This has probably been mentioned before but I’ve never seen it myself so I thought I’d ask.
When searching for a new job, do you guys think it’s a good or a bad thing, or indeed an indifferent thing to include some professional qualifications attached to your name in a resume? e.g. Mr Joe Smith XXX XXX at the very start of the document.
I’m not talking about your primary degree or potential licenses that you’ve acquired, but things like CFA, CAIA or to a lesser extent an MBA.
Thoughts?
P.s. I’d prefer to avoid going down the road of comparing the difficulty of the different programs etc.
Put them up there, but if you have a whole bunch, you should consider limiting it to the one or two most relevant to the job you are applying for (but go ahead and put the others somewhere else like accomplishments/licenses/certifications). MBA is a toss-up. I don’t think it’s out of place at the top of a resume. Some people consider it “reaching” to have it on a business card, but if you are or look young, sometimes it can help people who might otherwise assume you’ve just graduated from college.
I don’t think it’s douchey. Lots of people list CFA, CAIA or FRM on their business cards. MBA is a bit less common and tends to come across as pretentious.
I think the days of Name, MBA are over unless you’re at an alumni dinner. I’m curious how long, if ever, it’ll take until people no longer list “CFA”. I’m starting to see LinkedIn profiles that dropped it and put it down below as a professional certification. Same with “CPA.”