When showing certifications, should I group by subject or certification level? [closed]

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I realise this is a very trivial question, but in the continual pursuit of a perfect CV/LinkedIn:

I have several qualifications from a particular vendor. The vendors certificate 'levels' are standardised (Beginner, Advanced, Expert for example) across the different technologies, though not all technologies have certificates in all three. I now have a list along the lines of:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)

I have to list them all because many jobs require a particular certification and often the recruiter (or even the hiring manager) won't understand the 'track'. I once told someone I was an "Expert in Doors" and they then asked me if I had the "Beginner in Doors" cert as it was mandatory for the role.

However, I worry that the list is the above form is a little unwieldy. Should I perhaps group them by technology:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds

Though it doesn't look hugely more readable to me.

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

closed as primarily opinion-based by Jan Doggen, Jim G., Michael Grubey, Garrison Neely, jcmeloni Dec 3 '14 at 13:42

Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

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up vote
3
down vote

favorite

I realise this is a very trivial question, but in the continual pursuit of a perfect CV/LinkedIn:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)

However, I worry that the list is the above form is a little unwieldy. Should I perhaps group them by technology:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds

Though it doesn't look hugely more readable to me.

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

closed as primarily opinion-based by Jan Doggen, Jim G., Michael Grubey, Garrison Neely, jcmeloni Dec 3 '14 at 13:42

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

I realise this is a very trivial question, but in the continual pursuit of a perfect CV/LinkedIn:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)

However, I worry that the list is the above form is a little unwieldy. Should I perhaps group them by technology:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds

Though it doesn't look hugely more readable to me.

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

I realise this is a very trivial question, but in the continual pursuit of a perfect CV/LinkedIn:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)

However, I worry that the list is the above form is a little unwieldy. Should I perhaps group them by technology:

Vendor Certified Expert in Doors
Vendor Certified Advanced in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors
Vendor Certified Beginner in Doors (Old Version)
Vendor Certified Advanced in Windows
Vendor Certified Beginner in Sheds

Though it doesn't look hugely more readable to me.

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

asked Nov 27 '14 at 15:02

Dan

8,74133636

closed as primarily opinion-based by Jan Doggen, Jim G., Michael Grubey, Garrison Neely, jcmeloni Dec 3 '14 at 13:42

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2 Answers
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If they're the same qualification with different tiers, I normally wouldn't even bother including the lower tiers - they're redundant information. If you've got the Expert certificate, I can quite happily assume you've either done the beginner one or are capable of it.

In this case, it sounds like you've got some strange recruiters who don't understand the idea of tiering, so I'd group them tightly

Vendor Certificate in Doors [Beginner, Advanced, Expert]

Vendor Certificate in Windows [Beginner, Advanced]

etc

That way it's clear to see, but without avoiding un-necessary repetition of basic information. You may even want to reverse it to read [Expert, Advanced, Beginner] so the higher priority one is first.

Within the list, I'd put the most relevant skill or experience (in this case Doors, as it has the highest grade) at the top, and work my way to the least relevant. This typically means the most recent first, but don't take that to mean they must be in reverse chronological order... if you have a more relevant qualification from 5 years ago, that goes above a less relevant qualification from last week. Note also that if Doors was expert but you were applying for a job in Windows, you may want to put Windows first even though it's only Advanced grade.

This applies for the rest of a CV/Resume too - put the most relevant first, which usually means the most recent. Tick all their "Skills/qualifications" boxes in the first few paragraphs and they're already thinking "Oh, this is a good candidate" and can use your less important/personal stuff to convince themselves that you're a well balanced, rounded individual. Anything beyond their minimum requirements will be seen as a bonus.

edited Nov 28 '14 at 13:13

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

Thanks Job - that's an interesting approach and would certainly make things clearer.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:16

Yes, I would put Expert first in the list, because people will be skim reading
â€“Â Fiona - myaccessible.website
Nov 27 '14 at 15:19

I upvoted this as this pretty much what I do, mostly to make my resume fit on less pages.
â€“Â pi31415
Nov 28 '14 at 12:28

@pi31415 saving space is certainly one of the concerns, especially with less relevant skills/experience - I tend to make a section more concise as it drops down my CV. It's also important to avoid a wall of text, however: in this case, the two lines are far more readable than an equivalent 5-with-significant-repetition would be
â€“Â Jon Story
Nov 28 '14 at 13:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
2
down vote

There is no right or wrong way to do this, to be honest I think this question is too broad for you to get a perfectly valid answer which fits for every situation.

