Where Do You Put Your Certifications On A Resume

If The Certification Supports Your Current Career Goals

Another reason to list certifications on a resume is to show that they align with your career goals. This could mean including certificates that show progression within a specific career field. If your changing careers, your certification might show your desire to excel within a new field. Including these certifications is a great way to get noticed by a hiring manager.

Go Beyond Certifications On A Resume

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Certifications On Resume: Most Important

Remember professional certifications and honors & awards are two totally different things.

Training and certifications also. Sometimes training can result in certification, but not always.

And most importantly, dont confuse certification and an online course.

What is the difference between an online course and an online certification course?

Online courses are like university classes. You can learn everything from psychology to physics. And finishing classes can get you to credit the same as at a university.

It is a plus if you gained knowledge from them, but online courses dont always mean skills and certifications.

All you have to do is make sure that the certification course is from a trusted organization and you have to be cautious about what kind of courses you take online.

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Follow A Reverse Chronological Order

Certification should be listed in a reverse chronological order as given in the example above.

This makes it easy for the recruiter to scan the resume for latest certifications and quickly make a decision.

Let us see this image:

As a recruiter would be easily able to scan the latest certifications.

It would rather take you lot of time to find certifications taken up in 2018.

That is why correct ordering matters.

Include The Name Of The Association Or Organization

I wrote earlier about including credible certifications. Listing the association or organization name in your resume ensures that potential employers see that you are certified by a respected professional association.

Example: If you received a professional marketing certificate through the American Marketing Association:

• Incorrect: AMA Professional Certified Marketer or PCM

• Correct: American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer

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Recommended Certifications On A Resume

Employers often use certifications as a resume filter to narrow the pool of applicants. Some certifications can give employers more confidence that a candidate has the right qualifications for the job. For example, the IT Profession has many certificates that prove proficiency in network engineering.

Employers sometimes even compile statistics and report on the number of employees with particular qualifications. Listing highly desired certificates is a very effective way to make your resume stand out. Especially if youâre an entry level candidate or student!

Recommended certificates can sometimes be found in the job description.

If The Certification Is Credible

Not all certifications are equal. A quick Google search of Information Technology Certifications reveals over 830 million search results. Mixed in with certification programs from trusted organizations are programs and online courses that promise to help launch your career. Whether the claims are valid or not, opt for certifications recognized within your industry as more credible.

If you hold certifications that command respect within your field, list them on your resume. The more credible your certifications, the more value they bring to your job search.

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Do Not Confuse Training And Certifications

This is valid because many candidates write training in the certifications section.

Certifications translate into a skill which can be applied in work.

Certifications get you a certificate.

But Training does not necessarily end with a certificate.

Training programs do not have to be from a proper authority.

At the time of your final hiring, they will ask for proof of certification. At this time, it would be crucial to submit all documents.

For example, if you take up an online training course in say, metaphysics. This might not necessarily get you a certificate though it would enhance your knowledge in the same.

For this reason, it is important and safe to name the section as Training & Certifications.

Mention all your training programs and certifications in this section.

Refer to the image below:-

Here, this candidate has taken various important training programs and certifications. It is safe to put both of them in the section.

So even if you mention the training bit in Certifications then the safer way out is to name the section as Training & Certifications.

Hiration Protip: Mention ‘Certifications’ and not ‘Certification’. And while we’re at it, it’s ‘Training’ and not ‘Trainings’

Such small things value a lot in your resume so try to not skip them.

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The Best Certifications + Examples

The right certification for you depends largely on your job title and career goals. Its worth researching trends in your field to see which certificates will put you ahead and help you learn new skills. There are, however, some certifications that are growing in popularity either for their ability to be applied to multiple fields or because they set the standard for knowledge of a particular industry.

Note that there are thousands of certifications for various industries, so a comprehensive list would take up the space of a small library. But here are some examples of the best certifications to have in 2021:

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional
• Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer
• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
• Cisco Certified Network Associate
• Cisco Certified Professional Network Professional
• Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate
• Oracle Certified MySQL Database Administrator

Hospitality and catering:

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Here Is An Example Of Certifications On A Resume:

If you have any online certifications or courses you took, those would usually be mentioned towards the bottom of your resume. It is okay to list online certifications from sites like Udemy or Lynda on your resume. It shows the hiring manager that you took the time to learn or touch up on a skill, and that will never get you disqualified. However, keep only highly relevant, required or prestigious certifications at the top of your resume.

