The Role of Certifications in Enhancing Your Resume
What is the role of certifications in your resume? They attract the recruiters’ attention, making you stand out from the candidate base, increase your credibility, and may even affect the salary negotiations. How to include your certifications in the CV? Academic ones should be placed in the โEducationโ section, while you can place the others in a dedicated โCertificationsโ section, below your work experience but above education. Do you want to learn more? Then we invite you to read on!
The Benefits of Including Certifications in Your CV
Putting certifications in your CV comes with a plethora of advantages. It can be a make or break of getting accepted for the job, but also improve the final offer that you will receive. Letโs look at the benefits in more detail.
Credibility
First of all, certifications prove your commitment and skills. They make you more authentic and attractive to the employer/recruiter.
Job Prospects
You might not know it and it might not be mentioned in the offer, but some employers look for candidates with particular certifications only. Therefore, including them in your CV might be the true determinant of whether you will be invited for an interview or not.
Salary Negotiation
Showing your certifications might also help you in the later stages of the recruitment process, namely when negotiating the salary. After all, they prove that you are skilled, hence mitigating the risks for the employer and letting them agree on a slightly bigger sum.
Standing Out
Finally, certifications in your resume make you stand out from the crowd. Not all candidates have additional qualifications, diplomas or completed extra courses, so doing so proves your dedication and makes you easier to spot for the recruiter.
How to Include Certifications in the CV?
Youโve created a compelling personal statement for your CV, and youโve written down your experience and education, but what about the certifications? Well, here there are also some rules and tips that can make your resume better, so take a look at our advice.
Certifications Placement
Where to include certifications in the CV? It all depends on what particular courses you completed.
- Educational certifications โ place them in the โEducationโ section
- Job-related certifications โ place them in a specially designed โCertificationsโ section under your professional experience and above โEducationโ.
- Other certifications โ you can place them in the โSkillsโ section or in the โCertificationsโ section if you will be creating it anyway.
Certifications Validity
How to include your certifications in the CV? You need to see if they are all valid. Mentioning a certificate that has expired will cause more harm than good, so make sure that everything is up to date.
Certifications Importance
Additionally, you should consider how important your certifications are for the given position โ this will be the deciding factor when choosing between a dedicated โCertificationsโ section or placing them under โSkillsโ or somewhere on the sidebar of your resume.
Certifications Naming
Include the full name of every certification that you wish to include in your resume. You can also add an abbreviation in parentheses if itโs common. Additionally, put information such as:
- the issuing organization,
- date of certification acquisition,
- location (if applicable).
The Takeaway
You know why and how to include certifications in your CV. Now itโs time to do so! If you feel that you still need some help, check our resume packages โ we will help you prepare the perfect CV that will land you the job of your dreams.
You may also read: Maximize Your Job Prospects with Multiple Targeted Resumes
