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How to Add Coursera Credentials to Your Resume
January 19, 2021
Download this Guide in PDF format
Congratulations on completing your Coursera course or program! It’s now time to let the world know about your new skills and accomplishments.
The first thing to remember as you begin the process of determining how best to feature your achievements on your resume, is that a resume is a tool you can use to showcase your unique talents, skills, and experience. It is not some fixed and locked template that you have to figure out how to squeeze yourself into.
A resume is made up of different sections, each of which can be optimized to present yourself in the best light possible. Adding a new credential is a part of the process, but there are also additional ways that you can highlight your newfound skills and demonstrate the value you can bring to an organization. Here are some key things to consider about your Coursera training as you prepare to update your resume:
- What did you learn? Be specific about the skills you learned on Coursera. Recruiters and hiring managers need to know exactly what functions you’re able to perform so they can determine if you’re a good fit for the job.
- What are you proud of? Completing Coursera courses and earning credentials can be hard work, and the ability to persevere in the face of challenges is a very valuable skill. Make sure to communicate not just what you achieved, but what you had to do to get there. Demonstrating self-motivation, work ethic, and tenacity is a great way to show employers you’re the right choice for the role.
- What is most important for the reader to know? Employers may or may not be familiar with Coursera or the specific course or program you’ve completed. Consider what they need to know about the program in order to be able to evaluate your learnings and accomplishments, and add additional information as necessary to make it clear what you learned, how you learned it, and how you applied what you learned.
Once you know what you want to communicate to employers about your Coursera experience, you can determine which resume sections are best suited to conveying that information. Below is a list of the major resume sections you’ll want to use, with guidance on how to optimize each section.
Education section
Depending on the type of credential you’ve earned, you may have questions about where to place it on your resume—should you list it under Education, or in a different section such as Training and Certifications?
Unless there is a specific reason not to, you should list Coursera credentials in your Education section.
One reason why you might want to make an exception is if your previously earned academic credentials are in a field unrelated to the role you’re pursuing. In that case, it can be advantageous to separately highlight your Coursera credential at the top of your resume, to make clear your current focus to anyone reading your resume. But in most cases, Education is the appropriate location.
When adding Coursera credentials to this section, you should follow the standard best practices for listing education on your resume and include the following information:
- Name . This is the official title of the course or program you completed. Example: Big Data MasterTrack(™) Certificate, Digital Marketing Analytics Course, Master of Computer Science
- Education provider . This is the name of the university or industry partner who created the course or program. Example: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IBM
- Completion date
- GPA (degrees only)
- Summary . Here, you’ll want to include a short overview of the program so that those not familiar with Coursera will understand what was covered. Example: Four-course program covering health system development, policy and research, health service delivery, human resources for health; includes a hands-on Capstone project.
Skills section
The Skills section is usually located above the Professional Experience section of your resume. An employer should be able to read this section and easily determine that you’re qualified for the role, so make sure to include the job-relevant skills you’ve learned on Coursera.
For a non-technical role, the Skills sections can consist of 4-8 short bullets detailing your core skills (also known as Areas of Expertise) organized in two or three columns. Focus on quantifiable skills like copywriting, agile project management, Google Analytics, or sales funnel management.
For a technical role, the Skills list can be longer and be organized by type, i.e., software, programming languages, hardware, data analytics, or any other categories that apply.
Projects section
This is where you want to feature any job-relevant projects you’ve completed on Coursera. Projects are a great way to demonstrate to employers what you can accomplish using your skills, especially if you are starting a new career and don’t have other professional experience.
When including a Projects section, always focus on what’s most important for the employer:
- List out a maximum of 3-5 projects. You want to avoid overwhelming the reader with too much information.
- Summarize each project, explain the context, and include numbers to show the scope. When applicable, link out to additional information on the projects, such as your Github repository.
- Include measurable outcomes to demonstrate your accomplishments.
Don’t worry if you haven’t completed any projects as part of your Coursera coursework. It’s not a requirement that you have them. However, it is important to remember that any time you can demonstrate your real-world skills, you should try to do so. What you want is to convince a potential employer that you already have the skills and experience to perform the role you’re applying for.
Other sections
If the information you wanted to communicate to the employers doesn’t fit under the Education, Skills, or Projects sections, consider other existing or additional resume sections, such as Summary, Accomplishments, Hobbies and Interests, etc.
Remember that the resume structure should support the information you want to communicate. As long as you follow the standard best practices for resume writing , you can add and organize sections in whatever way allows you to clearly tell your story.
Learning on Coursera is an excellent way to master job-ready skills, earn valuable credentials, and advance your career. Your resume is how you’ll showcase these accomplishments to recruiters and hiring managers, as well as your network. It’s important to present your skills and experience in the best light possible, and in a way that makes it easy for potential employers to see that you’re the right candidate for the job. When you’re able to clearly demonstrate how learning on Coursera has prepared you for success in your target role, you can be sure to get the kind of attention you deserve whenever you apply for a new opportunity.
