How to List Certifications and Courses on Your CV
Certifications and courses are proof you've invested in your skills — and in technical or regulated fields, they can be the deciding factor. But a long list of random courses dilutes the strong ones. Here's how to present them so they count.
Include the ones that matter
Not every certificate earns its place on your CV — prioritise the ones that are relevant to the target role, recognised in your industry, and still current. A respected credential like PMP, CFA, AWS, CCNA, or a well-known platform certificate carries real weight and can be the deciding factor in technical or regulated fields such as IT, finance, healthcare, and project management. A generic one-hour webinar or an unrelated hobby course usually doesn't — it dilutes the strong entries around it, so leave it off. The test is simple: would the hiring manager for this specific job recognise the certificate and value it? If yes, include it and put the most impressive, relevant one first. If you're unsure, ask whether it proves a skill the posting asks for; if it doesn't, it's clutter. Quality beats quantity here — three targeted certifications say more than a list of ten random ones.
Format each entry consistently
For each certification, list the name, the issuing organization, and the date earned (plus an expiry date if it has one). Keep the formatting identical to your education and experience sections so the CV stays clean and scannable.
Where to put them
Give certifications their own section when they're central to the role — common in IT, finance, healthcare, and project management. When they're supporting detail, a short list near education or skills is enough. Put the most impressive, relevant one first.
Use them as keywords
Certification names are powerful ATS keywords. If a job posting names a specific certificate and you hold it, write it exactly as they do — abbreviation and full name — so the system and the recruiter both register the match.
Organize them in write.cv
write.cv includes a dedicated, reorderable certifications section that formats every entry consistently and feeds relevant keywords into your ATS score — in Arabic and English. Add your certificates and see your match improve.