Should I Put Expired Certifications On My Resume

Whether or not to list expired certifications on a resume can be a tough decision. In general, its not recommended to include expired certifications as hiring managers are looking for your current skill set and licensing. However, there are instances where knowledge from an expired certificate may still be relevant even after the piece of paper is out of date. If youre applying for a job in healthcare and you used to work as a nurse, for example, a mention of your previous training can show that you have skills other candidates may lack.

It also depends on how formal and/or legally required the certification is for this specific job opening . If a language proficiency test can likely still be listed in some cases, a government-licensed certification should probably be renewed before listing it.

Alternatively, if you really need to, you can mark an expired certification on your resume as in the process of being renewed or a similar disclaimer. Just make sure that it really is in that process.

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Easy Certifications To Add To Your Resume

Certification of completion means you passed a course and obtained documentation because you met the requirements from an instructor. They are not the same as a professional certification.

Below are some examples of real training companies or organizations. These examples provide different formatting suggestions. Use the type of divider consistently throughout your resume.

Adding certifications to resume looks like:

• Certified Instructional Designer/Developer from Langevin Learning

If you do not have time to undergo a more in-depth certification, consider some online free certifications for resume. Some choices include:

• Twitter Flight School courses modules take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. While first available to agency markets, in 2016, Twitter opened up this academy to all marketers.
• Google courses Google offers some free classes too. Two popular choices include Google AdWords and Google Analytics. These are good options to understand what drives search engine optimization .

When you translate the guidelines, your easy certifications for a resume look like this:

• Google AdWords Certified, March 2018 there is no need to include the company because it already exists in the certification.
• Coursework completed toward Twitter Flight School Certification.

Certifications In Contact Info On Your Resume

The contact info section on your resume is the best place to put required certifications. This section is also the best place to include official credentials. Itâs common practice for lawyers, doctors, dentists, accountants and others to include their credentials next to their name. See how thatâs done in this nurse resume example:

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Adding Online Course Certificates To Your Resume Or Linkedin Profile

Behold, the online course certificate. On the surface, it proves that you’ve passed a course. Below it, it suggests that you’ve learned something new and you’re a better candidate as a result.

Prospective employers will want to know about your course achievements. By adding them to your resume/CV and LinkedIn profile, you can share your certificates with them.

Note that not all certificates are the same. Some can bolster your credentials while others can detract from your resume. We’ll look at which ones you should include and how best to add them to your resume.

• Up next: the interview

In The Work Experience Section

The work experience section lists your employment history along with associated job responsibilities for each of your previous jobs. If your certification represents your role or job title in the organization, the experience section can be the right place to list your certifications.

• Example:
• Atlanta General Hospital, Atlanta, GA
• Certified Nursing Assistant, May 2018 Present
• Conduct initial screening of patients in the casualty ward
• Assist physicians in measuring heartbeats, pulse rates and other vitals of patients
• Provided high-quality medical care to patients

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Alison’s Certification In Supervision Skills

Alison is an online learning website that offers free certificate courses from top experts. It offers more than 1,300 free certifications in a range of topics everything from software development to law. You can even search course options by life stages depending on where you are in your career.

Are you a manager, or looking to be promoted to one? Then, Alison’s certification in supervision skills is for you. Whether you’re a newer manager or have years of experience, this course will help you navigate tricky situations at work. In a span of one to two hours, it will cover 14 different topics to help you become a better team leader and cover strategies to help you resolve team conflict. To get started, create a free account.

How Do You Become Certified

4 Steps to Certification

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List The Date You Earned The Certification

Listing the date you earned the certification is essential for two reasons. First, if the employer wishes to verify your certificate, they can use the date to confirm your file. Second, the date allows the company to know how long it’s been since you completed the certification process to earn recognition. If your certification requires renewal, also list the date you most recently renewed it. For example, a first aid and CPR certificate is only valid for a certain number of years before you need to re-certify.