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How and When To Put Coursera Certificates on a Resume
Is Coursera good for your resume? And what courses should you list? Here’s everything you need to know about how to put Coursera on a resume.
2 years ago • 4 min read
With over 5,000 accredited courses, certificates, and full degree programs from some of the best companies and schools around the world, Coursera seems like a pretty good way to boost your skills … right?
Right! Here’s everything you need to know about how to list a Coursera certificate on your resume, which courses belong on your resume (and which don’t), and how to choose the best Coursera programs.
How to put Coursera on a resume
- Choose where to list it. If the course was very significant, you can create a separate “ Certifications and Qualifications ” section, otherwise it can go in an “Additional Information” section (or under “ Education ” if you completed the course but didn’t get the certificate).
- Create a meaningful heading and/or subheading to help your certificates stand out.
- List the exact name of the course.
- Include the name of the provider — Coursera offers courses from multiple external providers, so it matters whether the certificate is from Google from Big Al’s Data World.
- List the date you completed the course — the more recently you completed it, the more relevant it’s likely to be.
- Be clear about whether you gained a degree, certificate, or just completed the course.
- Include related skills and projects in other sections of your resume — adding a link to your GitHub or online portfolio is even better.
- When you’re done, run your resume through Score My Resume to see how well you’ve covered related skills and keywords.
If you're not sure if you've listed your coursera certificate on your resume the right way, upload it to the tool below – it'll scan it and give you detailed feedback and suggestions on how to improve your resume.
Listing Coursera on a resume: Pros vs cons
Like anything else on your resume, whether to list Coursera certificates on your resume depends on:
- How relevant it is to the job you’re applying for
- Whether you picked up important skills or accomplishments as part of the course
- Whether you have more impressive experience to list instead
Let’s dive into when listing Coursera is good for your resume — and when it isn’t.
When to put a Coursera certificate on your resume
A Coursera certificate might look good on your resume if:
- You completed a long or substantive course
- You finished an entire bachelor’s (or other) degree program
- You completed a course from a reputable provider
- You want to highlight a significant project or other accomplishment from the course
- The course was directly relevant to your new role
- You’re looking for a way to add targeted keywords to your resume
- You’re changing careers
- You’re just starting out and want to indicate genuine interest in the field
- You don’t have much other relevant experience (including volunteer work , internships , or personal projects)
When to leave Coursera off your resume
On the other hand, it probably isn’t worth including Coursera on your resume if:
- You completed a very short, unaccredited, or beginner-level course
- You’ve completed multiple short courses
- You completed courses that aren’t particularly relevant to the job you’re applying for
- You completed the course but didn’t retain technical skills
- You have actual work experience in the same area
- You have a better way of demonstrating your skills — for example, linking to a GitHub or online portfolio is more compelling than just including a programming certificate
Related : How (And When) To List a Udemy Certificate on Your Resume
The best Coursera certificates to include on your resume
The best Coursera certificates for your resume are generally technical skills-based courses from well-known providers . Here’s a list of some of the Coursera certificates most highly regarded by recruiters to get your started:
- Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
- Google IT Support Professional Certificate
- Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate
- ICPM Certified Supervisor Professional Certificate
- IBM AI Foundations for Business Specialization
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- Getting Started with AWS Machine Learning
- Cloud Architect Professional Certificate
- Security in Google Cloud Specialization
- AWS Fundamentals Specialization
- Google Project Management Professional Certificate
- Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
- Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate
- Meta Marketing Analytics Professional Certificate
- Intuit Bookkeeping Professional Certificate
If you know what technical skills you need to brush up on, try searching for Coursera courses that target those areas. If you aren't sure, use the skills and keywords tool below to find the right skills based on your desired industry or job title.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can i get a job with just a coursera certificate.
A Coursera certificate alone is unlikely to land you a job, but it can make the difference in getting an interview, especially if you don’t have a lot of other relevant experience. Be prepared to talk about the specific skills you picked up, how you applied them, and any transferable skills from previous jobs.
Should I pay for a Coursera certificate?
There’s no cut and dried answer to this question. Ultimately, it depends on:
- The size of the course (the longer or more substantive the course, the more value a certificate will have)
- The course provider — certificates from more reputable providers will look better on a resume
- How relevant it is to the job(s) you’re applying for
- How easily you can afford to pay for the certificate
If you can’t afford it, it’s fine to skip the badge and simply list the course on your resume alongside any relevant hard skills or projects.
Can I list Coursera on my resume even if I don’t have a certificate?
You can list Coursera courses on your resume even if you don’t have a certificate for them, but don’t put them in a “Certifications” section or claim to have an official certificate if you don’t. Instead, list the course in your education section or in an “Additional Information” section.
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Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
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