what information to include in the resume

[vkaul]

I have a unique kind of problem and I am looking for help from folks here. I did my Bachelors from IIT and then came to Georgia Tech in 2004. Right now I am on course for my Phd in Electrical and Computer Engineering with emphasis on computer vision/image processing work. However, I have masters degrees in three fields: aerospace engineering, electrical engineering and mathematics. I started out in Aerospace Engineering doing more Adaptive/Optimal Control( Have a journal paper in adaptive control) and then switched to electrical engineering with more emphasis on signal processing. As my research demanded mathematical background I ended up taking a masters in mathematics as well.

So my question is, should I should include all the 3 masters in my resume? Will be seen as a sign of a confused mind? I was thinking of either putting all the 3 masters in the resume or just Electrical Engineering and Mathematics Masters. I would really appreciate any suggestions from your side.

 

[Shlomi]

Did you get 3 masters from GTech?

 

[Subramaniam]

it can be a double edged sword.
Pros: 3 masters degree shows that your capabilities
Cons : it can show a confused mind.
I believe it will depend more on how you present yourself.
You should be able to explain logically why you ended up doing three degrees.

if you decide to show two out of three degrees, i would say show the ones that are most closely related to the finance field.

 

[vkaul]

Did you get 3 masters from GTech?

yes

 

[vkaul]

it can be a double edged sword.
Pros: 3 masters degree shows that your capabilities
Cons : it can show a confused mind.
I believe it will depend more on how you present yourself.
You should be able to explain logically why you ended up doing three degrees.

if you decide to show two out of three degrees, i would say show the ones that are most closely related to the finance field.

i think two will be electrical engineering and mathematics. but are three better. Need some more suggestions.

 

[doug reich]

If that's what you've been doing the last 5 years, excluding them will only be disingenuous. You don't really have a choice. It will definitely look confused unless you somehow incorporate your reasoning, probably in the cover letter.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

There is no law saying you must include every degree you earned in your resume. You can choose to include the relevant master degree(s) depending on the job i.e customize your resume and don't have one you send to every job.

 

[vkaul]

There is law saying you must include every degree you earned in your resume. You can choose to include the relevant master degree(s) depending on the job i.e customize your resume and don't have one you send to every job.

You mean there is " no law" or there is a "law".
What is your personal opinion about whether I should include 3 masters or not?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Oops. Of course, I meant there is "no law" (typing on my BB)
If you leave out something that will result in a time gap, people may question it. It's still now clear how from 2004 till now, you managed to earn three master degrees and doing a PhD. Is one done after another and where are you in your PhD program?

 

[vkaul]

Oops. Of course, I meant there is "no law" (typing on my BB)
If you leave out something that will result in a time gap, people may question it. It's still now clear how from 2004 till now, you managed to earn three master degrees and doing a PhD. Is one done after another and where are you in your PhD program?

I am in a final year of my Phd looking to graduate Spring/Summer 2010. I did a lot of courses intensively.
For my last masters I was just doing mathematics courses which I thought will useful even in my research. Yes one master is after the other. Now let me know whether I should exclude one masters(perhaps aerospace) according to you based on this information.

 

[doug reich]

Oops. Of course, I meant there is "no law" (typing on my BB)
If you leave out something that will result in a time gap, people may question it. It's still now clear how from 2004 till now, you managed to earn three master degrees and doing a PhD. Is one done after another and where are you in your PhD program?

There is most certainly an unwritten law. If I can't trust you to write down the most basic facts of your history (recent history!), how can I possibly expect you to do good work?

That should get someone riled up...

Seriously, you are going to be in an interview and either have to continue omitting that extra degree (very deceptive, and it will come out later anyway much to your chagrin) or you are going to mention it and look bad in several ways at once.

 

[alain]

what is exactly wrong with displaying all your master's degree?

 

[vkaul]

what is exactly wrong with displaying all your master's degree?

As none of my three masters are in finance or economics, I might look a confused person with all these degrees trying to enter finance. Obviously I am not sure about what is better and that is the reason why I am seeking the opinion of you guys. What is your take?

 

[alain]

Put all three master degrees in your resume. That is not going to hurt. You might be lucky enough and your interviewer was an aerospace eng in previous life. That's a nice way to break the ice.

My undergrad is EE and I worked as an eng in the past. This fact has been a topic of conversation in interviews (I still remember a lot about EE).

 

[vkaul]

Put all three master degrees in your resume. That is not going to hurt. You might be lucky enough and your interviewer was an aerospace eng in previous life. That's a nice way to break the ice.

My undergrad is EE and I worked as an eng in the past. This fact has been a topic of conversation in interviews (I still remember a lot about EE).

Thanks for your suggestion. I was just waiting for andy;s opinion also as he was suggesting not to keep all three degrees.

 

[DominiConnor]

The 3 masters will indeed unnerve some employers.

But you have to make sure that this does not leave gaps, and it is dangerous to assume this won't come out in the process anyway.

Presentation will be more important for you, and the trick will be to make them seem coherent.
The PhD actually helps here though.

A feeling in the mind of some hiring managers will be that you did multiple masters because you weren't good enough to do a PhD, but that is not the case for you.


In particular, the way it works at some places is that the MS is a "consolation prize" for those woh did not go on to the phase of actual research.

In all this, you have two main audiences, hiring managers who often have a lot first hand experience of the way academia works, and headhunters who think that the IITs in India are some sort of franchise from Illiinois. This matters because HHs do a lot of filtering.


Also frankly, some will stop reading after they see PhD, which is both good and bad.

 

[CGiuliano]

What is your work experience?

 

[vkaul]

The 3 masters will indeed unnerve some employers.

But you have to make sure that this does not leave gaps, and it is dangerous to assume this won't come out in the process anyway.

Presentation will be more important for you, and the trick will be to make them seem coherent.
The PhD actually helps here though.

A feeling in the mind of some hiring managers will be that you did multiple masters because you weren't good enough to do a PhD, but that is not the case for you.


In particular, the way it works at some places is that the MS is a "consolation prize" for those woh did not go on to the phase of actual research.

In all this, you have two main audiences, hiring managers who often have a lot first hand experience of the way academia works, and headhunters who think that the IITs in India are some sort of franchise from Illiinois. This matters because HHs do a lot of filtering.


Also frankly, some will stop reading after they see PhD, which is both good and bad.

Actually the gap does not show up that much as I started in 2004 and will graduate in 2010. So two masters and a Phd should be good enough for 6 years,right? Or it is still better to included all the three masters. If I don't mention one masters, the one in aerospace engineering, will it be unethical? I am just concerned as none of the masters is in finance directly.
Andy suggested putting two masters but others are talking about legal hassles if I hide information

 

[atreides]

Why go through the trouble of hiding information they might find out down the line...It's not like the masters you don't want to include is in Religion or Nutrition Science.... Eventually it will all depend on how you sell your "achievements"

Actually the gap does not show up that much as I started in 2004 and will graduate in 2010. So two masters and a Phd should be good enough for 6 years,right? Or it is still better to included all the three masters. If I don't mention one masters, the one in aerospace engineering, will it be unethical? I am just concerned as none of the masters is in finance directly.
Andy suggested putting two masters but others are talking about legal hassles if I hide information