To me, however, it makes sense to order these from newest to latest, indicating which skills and education you gained first and how you've built on top of it.

I assume you already do this with your previous jobs, your schools and so on, so it makes similar sense to post your certifications in a similar manner.

However, an argument stating that certificates should be ordered like skills (from strongest to weakest) is perfectly equivalent aswell so you must understand there is no right or wrong way to do this.

Do what feels right.

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

Thanks - in my particular circumstance the date ordering falls down because "Doors" is my major selling point/skillset, but I've done the others to be more rounded and to backup up the peripheral work I do.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

up vote
10
down vote

In this case, it sounds like you've got some strange recruiters who don't understand the idea of tiering, so I'd group them tightly

Vendor Certificate in Doors [Beginner, Advanced, Expert]

Vendor Certificate in Windows [Beginner, Advanced]

etc

edited Nov 28 '14 at 13:13

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

Thanks Job - that's an interesting approach and would certainly make things clearer.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:16

Yes, I would put Expert first in the list, because people will be skim reading
â€“Â Fiona - myaccessible.website
Nov 27 '14 at 15:19

I upvoted this as this pretty much what I do, mostly to make my resume fit on less pages.
â€“Â pi31415
Nov 28 '14 at 12:28

@pi31415 saving space is certainly one of the concerns, especially with less relevant skills/experience - I tend to make a section more concise as it drops down my CV. It's also important to avoid a wall of text, however: in this case, the two lines are far more readable than an equivalent 5-with-significant-repetition would be
â€“Â Jon Story
Nov 28 '14 at 13:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
10
down vote

In this case, it sounds like you've got some strange recruiters who don't understand the idea of tiering, so I'd group them tightly

Vendor Certificate in Doors [Beginner, Advanced, Expert]

Vendor Certificate in Windows [Beginner, Advanced]

etc

edited Nov 28 '14 at 13:13

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

Thanks Job - that's an interesting approach and would certainly make things clearer.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:16

Yes, I would put Expert first in the list, because people will be skim reading
â€“Â Fiona - myaccessible.website
Nov 27 '14 at 15:19

I upvoted this as this pretty much what I do, mostly to make my resume fit on less pages.
â€“Â pi31415
Nov 28 '14 at 12:28

@pi31415 saving space is certainly one of the concerns, especially with less relevant skills/experience - I tend to make a section more concise as it drops down my CV. It's also important to avoid a wall of text, however: in this case, the two lines are far more readable than an equivalent 5-with-significant-repetition would be
â€“Â Jon Story
Nov 28 '14 at 13:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
10
down vote

In this case, it sounds like you've got some strange recruiters who don't understand the idea of tiering, so I'd group them tightly

Vendor Certificate in Doors [Beginner, Advanced, Expert]

Vendor Certificate in Windows [Beginner, Advanced]

etc

edited Nov 28 '14 at 13:13

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

In this case, it sounds like you've got some strange recruiters who don't understand the idea of tiering, so I'd group them tightly

Vendor Certificate in Doors [Beginner, Advanced, Expert]

Vendor Certificate in Windows [Beginner, Advanced]

etc

edited Nov 28 '14 at 13:13

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

edited Nov 28 '14 at 13:13

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:11

Jon Story

6,49022045

Thanks Job - that's an interesting approach and would certainly make things clearer.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:16

Yes, I would put Expert first in the list, because people will be skim reading
â€“Â Fiona - myaccessible.website
Nov 27 '14 at 15:19

I upvoted this as this pretty much what I do, mostly to make my resume fit on less pages.
â€“Â pi31415
Nov 28 '14 at 12:28

