foreign contracts and willingness to learn/improve another language is an advantage, then it becomes relevant to mention your German A Level and enthusiasm for languages, for example.

I think an OU degree is a very positive thing - to me, that shows that you have determination, commitment, good time management, an ability to manage long term projects. Don't sell yourself short.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Your extensive experience of applying for long strings of low quality jobs of which you get a couple only to be sacked shortly afterwards doesn't really qualify you to advise anybody on anything.