Tips for Showcasing Cum Laude Honors in Your Resume

Cum Laude on Resume

When writing the education section of your resume, you want to prove to a hiring manager that you really have academic achievements that you can use to benefit the company. Sure, going to Harvard Law School is already quite the achievement, but what else can you do to show off your skills to a potential employer? Should you list your GPA? What about other honors and awards? Here’s what you should know about putting cum laude on a resume.

What Are the Different Types of Latin Honors?

There are three common types of Latin honors that you’ll typically see in an honors section. They are:

• Cum laude (with honor)
• Magna cum laude (with great honor)
• Summa cum laude (with the greatest honor)

These are all academic honors that can go in an honors section, and they all show your noteworthy accolades.

How To Add Latin Honors to Your Resume

When listing Latin honors on your resume, there are a few tips you should follow. Here’s how to list Latin honors:

• List in all lowercase letters
• Add after your degree
• Use parentheses
• Italicize the honors

Here are a few ways to list cum laude that you might see:

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (cum laude)
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (magna cum laude)
• Master’s in Climate Science & Solutions (summa cum laude)

Although they aren’t Latin honors, you can also include Dean’s List and honor societies like Phi Beta Kappa. It’s all about listing whatever the highest honor is that you received in a specific field. If you have a wide variety of honors, you can create an honors section of your resume. Your job application can typically benefit from including all honors.

However, many career experts recommend against the use of a cumulative GPA on your resume. Although your grade point average is something that you might be proud of, most hiring managers are not looking for it on a resume. High honors will impress hiring managers as it showcases your work ethic more effectively.

Tips for Maximizing the Use of Latin Honors on a Resume

How do you make sure that your job search actually benefits from your Latin honors? If you feel like these Latin phrases aren’t really helping you find a new job, consider these tips:

• List your Latin honor in your education section
• Research your field to see whether it’s common to include Latin honors
• Include all awards on your LinkedIn profile, especially those not listed on your resume
• List other awards in subsections for awards and honors

Typically, Latin honors should stay in the education section on your resume. However, especially if you’re a recent graduate trying to expand your resume, you can create a subsection where you include both academic and professional awards. Look at resume examples to see what other people are saying in their resumes.

Even if you are further along in your career, you can still consider including an Honors section on your resume, especially if you are continuing your education.