@pi31415 saving space is certainly one of the concerns, especially with less relevant skills/experience - I tend to make a section more concise as it drops down my CV. It's also important to avoid a wall of text, however: in this case, the two lines are far more readable than an equivalent 5-with-significant-repetition would be
â€“Â Jon Story
Nov 28 '14 at 13:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

Thanks Job - that's an interesting approach and would certainly make things clearer.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:16

Yes, I would put Expert first in the list, because people will be skim reading
â€“Â Fiona - myaccessible.website
Nov 27 '14 at 15:19

I upvoted this as this pretty much what I do, mostly to make my resume fit on less pages.
â€“Â pi31415
Nov 28 '14 at 12:28

@pi31415 saving space is certainly one of the concerns, especially with less relevant skills/experience - I tend to make a section more concise as it drops down my CV. It's also important to avoid a wall of text, however: in this case, the two lines are far more readable than an equivalent 5-with-significant-repetition would be
â€“Â Jon Story
Nov 28 '14 at 13:15

Thanks Job - that's an interesting approach and would certainly make things clearer.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:16

Yes, I would put Expert first in the list, because people will be skim reading
â€“Â Fiona - myaccessible.website
Nov 27 '14 at 15:19

I upvoted this as this pretty much what I do, mostly to make my resume fit on less pages.
â€“Â pi31415
Nov 28 '14 at 12:28

@pi31415 saving space is certainly one of the concerns, especially with less relevant skills/experience - I tend to make a section more concise as it drops down my CV. It's also important to avoid a wall of text, however: in this case, the two lines are far more readable than an equivalent 5-with-significant-repetition would be
â€“Â Jon Story
Nov 28 '14 at 13:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
2
down vote

There is no right or wrong way to do this, to be honest I think this question is too broad for you to get a perfectly valid answer which fits for every situation.

To me, however, it makes sense to order these from newest to latest, indicating which skills and education you gained first and how you've built on top of it.

I assume you already do this with your previous jobs, your schools and so on, so it makes similar sense to post your certifications in a similar manner.

Do what feels right.

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

Thanks - in my particular circumstance the date ordering falls down because "Doors" is my major selling point/skillset, but I've done the others to be more rounded and to backup up the peripheral work I do.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
2
down vote

There is no right or wrong way to do this, to be honest I think this question is too broad for you to get a perfectly valid answer which fits for every situation.

To me, however, it makes sense to order these from newest to latest, indicating which skills and education you gained first and how you've built on top of it.

I assume you already do this with your previous jobs, your schools and so on, so it makes similar sense to post your certifications in a similar manner.

Do what feels right.

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

Thanks - in my particular circumstance the date ordering falls down because "Doors" is my major selling point/skillset, but I've done the others to be more rounded and to backup up the peripheral work I do.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

up vote
2
down vote

There is no right or wrong way to do this, to be honest I think this question is too broad for you to get a perfectly valid answer which fits for every situation.

To me, however, it makes sense to order these from newest to latest, indicating which skills and education you gained first and how you've built on top of it.

I assume you already do this with your previous jobs, your schools and so on, so it makes similar sense to post your certifications in a similar manner.

Do what feels right.

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

There is no right or wrong way to do this, to be honest I think this question is too broad for you to get a perfectly valid answer which fits for every situation.

To me, however, it makes sense to order these from newest to latest, indicating which skills and education you gained first and how you've built on top of it.

I assume you already do this with your previous jobs, your schools and so on, so it makes similar sense to post your certifications in a similar manner.

Do what feels right.

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

answered Nov 27 '14 at 15:09

Jonast92

6,88122333

Thanks - in my particular circumstance the date ordering falls down because "Doors" is my major selling point/skillset, but I've done the others to be more rounded and to backup up the peripheral work I do.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

Thanks - in my particular circumstance the date ordering falls down because "Doors" is my major selling point/skillset, but I've done the others to be more rounded and to backup up the peripheral work I do.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:15

Thanks - in my particular circumstance the date ordering falls down because "Doors" is my major selling point/skillset, but I've done the others to be more rounded and to backup up the peripheral work I do.
â€“Â Dan
Nov 27 '14 at 15:15

suggest improvementsÂ |Â

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