How to List Certifications on Your CV

Recruiters only spend an average of 30 seconds reviewing your CV, so will they spot your certifications? Professional certifications can play a major role in your chances of job application success, showing your skills and boosting your industry credibility to give you a competitive advantage. However, it can be difficult to know which certifications to include in your CV.

How to list certifications on your CV

Listing certifications on your CV is a great way to impress recruiters and employers with your industry knowledge, and evidence of specific hard skills that you can put to use in the role. In fact, a third of HR professionals named certifications as the most important element of your CV for ATS compatibility, in a recent study by Jobseeker. To learn how to include certifications on your CV for maximum effect, follow this step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Decide which certifications to include

The first step to an impactful CV certifications section is to decide which certifications to include. If you have multiple certifications or licences, you'll want to prioritise those that are most relevant and essential to the role you're applying for. Review the job description to see what qualifications the employer requires, as well as any that are desirable, and compare them to a list of your certifications to see which are the most important to include in your CV.

Step 2: Choose where your certifications will go

The placement of your certifications will depend on the nature of the job, and how important the certifications are to your eligibility and chances of success. The following sections of your CV provide you with options to suit every scenario:

Education section

This section is a good place to mention certifications in two specific circumstances. Firstly, if you're an entry-level candidate and either you don't have much work experience, or a degree-level qualification, your professional certifications should go in your education section. Secondly, if a certain certification is a prerequisite for the job (such as an HGV licence for a truck driver role), it's worth mentioning it prominently in this section.

Work experience section

If you've earned a professional certification through your employer that helped you with your in-work achievements, you could mention it in the bullet points of your work experience section. This would typically be for a single certification that is useful, but not essential for the role.

Certifications section

If you have more than one essential or valuable certification for the role, it's best to create a dedicated certifications CV section. This allows you to showcase your credentials, and demonstrates to the employer that you've gone above and beyond to improve your skill set and make yourself more employable.

Step 3 – Use a clear format for each certification

If you're listing certifications in your education section, or in a dedicated CV section, it's important to use a clear, consistent format to present them. For each certification, add the following:

• Name and level of the award.
• Awarding body or institution name.
• The date you acquired the certification.
• If necessary, any expiration or renewal date.
• If you have space, or your certification is particularly important, add some detail in bullet point format.

Jobseeker's CV builder can help you create a well-organised, clearly structured CV with all the necessary details. The professional-looking CV templates include all the fields you need to complete for a comprehensive CV that impresses hiring managers.

Step 4 – Show in-progress certifications correctly

Listing in-progress certifications can be beneficial for your chances. Although you won't necessarily immediately have the skills the employer seeking, they will be encouraged that you're working towards them and showing proactivity to improve your knowledge base. For any certifications that you're currently working towards, list these as 'in progress' rather than adding a completion or graduation date.

Step 5 – Add a link to your certificate when submitting a digital CV

When submitting a digital CV (in Word or PDF format), it can be useful to provide a link to your certificates, if these are available digitally. This will help employers to verify your eligibility for the role. Either use the qualification name and level as the link to your certificate, or add a link with the text 'Link' at the end of the entry in your CV. You could also add your certificates to your LinkedIn profile, which employers are likely to check if they need to verify anything from your application.

Step 6 – Highlight critical credentials in your header or summary

This final step is optional, but for roles where certifications and licences are particularly important, it can be a great way to draw attention to your credentials. Consider referencing critical certifications in a CV title or headline as part of your CV header (for example, 'Detail-oriented, PMP-certified project manager'). Alternatively, you could reference your certifications in your profile/CV summary. To showcase your certifications in more detail, you could also mention them in your cover letter.

Checklist: certification information to include

Follow this checklist to ensure you add all the relevant information for each certification on your CV:

Examples of certifications on a CV

Here are some CV examples of certification listings. Each example shows an entry in a dedicated certifications section, with the final example showing how to add certifications into the education section, alongside other qualifications:

General professional certificate

Specialist certification

Compliance or safety certification

In-progress certification

Certifications for a student/recent graduate

What about courses on a CV?

If you're looking for extra ways to add impact and boost your CV credentials, courses can be valuable. While these won't replace a degree or a professional certification, they can show you've been proactive in developing your skills and that you've gained useful knowledge you could apply to the role.

Training courses will rarely provide a strong enough knowledge base of a subject to convince a hiring manager on their own. However, if you use them to supplement and reinforce skills or knowledge areas you've shown elsewhere on your CV, this is a viable approach. For example, you could mention a course that builds upon knowledge you gained during your degree course or a training session that offered a refresher or update to a previous professional certification. If mentioning courses, add them to your dedicated certifications section.

Maximise the impact of certifications on your CV

When adding certifications to your CV, remember these key points:

• Pick the right place to mention your certifications, and consider creating a dedicated CV section if you have more than one relevant certification.
• If certifications or licences are critical to the job you're applying for, mention them prominently in your CV, either in your CV header or CV summary.
• Include the course name, awarding body, date you completed the course and any other critical details, such as expiry dates.
• If you're submitting a digital CV, add your certificate as a link in the document. Otherwise, make sure they're included in your LinkedIn profile.
• Use training courses to support and bolster evidence of your skills and knowledge gained through professional qualifications and certifications, but not as a replacement for these.

Placing certifications in prominent, noticeable position on your CV requires a well-structured, professional-looking CV design. Jobseeker's CV tools and resources can help you create an eye-catching CV that contains all the required information in an ATS-friendly, easily readable layout. Choose from CV and cover letter templates and tailor them to the role and your personal style. Also, make sure to check our cover letter examples. Sign up today and create your next winning CV in minutes.