There exists what people often refer to as a “credentials arms race”, wherein every subsequent generation of workers is forced to continuously seek higher and a great number of credentials to meet increasingly stringent technical and experience requirements to thrive in the modern labour market.

The response to this has been innumerable companies and institutions seeking to satisfy the demand with countless credential and certification programs. Picking the right ones can be difficult, but it is something that most contemporary jobseekers must come to terms with.

On-the-job experience is still, more or less, king when it comes to what recruiters and employers are looking to see on a resume, but there are some training and education additions you can make that will add value no matter which role you are applying for.

Below are the top certificates that every recruiter wants to see on a resume.

Marketing

You don’t necessarily need to be applying for a marketing-specific job in order for a marketing certification to stand out on a resume. A contemporary marketing certification is valuable because it implies that you have a wide range of skills that are beneficial to business in the digital era, including an ability to analyze and use data, an understanding of the necessity of automation, and, perhaps above all else, an ability to segment and deeply understand a business’ customers and what they want. If you are going to be pursuing a marketing education or certification, you will be exposed to the full spectrum of marketing functions and channel specialization.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity designations are especially important if you are looking to work in IT, but it is a good certification to have on a resume regardless of where in a company you will be working. This is because cybersecurity threats are way up and businesses large and small have to contend with this new reality while rapidly adopting and scaling technology and automation. The scores of remote workers who continue to access company servers and networks from home also greatly complicate matters.

A cybersecurity designation shows an employer that you are well-versed in cybersecurity best practices, are current on recent trends and threats, can pass this knowledge and information along to your coworkers if necessary, and that you will make good cybersecurity decisions no matter where you work.

Translation

In a global economy, labour market and a constantly shrinking and integrating global marketplace, multilingualism is a major advantage basically no matter what you decide to do. The more relevance a person’s additional languages have for a given position, company or industry the more value they will add, but recruiters and employers are always happy to see that a person speaks more than one language.

Keep in mind that you should only put a foreign language on a resume if you are highly proficient in it. It is common for people to take liberties when including additional languages on their CVs and to claim that they speak X or Y language when all they really have is a couple of university credits. A translation certificate is an important indicator of how well you can speak and write a language because in order to be accredited you need to have passed a series of rigorous exams testing your proficiency.

Sales

Sales certifications are, of course, good to have if you are working in a sales-related job, but sales skills and training serve a person well no matter where in an organization they work. Most good recruiters understand this, as do managers, since sales skills are additionally useful when inspiring and motivating employees and conveying and advocating for ideas. A good salesperson is someone who is able to not only sell a company’s products and services, but to communicate effectively and who understands the importance of relationship building and management.

---

---

Software Certifications

There are many different software certifications you can get based on your niche and career path. There are customer service, marketing, analytics and a variety of other specialized software engineer certs out there that speak highly of a person's digital skills. It is a good idea to carefully consider which software you are likely to be working with in a given industry before looking into a certification or bootcamp.

Government Certifications

Government certifications are not always immediately the most obvious to people looking for ways to boost their qualifications on a resume, but they can be great complements to a professional career. There are government certifications in IT and cybersecurity, government-related program and project management, and public affairs and communication that all have broad inter-industry relevance and applications.

Programming Certifications

If you think your role will require you to have coding knowledge or simply if you plan on looking for employment in an industry or at a company where you will be expected to interact and collaborate with programmers and other tech-savvy people, a programming certification can make a world of difference. Whether you study Java, HTML, CSS, Python or any of the many common languages, a programming cert looks good and speaks to your ability to think logically, and your attention to detail and analytical skills.

HR

Human resources certifications are also looked upon favourably across industries because these give learners a broad understanding of the labour regulations and compliance as well as the organizational behavioural theory that underpins administering and making use of human capital in the modern workplace. HR certifications are often explicitly required in order to work in human resources, but they are also nice compliments for any management or leadership position.

---

---

Conclusion

With so many potential certification options out there, it can be hard to know which ones you should focus your efforts on, or which to really emphasize on a resume when you are applying for a wide range of different jobs. While industry and role-specific certifications are always going to be looked upon favourably when doing certain jobs, there are some, such as the above, that make a good impression on recruiters and hiring managers regardless of where in a company you might end up working.

---