How To List Certifications on Resume (With Examples)

Not sure how to include certifications on resume?

It is not as challenging as you might think-  it’s very simple and easy

For example, you may have job-specific certifications, for this, you can put them on the top of the resume in the summary or contact information section, or the recruiter just jumps to the next of your resume.

Or, if your certifications are not job-specific, you should make a separate section for listing all your relevant certifications. (and NOT disturb other sections)

And in this blog, we are going to focus on how to make all this possible. 

What are Certifications?

A certificate demonstrates your qualifications, abilities, and skills. Additionally, it validates or affirms what you have accomplished is legitimate. It also offers you various benefits. For instance, you can emphasize your education and expertise by using your on your resume. In addition, it demonstrates your multiple skills and abilities.

Kinds of Certifications on Resume

Throughout your education or training, you can earn a variety of certificates. For instance, certificates of participation in different activities and courses throughout school and college.

Certifications on resume can be segregated as below-

Academic Certifications: An academic certificate primarily reflects your academic learning and success. It displays the skills you have acquired throughout your academic career. Moreover, it includes your extracurricular activities and foundational learnings. It is not considered when applying to colleges and job top positions.

Professional Certifications:  A Professional certificate is awarded once you finish a specific level of training. It provides a route for you to enter the field of your choice. For example, language and software certificates are considered professional certifications.

Online Certifications: An online certificate is awarded when you complete certain training or courses digitally. Nowadays students can learn anything and everything through web courses. It is crucial to consider whether or not to include this certificate on your resume, depending on the role you are applying to. Adding this to your resume will provide you with the benefit of shining in front of hiring managers. 

Also See: What is a CV

How to Include Certifications on a Resume?

You will find several sections in a resume template, including a profile summary and qualifications. The certification section is one of these sections where you can add your certificate. Enrich this section by providing complete details.

The format is another thing you need to wisely choose for your resume. The information you add while adding your certificate includes all of the detail listed below:

• Full name with correct spelling.
• Organization from where you received the certificate
• Date of certificate receipt
• Expiration date (If applicable)

You must correctly enter all the above-mentioned information for your certifications on your resume. These specifics are crucial since they verify the validity of your certificate. Moreover, you can use different online templates and software for this task. Additional details such as the institution’s location can also be added to your resume.

Benefits of Adding Certifications on Resume

It represents your skills – While knowledge gained through theory is crucial, you can also cater to it with other skill sets. Representing your skills effectively gives you a competitive edge over other applicants for the same job or position.

Provide authenticity– A formal way to acknowledge your skills is to get them certified. Despite the fact that you have learned a lot, a certificate is still necessary to prove it. This is why you should obtain some of these for career progression.

Self-assurance– It provides self-assurance and confidence in your abilities. Further, improving your skill set will always be beneficial for your professional evaluations. Apart from this, you will have a lot to showcase with your skills and training. It will also assist you in itemizing your qualifications.

When to Include Certifications on Resume?

There are various reasons for including a certificate on a resume. The following considerations should be made for adding these to a resume:

Requirement and purpose

You might have received various certificates from your school, college, or job. How pertinent it is to your goals is an important consideration. Check the requirements everywhere you plan to utilize them, such as when applying for a job, admission, etc. Using extraneous or non-needed certificates may not be worthwhile.

Is it relevant to the job you are applying for?

Provide the certificate as per the requirements of the job you applied for. Remove it if you find it inappropriate for the position you are applying for. Few relevant certificates are better than adding a bunch of irrelevant ones. Add only pertinent ones which support your qualifications to make it more comprehensive.

Adding it with suitable qualifications

You may take the example of a graduate in management studies. Also, you can enrich this by taking short-term courses like marketing management, finance management, etc. This way, you will get two benefits: first, it will give you a chance to add a new skill, and second, it will make your resume stand out more than others.

Do’s and don’ts while adding certificates to your resume;

What are Some Certifications to put on a Resume?

Different types of certificates are now offered both in physical and online modes. You can list them on your resume. As you advance in life, you are appreciated in various ways. You can do it formally through certifications. According to your job profile, you can choose your certifications which can upgrade your resume.

Below are the examples of certificates you can add to your resume:

A+ certification (For the IT sector)

A+ certification validates your technical and digital skills. It emphasizes your credibility in technological work and is the first step for people seeking employment in the IT industry. You must pass a specific level of examination to receive this certification.

