I worked as a recruiter/headhunter for a few years, and Joanna's advice is dead-on correct. However, regarding education, I'd advise otherwise, to a point.
Yes, non-academic employers in white collar jobs do care about education and look for it on the resume. The common four year degree has become the new high school diploma, and often, what the degree is in is of no matter as long as you have something.
There are enough employers out there, still, who take into account which institution issued the degree. Obviously, the professional world (doctors, lawyers, etc.) still values a good school and high class rank. (I wish I could say that is true for public/private school teachers, but it is not.) But for everyone else, it's not just about prestige, i.e. state college v. private or parochial.
And with today's education options available to fit myriad lifestyles, the source of graduation may tell more about a candidate than the employer can legally ask. Was the degree from a four-year traditional state university? Do the names "DeVry", "LeTourneau" , or "University of Phoenix" appear? Right there, the employer may assume, rightly or wrongly, that the candidate was just interested in a skill ("DeVry"), is a Christian (LeTourneau has a Christian based program) or worked for their degree online while holding down a full time job (University of Phoenix).
What generic employers don't care about is whether or not you made Phi Beta Kappa or a complete CV listing of publications, awards, etc.
Business people are suspicious of academics. In interview situations, the former academic attempting to move into a business environment might want to use the argument that, while they enjoyed their time in academia, it cannot offer a sustainable wage and there are other things you'd like to accomplish in your life that academia cannot provide. *You have to know your audience.* Employers are wary that academics will return to academia; you should convince them that you have a materialistic side that outweighs your love of teaching Canterbury Tales to college seniors.
Sometimes the education topic can be an ice-breaker in interviews if you know in advance the interviewer's educational background. Common alma maters or knowing that the interviewer came up through the ranks will help you direct the conversation in ways to your advantage.
A couple of pointers about formatting: Feedback that I received from employers and other recruiters suggested that, unless you are a "green grad", you should list your skills and pertinent work experience FIRST, and list your educational background towards the end. Otherwise, you may lose your audience. Or, as one employer explained, when he sees someone over 30 list their education first and their employment history and applicable skills afterwards, it makes him think that their best years were in college and everything since has been down hill. Impressions.
And regarding the infamous "Objectives" line that people preface so many resumes with, if you have to have one, it should be broad enough to not eliminate you from other positions and should emphasize what *you* can bring to the employer's table and that you are looking for an environment in which you can utilize such and such skills and enthusiasm. But NO objectives line is better than a BAD objectives line.
Of course, there will be exceptions to anything described above!
- Deborah