Certifications, courses and awards: which ones deserve a place on your resume
How to decide which certificates, short courses and awards to list, how to write each entry, and when a long list does more harm than good.
By Avowly · Last reviewed 6 November 2026 · 7 min read · How we write these
In short
- Include a certificate, course or award only if it makes a reader more confident you can do the job.
- Give each entry a name, an issuer and a year, in the same format, so it can be checked.
- For a license, say which one, who issued it and whether it is current.
- Three to six well chosen entries beat a long list, and an award is stronger with a reason.
Certificates are easy to collect and hard to judge. A weekend workshop, a three-year professional qualification and a participation badge can all end up on the same page, looking equally important. The reader cannot tell them apart unless you help.
This guide is about helping them. It covers which items belong, how to write them so they are believable, and how to keep the section useful instead of long.
What belongs and what does not
Ask one question of each item: would this make a reader more confident that I can do the job? If the answer is clearly yes, it belongs. If you have to think about it, the item probably does not.
Items that usually belong:
- Qualifications the role requires or prefers. A license, a professional registration, a recognized industry certificate, a safety or compliance card.
- Recent courses that built a skill the job needs. A data analysis course for an analyst role, a project management program for a coordinator role.
- Awards that someone else judged. A scholarship, a competition result, an employee recognition with a clear reason behind it.
Items that usually do not:
- Certificates of attendance from short events with no assessment.
- Courses unrelated to the role, however interesting they were.
- Very old items in fast-moving fields. A certificate for a tool that has changed several times may now suggest outdated knowledge.
- Anything you completed but could not talk about for a minute.
Usually belongs
- A license or registration the role asks for
- A recent course that built a skill the job needs
- An award someone else judged, with the reason
Usually leave out
- Certificates of attendance with no assessment
- Courses unrelated to the role
- Old items in fast-moving fields
- Anything you could not discuss for a minute
One entry: name, issuer, year
Project Management Certificate, Lakeshore Institute of Business, 2025
Write each entry so it can be checked
An entry that cannot be checked is easy to doubt. Give the reader enough to look it up, and keep the format the same for every item.
Project Management Certificate, Brindlewick Institute of Business, 2025
For an online course, name the provider and the year. If the course ended with a project or an assessment, a few words about it can help.
Before
Completed online accounting course.
After
Bookkeeping Level 2, online course with assessed exams, passed 2025. Final task: reconciled three months of accounts for a practice company.
Why it works: The level and the year are on her certificate, and the final task came from asking what the course made her do. Now a reader knows it was assessed, not just watched.
Do not use vague wording like "Certified professional" with no body or date. Do not list an exam you have not passed. If you are working toward one, say so plainly, with the expected date.
Before
Food safety (ongoing).
After
Food Safety Level 2, in progress, exam booked for March 2027.
Why it works: The level and the exam date came from his booking email. "Ongoing" could mean anything; a booked date shows it will be finished soon.
Licenses, tickets and registrations
In trades, care, transport and security, a license is often the first thing a manager looks for. Write it so it answers three questions at once: which license, who issued it, and is it current?
Before
Certified forklift driver.
After
Counterbalance and reach truck license, accredited training center, valid until 2028.
Why it works: The truck types and the expiry year came from the card in his wallet. A reader now knows which machines he can drive and that the license is still in date.
Add the license or registration number only when the advert, the regulator or the trade expects to see it. Keep the number off any copy you post publicly, such as a profile page. If a license is a hard requirement for the role, put it near the top as well, in your summary or a line under your name.
Where to put them
Give the section its own heading, such as "Certifications" or "Courses and certifications", and place it after education. If a certificate is a hard requirement for the job, move it higher, or mention it in your summary so it is seen first.
If you have only one, it can sit at the end of your education section under its own label, because a section with a single line looks thin. If you have more projects than certificates, a projects section may give you stronger evidence.
How many is too many
Quality matters more than count. For most people, three to six entries is plenty. If you have more, choose the ones most relevant to this job, the most recent ones, and the ones with the most recognized provider, and drop the rest.
A very long list tends to work against you. It can look like collecting rather than doing, and it pushes more important material down the page. If you have a lot of learning to show, link to a profile that lists it all and keep the resume focused.
Awards and honors
Awards are strongest when they say what was recognized and by whom.
Before
Employee of the Quarter award.
After
Employee of the Quarter, Q2 2025, chosen by branch managers at a regional furniture retailer for clearing the returns backlog.
Why it works: The date and the reason came from the award email she kept. Without the reason, the title says very little.
Give the year and the body that gave it. Keep student awards for early in your career, and replace them with work awards as you build a record. A school prize from fifteen years ago has little to say to a reader who is looking at your last three roles.
If you can explain why you won, say so in a few words. An award with a reason is more persuasive than a title alone.
Courses that taught you a skill
When a course matters mainly because of what you can now do, put the skill in your skills section and keep the course in the certifications list, so each one supports the other. A reader who sees "SQL" in your skills, and a course in SQL further down, believes both more.
Better still is a bullet or a project that uses the skill. A certificate says you studied it. A project says you used it.
Keeping it honest
Only list what you completed. If a certificate has expired, say so or leave it out, since a reader may check. If a course name is long, shorten it sensibly but do not change it into something grander.
Be careful with provider names. Writing the exact name of the issuing body matters more than it seems, because it lets someone confirm the item.
Common questions
- Should I list courses I am still taking?
- Yes, if they are relevant. Mark them as in progress with the expected finish date, so it is clear they are not complete.
- Do online course certificates count?
- They count as evidence that you studied a topic, and they are most useful when the course ended with an assessment or a project. List the ones that match the role, and describe what you made if there was something to show.
- Is it fine to leave off a certificate that has expired?
- Usually, yes, unless the job needs it and you plan to renew it. If you still hold the underlying skill, you can mention the skill in your experience instead.
- Should I put my license number on my resume?
- Only when the advert, the regulator or your trade expects it, for example where an employer must check a registration before you start. Otherwise the name, the issuer and the expiry year are enough, and the number can go on the application form.