Is "autodidact" too obscure to use in a résumé?
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Chapters
00:00 Is &Quot;Autodidact&Quot; Too Obscure To Use In A RéSumé?
00:36 Answer 1 Score 2
00:46 Answer 2 Score 3
01:27 Accepted Answer Score 10
01:54 Answer 4 Score 3
02:06 Thank you
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Full question
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Tags
#wordchoice
#avk47
ACCEPTED ANSWER
Score 10
I think it probably is too obscure. Put "self-learner", "self-starter", "self-taught in (some skills you want it to apply to)".
The only place where I'd expect to see such a word in a resume would be applying to an academic position where use of such words is common.
I think in general it's a bad idea to confuse the people who might be reading your resume as it could cause them to pass it over.
ANSWER 2
Score 3
Every organization, every hiring manager, and every position offered is unique, so it is difficult to make a blanket rule about whether a word or phrase is suitable. After all, there is an entire industry build around résumé or c.v. writing and formatting.
Autodidact can refer to someone with skills in a subject but no formal education in a particular subject, but also to someone who is "educated" without formal schooling. I wouldn't want to be interpreted as passing myself along as a modern-day Abraham Lincoln, but I do say that I am self-taught in object-oriented programming or server administration.
ANSWER 3
Score 3
You could say you are a lifelong learner. It is a pretty widely used term for adults who continue to voluntarily learn things on their own.
ANSWER 4
Score 2
You could use "I am a self-learner" or "I am capable of self learning" instead.