OSHA Certification (For Health Management)

OSHA stands for occupational health and safety administration. It helps you establish yourself as a recognised expert in workplace safety and health management. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is the carrier for this certification. The holders of this are qualified to supervise majors in health and safety.

ESL or Language Certificate

ESL or Language certificate aids in demonstrating your proficiency in a given language. Additionally, this accreditation is necessary for those who want to teach or study abroad. ESL/EFL tests are among those for language certification that is widely recognised. In addition, there are distinct examinations for various languages.

Apart from this, there are many worthy certifications through which you can highlight your skills;

• PMP,  Project management professional– People with project management and leadership skills are in high demand. Thus, obtaining a PMP certificate will be highly advantageous for you.
• CAPM, Certified associate in project management– It is a certification that will help you enhance your basic project management skills, with a validity duration of 5 years. It will assist you in a better future as a project manager.
• CompTIA Project+ certification–  It is beneficial for those professionals who have less experience in the field of management. It provides training in basic skills for managing projects of various levels.

What are the Best Certifications to have?

Every field is distinct in itself.  A teacher has different skills than an accountant. Similarly, the best certificates vary per industry. For example, obtaining technical training is commendable if you are a software engineer. There are no ideal certifications to obtain. Each field requires specific abilities and training.

Now, everything depends entirely on you and your career choices. Conduct a short search in the field where you are employed or seeking employment and then choose your certificates accordingly.

You must acquire fundamental skills and abilities to make your overall certificate shine.

The following certificates can help in proving your skills:

Government Certificates on Resume

These certificates are reliable and pertinent. Any certificate obtained from a government agency will be regarded as more credible evidence of your qualifications. Such certificates will be more respected than any other you might obtain from non-government organizations or institutions.

‘Swayam’ courses introduced by ministry of human resource development in the year 2017 which offers certificates in following categories;

• Basic Principles and Calculations in Chemical Engineering
• Financial Accounting and Analysis
• Innovation and Information Technology Management
• Advanced Corporate Strategy

Software Certificates on Resume

You need to work on essential software and tools in any field you are employed. In order to do this, you should train yourself on numerous applications linked to your domain. It increases your technical skills and displays your proficiency with particular software. Additionally, it improves how impressive and strong your resume appears to employers.

Some of the crucial software certificates are;

• Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional
• Certified Software Development Professional
• CIW Web Development Professional
• Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect

Language Proficiency Certificates on Resume

Being able to speak or learn any language is always advantageous. You must learn an additional language besides English and Hindi for better future prospects. More importantly, try to obtain certificates from more reliable language institutions.

Some of the crucial language proficiency certificates are;

• TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language
• IELTS or International English Language Testing System
• PTE or Person English Language Test
• Cambridge English Qualifications

IT Certificates on Resume

Some of the crucial certificates on resume for IT are; 

• CISM Certified Information Security Manager
• PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)
• GCP Certified Professional Cloud Architect.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Example of certifications on resume

There can be different training and course certificates for different domains which you can use on your resume. Certification can be mentioned in the below example.

Example 1

Family nurse practitioner (FNP) American Academy of Nurse Practitioner, United Stated. Issued December,2015

Example 2

Specialty Certified Medical Assistant (SCMA) New Delhi Institute of Health and Science, Delhi NCR. Issued September 2020 Renewal date: September 2022

Expired and Currently Pursuing a Certificate

Have you included or planning to mention an expired certificate on your resume?

Then you should avoid adding it and add only current and valid one.

Additionally,  doubts regarding currently pursuing certificates and whether you should add them or not.

Definitely! You can mention them with an expected completion date. Further, you can compile finished certificates and not mention incomplete ones.

FAQ

Q1.  How can we list online courses and certificates on a resume?

Ans. ‘Courses and Certifications’ is where you can add your courses and certificates.

Q2. How to list graduate certificates on resumes for freshers?

Ans. ‘Education and Qualification’ is the section where you can add your courses and certificates on your resume.

Q3. How to add a webinar certificate to a resume?

Ans. You can add all certificates in the section called Courses and Certifications on your resume.

Conclusion

In order to sum up, choose your certificates carefully, as well as how you mention them in your resume. You should regularly update your resume as you seek other positions and goals. It should reflect the appropriate certificate at the correct time. Along with this, be sure to keep developing your talents with the aid of your training and abilities.