Whether you’re job hunting for the first time or looking to make a career change, your resume is your first chance to make a good impression on potential employers. Including credentials that are specific to a job you’re applying for are not only important to show the employer you’re qualified for the position, they’re further a way you can stand out among the hundreds of other applicants.
Start validating (and keeping) your own credentials
What are credentials?
Credentials are generally seen as any piece of information that indicates an individual’s qualification to perform a certain task or job.
These can include anything that demonstrates an individual’s ability and qualification to do certain work, such as a university degree or college diploma, a Microsoft certification, a driver’s licence, or even testimonials. They can be crucial—if not mandatory—to work in a particular field, so they should be emphasized most on your resume or CV.
There are four kinds of resume credentials you should always include:
· Degrees or Diplomas. Perhaps the most recognized type of credential is a university degree or college diploma.
These are often required for certain job positions. For example, a college professor typically needs a Master’s degree or PhD to teach at the university level. Likewise, a medical doctor requires a medical degree from an accredited university.
· Licences. Many careers require an individual to possess a licence before they perform specialized duties. These are usually mandatory to verify you’re qualified to perform a task like operating machinery or practicing medicine.
· Certificates. Certificates are similar to degrees, but they usually signify that an individual has successfully completed some kind of shorter program or training. Certificates are popular in many health-related fields, including laboratory technology and phlebotomy.
· Certifications. Not to be confused with certificates, certifications are indicators of an individual’s specialized knowledge and skills that have been assessed or demonstrated through an objective. Certifications are especially valuable in the tech world, although they also appear in other fields. For example, a digital marketing professional might obtain a certification in marketing analytics or search engine optimization (SEO).
In addition, many industries offer certifications that signify a member of that industry has completed special training or courses to gain expertise in a certain area.
You may also see some certifications referred to as “badges.” This is generally seen in the tech industry, where sites or individuals can display badges online to show that they’ve obtained certifications.
Why are resume credentials important for your resume?
Not only are credentials important for demonstrating to the employer you’re suited to the job at hand, credentials are also significant for the following:
· Making more money. Credentials can also help you land higher-paying jobs with medical or other benefits. When you’re certified in a certain field or hold a diploma in your profession, you can command a higher wage or salary.
· Making your application stand out. With the increasing popularity of businesses switching to working remote, more and more applicants will be applying for jobs from all around the world, making job positions more competitive than ever.
Though you may have all the qualifications the employer is asking for on the job posting, having more credentials that apply to the position than asked may be what makes your application stand out from the rest.
How can you prove your resume credentials are authentic?
Unfortunately, the reality is, many candidates commit resume fraud or lie on their job applications to make themselves seem more qualified than they actually are.
Resume fraud can often cause employers to miss genuinely qualified candidates, such as yourself. So, how do you prove to employers your credentials are verified so that they know your application is worth looking at, and is guaranteed to be what they’re looking for?
Whether it’s in measuring your suitability to a specific field or job position, or in verifying your credentials to let employers know you’re guaranteed to be the right fit for a job, Workwolf is here for you. Once your credentials are verified, Workwolf makes sharing your secure and verified information with employers easy.
These credentials can be updated any time, and employers can only access them with your permission.