Should You Put Expired Certifications On Your Resume

heres a reason they expire. There are some niches, in which you have to stay on top with innovations coming every day.

However, if you still want to write it in your resume, say that its expired. Dont lie to the Recruiters, they can easily catch you red-handed.

If youre in the process of retaking it, write retaking.

You may have finished the course before your first day on the position.

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What Certification Information To Add To A Resume

The chronological order of certifications must be followed in the education section. If you have several diplomas or certificates, there is no need to indicate all of them. Instead, list only the certificates that are related to the position you are applying for.

Some useful tips on arranging a certification section:

• Avoid using abbreviations. The full name of the educational institution must be indicated
• Specify when you started training and the year of your graduation
• Do not forget to indicate your specialty/ course name
• No need to be modest: if you have a Degree Certificate with Distinction, you should highlight this point
• Sometimes, it is not superfluous to indicate the average score
• Write briefly – the section should not take up much space.

Keeping the above points in mind, here are some examples of writing correct certification information.

The Right Way

CPR & First Aid Provider, 2019

ISSA Personal Trainer, 2019

In case there is any extra information about the certification that the employer should know, add it to your CV as well.

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Reason #4 Resume Scanning Software Does Not See It

A lot of the resumes that are received by recruitment teams are sent to them via software systems. If they come via recruitment systems or job websites, they are usually scanned for keywords. Its unfortunate, but thats how it is. These scanner systems dont usually pick up the certification logo. This means it doesnt really make any practical difference to these systems if there is a logo there or not. Depending on the system, it may actually cause problems on the resume as well.

So, in short, I dont think certification logos should be added to resumes. The details of the certification should be listed on the resume, without the logo, for the best professional impression.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the section below!

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Provide Details On The Associated Skills

If you have room on your resume and if the skills are directly relevant, you may want to include a shortlist of the particular skills associated with the certification. Doing so can help explain the certifications relevance and answer any questions your reader may have.

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Why Are Certifications Important

Different than honors and awards, certifications may have to be to included on your resume, depending on the industry youâre applying to.

Hiring managers often use Applicant Tracking Systems to filter out resumes and narrow the pool of applicants. Therefore, certifications may be the key to beat ATS systems and make your resume more attractive than the competition.

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Certifications In The Resume Objective

The resume summary, or resume objective, section is a great place to include required as well as recommended certifications. Itâs best practice to only include only one certification in this section. The majority of this space should be used to describe your resume objective.

Take a look at this tax accountant resume example to see how she talks about her credentials in her resume objective.

How To Put Certification On Resume

Certifications for their immense value addition to a professional’s journey shall be added as a separate section in the resume.

Things ti keep in mind while adding certifications section in a resume:-

• Add it separately to catch the recruiter’s eye
• Do not confuse it with training programs
• Always mention the certifying authority, date and location
• Reverse chronological order
• Highlighting the key areas of the resume

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List The Prospective Earn Date

If you are working on a specific certification program in progress, you can still list it under your certification section. Be sure to include the date you expect to be certified and how far along in the process you are currently. This is common for more extended certification programs that may take several years to earn.

When Should You Add A Certification On Resume

James is a Marketing Manager with 10 years experience, working with a top-notch brand and delivering your best to the company.

Additionally, he is an MBA graduate from a decent B-school.

Your work experience and education sections look quite sorted.

Now let us evaluate your certifications

Your certifications list is:

• Certificate in Yoga and Meditation from Yoga Art Center
• Digital Marketing certification

It makes sense to add only those certifications list to your resume which adds VALUE to your current portfolio!

For a , Digital Marketing Certification goes a long way in letting the recruiter know the additional skill in the same domain.

The skill of digital marketing shall enhance the marketing career of this candidate.But rest of the certifications do not necessarily add value to a Marketing Resume.

So whether the rest of the 3 certifications can be added or avoided depends upon the space constraint in the resume.

Needless to say, the rest of the 3 skills might showcase your learning stint but would not add much value while the resume is getting shortlisted for interview.

At the same time, in case of freshers, all the certifications matter a lot.

Because freshers are still deciding their path and any new certification will add value to the resume.

For example, a fresher might have done an online certification in Leadership Training.

Also, the baking certificate would showcase the skill of initiative and a team player.

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