Whether you’re preparing for career growth, planning to enter a new industry, or just staying fresh in your market, one of the best things that you can do for your career is learn new skills. Mastering new skills are essential to ensure you don’t grow stagnant in your career or knowledge set. New skills can also enhance your professional branding materials, including your resume and LinkedIn profile.
So, what can training courses and certifications do for your resume?
Show potential employers that you have the skills required for the job
Differentiate you (making you more competitive)
Highlights personal character and drive
Showcase your commitment to professional development
Can be used to fill in career gaps
Help tailor your resume with the keywords in course titles
Make for a better interview
Prestigious universities offer certifications and online courses at top dollar, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to gain credible knowledge. In fact, we have compiled a list of online courses that are FREE! Take advantage of any of the free courses below or use this article as inspiration to research courses that are more relevant to your goals.
Technology
Introduction to Computer Science by Harvard University (12 weeks, 6-18 hours per week)
Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate by Coursera (6 Months, Beginner)
Google Reliable Cloud Infrastructure: Design & Process by Coursera (8 hours, advanced)
Google IT Support Professional Certificate by Coursera (6+ months)
Human Resources
Preparing to Manage HR by Coursera(18 hours)
Diploma in HR by Allison (10-15 hours)
Marketing
Fundamentals of Graphic Design by Coursera (15 hours)
Marketing A Digital World by Coursera (29-32 hours)
Content Marketing by Hubspot (7+ hours)
Diploma in Social Media Strategy by Allison (10-15 hours)
Leadership & Personal Development
Joyful Leadership by Udemy (5 hours)
The Science of Well-Being by Coursera (19 hours)
Powerful Mental Tools To Help You Master Tough Subjects by Coursera (15 hours)
Accounting/Finance
Financial Markets by Yale University (7 weeks, Beginner)
Professional Bookkeeping and Accounting 1 by Allison (2-3 hours)
How to put your online courses and certifications on your resume:
First, prepare which courses you will want to include on your resume. You should only include relevant courses since recruiters and hiring managers are only interested in expertise and skills that add value to the position at hand. For instance, if you are applying to a sales role, you do not need to include your photography certification (unless your sales duties also include taking photos).
You'll also want to ensure that you consider the level of the course and where you are in your career. If you are a mid-level manager, adding a beginner course to your resume will make you appear less qualified.
Now that you are ready to add the courses to your resume, where do they go?
Your online courses can either be added to your Education section or to your Professional Development section. If you only have 1-2 courses to add, you could add them to your Education section; however, if you have a lot, you might want to start a Professional Development section and only include your degrees under Education.
Where do I add courses to my LinkedIn profile?
Not all courses come with a certification but for the ones that do, you will want to put them under your “licenses and certification” section on your profile. For other online courses, you can add them to the “courses” section.
Follow these steps:
Click on your profile
Click “add profile section”
Click “recommended”
Click “add courses” or “add licenses and certifications”
Add the training course(s) you’ve taken
In conclusion, online courses are a great addition to your professional branding materials and they also give the obvious benefit of KNOWLEDGE. We highly recommend scheduling time on your calendar at least once a month or quarter to complete a learning course.
Best Wishes,
Jenna Cantwell
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