Guides
Certifications on a CV: how to make them useful
A certification helps a CV when it answers a requirement in the advert or shows relevant learning, and it gets in the way when it is vague, expired or one of twenty course badges. The difference is mostly in how it is written: the exact name, who issued it, whether it is still valid and where on the page it sits.
What to write for each one
- The exact name of the certificate or licence, not a shortened version.
- The issuing body.
- The year, and the expiry date when it expires.
- A credential ID or link only when it is safe and useful to share.
Where it belongs
A licence the job cannot be done without - a driving category, a forklift licence, a nursing registration - goes near the top or beside the role where you use it. Supplementary courses go in their own section after experience and education. A long list of short online courses rarely helps; pick the two or three the advert would care about.
Do
- Name the licence exactly as the issuer does.
- Put a required licence where it will be seen in five seconds.
- Remove anything expired, or mark it as expired.
Avoid
- Calling a short course a professional licence.
- Listing training as completed before it is.
- A wall of badges with no link to the role.
Build this CV in Appliora
Start from a layout that suits the role, then build and preview your CV free.