So let’s look at training services from a recruiter’s point of view.
Not quantity but quality
I remember the CV of a candidate whose section on courses and obtained certificates took up two pages of printout. The gentleman was almost 30 years old and was just on the threshold of his professional career. I asked him where the number of completed trainings came from. He replied that you never know what will come in handy in life. It’s hard to argue with such an opinion, but when looking for a job, I would advise you to combine it with the principle of moderation and the thematic matching of completed courses to the recruitment process. In other words: when applying for a job as a trader, do not boast about completing a crocheting or dog haircutting course in your CV. It is valuable for a person to have many passions in life and try different things, but including all the obtained certificates and courses in your CV makes it difficult to find what is really valuable. Therefore, enter in your CV only the courses and obtained certificates that you would like to show off to your future employer.
The course is unequal
This truth is best shown in the case of coaching courses. Do you know that you can become a coach for as little as PLN 49 by purchasing an online course? But you can also go through a long path of international accreditation, preceded by several months of preparation, training, trial sessions and exams. What do you think when looking for a coach for the company, whose services I will use? Remember that recruiters pay attention not only to the completed courses but also to who organized them, whether the course ended with certification and who can confirm it. Especially in the field of professions such as a coach or business trainer, the organizer of training and certification is of great importance for the recruiter.
Time is against you
This is of particular importance for language or computer skills courses. For a recruiter, more important than the fact that you obtained a B2 level English certificate 12 years ago will be whether you can still communicate in a foreign language at this level. So if for the last 12 years you have not spoken in English and you feel that your language competencies have long deviated from the level declared in the certificate, just skip acquiring it in your CV. Similarly with computer courses. It is said that in these two areas the certificate expires after two years. After this time, the recruiter must absolutely verify the current qualification level of the candidate during the recruitment interview.
Specialization has value
Today recruiters are looking for specialists. Therefore, instead of going to another training course on communication, maybe think about whether there are training courses for professionals organized in your professional area? I guarantee that the recruiter will be more impressed by one highly specialized vocational training you have completed than five general development courses.
Summarizing. Before you include information about the training, course and certificate in your CV, take care of a few elements:
- Consistency of the completed training with the position you are applying for
- Up-to-date training (include in your CV the date of completing the course or obtained certificate)
- Make sure that the level of your real competences does not differ from those declared in the certificates
- Better to complete less but valuable courses
- The labor market values specialization – also in development services
Read also how to write about your interests in your CV, how to take care of your GoldenLine profile, and check 5 tips on how to write a professional CV that recruiters will pay attention to.
