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Subject:RE: certificates and the current job market From:kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 5 Dec 2001 07:04:54 -0700
Barry wrote:
> ...But sometimes
> it is nice to list a certificate rather then a bunch of classes on your
> resume (to some resume screeners that is, but not all).
This is a valid point, but don't shortchange yourself.
If your certificate gave you some high-level skills in specific topics
such as HTML, XML, Photoshop, etc., make sure you list each of those
skills SOMEWHERE on your resume - otherwise the resume screeners will
never know, and they ARE looking for buzzwords like that.
If, for example, you simply wrote "Certificate in Advanced Technical
Writing" on your resume, they'd never know you knew any XML.
Some certificates are product-specific, such as Adobe certification and
MCSE. Those are pretty clearly named, and a screener should be able to
pick up on these. However, Ellen was talking about the kind of
certification offered by local colleges, and I got the impression that
these certificates were in more vague areas like "Web Design,"
"Programming," etc. In those cases, you want to make sure the screener
knows what skills you acquired in getting certified.
So, certificate or not, I feel it's crucial to list the specific skills
you acquired through the courses you took, particularly if one of your
primary goals in taking these courses was to increase your marketability.
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