Question for employers
Discussion
Futurelearn has loads of online short courses created by respected universities.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses
Do you value those courses if they're listed on CVs by applicants?
I think it demonstrates a desire to continuously be learning as well as the knowledge they've gained from the course.
Just advising a friend who is job seeking at the mo.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses
Do you value those courses if they're listed on CVs by applicants?
I think it demonstrates a desire to continuously be learning as well as the knowledge they've gained from the course.
Just advising a friend who is job seeking at the mo.
MYOB said:
I doubt anyone would put too much emphasis on the quality of the training provided if it's not a recognised/accredited professional provider. However, at the very least, it ought to demonstrate somebody's enthusiasm to learn new things.
Yeah but: (cnped from the page I linked to)ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
UEA (UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA)
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
These short courses count as units for the main degrees.
But when perusing CVs, no-one is going to look at their website to see their accreditation. It's all about having a provider that is "recognised".
I have no idea if they are "recognised" to others, but they aren't to me.
Obviously there's no harm listing the qualifications but it's another matter as to how much weight is given to them.
I have no idea if they are "recognised" to others, but they aren't to me.
Obviously there's no harm listing the qualifications but it's another matter as to how much weight is given to them.
MYOB said:
But when perusing CVs, no-one is going to look at their website to see their accreditation. It's all about having a provider that is "recognised".
I have no idea if they are "recognised" to others, but they aren't to me.
Obviously there's no harm listing the qualifications but it's another matter as to how much weight is given to them.
But in my CV, for instance, I haveI have no idea if they are "recognised" to others, but they aren't to me.
Obviously there's no harm listing the qualifications but it's another matter as to how much weight is given to them.
BSc (Hons) Mathematics, University of Warwick
So for instance with these courses on Futurelearn, you might have in your CV:
England in the Time of King Richard III (short course), University of Leicester
if applying for a relevant job.
Won't that count for anything beyond "always learning"?
(Thanks for your ongoing replies.)
I have considered doing some of these short courses, out of interest rather than anything else related to my work.
I would put them on my CV though, maybe not under 'education' but 'other interests' if nothing else, its a talking point at an interview and shows a willingness to learn other things
I would put them on my CV though, maybe not under 'education' but 'other interests' if nothing else, its a talking point at an interview and shows a willingness to learn other things
Hoofy said:
But in my CV, for instance, I have
BSc (Hons) Mathematics, University of Warwick
So for instance with these courses on Futurelearn, you might have in your CV:
England in the Time of King Richard III (short course), University of Leicester
if applying for a relevant job.
Won't that count for anything beyond "always learning"?
(Thanks for your ongoing replies.)
That's a good degree you have. BSc (Hons) Mathematics, University of Warwick
So for instance with these courses on Futurelearn, you might have in your CV:
England in the Time of King Richard III (short course), University of Leicester
if applying for a relevant job.
Won't that count for anything beyond "always learning"?
(Thanks for your ongoing replies.)
But I don't think anyone can do a short course and then list it's from a different provider, no matter if they are a "partner" organisation. Do you know if your friend has a certificate, and if so, which organisation is listed?
MYOB said:
Hoofy said:
But in my CV, for instance, I have
BSc (Hons) Mathematics, University of Warwick
So for instance with these courses on Futurelearn, you might have in your CV:
England in the Time of King Richard III (short course), University of Leicester
if applying for a relevant job.
Won't that count for anything beyond "always learning"?
(Thanks for your ongoing replies.)
That's a good degree you have. BSc (Hons) Mathematics, University of Warwick
So for instance with these courses on Futurelearn, you might have in your CV:
England in the Time of King Richard III (short course), University of Leicester
if applying for a relevant job.
Won't that count for anything beyond "always learning"?
(Thanks for your ongoing replies.)
But I don't think anyone can do a short course and then list it's from a different provider, no matter if they are a "partner" organisation. Do you know if your friend has a certificate, and if so, which organisation is listed?
The short courses are actually from the unis listed eg the history one I mentioned is by Leicester Uni. That's why I think it's kinda more impressive than the courses on Udemy which are created by private individuals (albeit experts in their own fields).
SydneyBridge said:
I have considered doing some of these short courses, out of interest rather than anything else related to my work.
I would put them on my CV though, maybe not under 'education' but 'other interests' if nothing else, its a talking point at an interview and shows a willingness to learn other things
Yeah, I've done a few for non-work purposes eg the Gravitational waves one. I am under no illusion that NASA will recruit me based purely on an 8 week online course even if it was run by Université Paris Diderot. I would put them on my CV though, maybe not under 'education' but 'other interests' if nothing else, its a talking point at an interview and shows a willingness to learn other things
At the end of the day, it's okay to be "creative" with CVs as long as they are factually correct and can be substantiated if asked. In my experience, not many people are asked to bring in certificates to prove their qualifications. But no-one wants to be caught out one day by a full blown lie that had been uncovered during the recruitment process.
If your friend can substantiate the "creative" entry, then proceed. By having the dates listed too, it will be clear this is a short course provided by the said university. Your friend may be asked in an interview about this course. Your friend should simply be honest and this will avoid any confusion.
If your friend can substantiate the "creative" entry, then proceed. By having the dates listed too, it will be clear this is a short course provided by the said university. Your friend may be asked in an interview about this course. Your friend should simply be honest and this will avoid any confusion.
MYOB said:
At the end of the day, it's okay to be "creative" with CVs as long as they are factually correct and can be substantiated if asked. In my experience, not many people are asked to bring in certificates to prove their qualifications. But no-one wants to be caught out one day by a full blown lie that had been uncovered during the recruitment process.
If your friend can substantiate the "creative" entry, then proceed. By having the dates listed too, it will be clear this is a short course provided by the said university. Your friend may be asked in an interview about this course. Your friend should simply be honest and this will avoid any confusion.
I see where you're coming from.If your friend can substantiate the "creative" entry, then proceed. By having the dates listed too, it will be clear this is a short course provided by the said university. Your friend may be asked in an interview about this course. Your friend should simply be honest and this will avoid any confusion.
I wasn't suggesting that it could be used to pretend the course is anything other than a short course.
With this in mind, would you find it relevant if such short courses were put on a CV?
MYOB said:
There's never any harm putting down courses to demonstrate enthusiasm for learning.
But be realistic and selective because there's no point listing every course attended throughout one's career. Only have it on the CV if it's relevant.
Sure - so it is worthwhile putting on the CV then.But be realistic and selective because there's no point listing every course attended throughout one's career. Only have it on the CV if it's relevant.
The part of the CV where one demonstrates ones qualifications and continuing professional development should be titled ‘Continuing Professional Development’.
It should show highest academic qualification and only go two down e.g. if one has a Masters, then only show the first degree or equivalent ahead of that; no need to go down to A levels or equivalent.
The rest of the entry should demonstrate how you have improved yourself over the last 3-5 years where it is directly relevant to the role being applied for.
Show course/activity, provider and year. Always strive to have at least one relevant entry per year to demonstrate the ‘Continuing’ bit. As mentioned above, keep evidence of any entrys. If you don’t have evidence, don’t list it.
When I’m shortlisting, I will always look for the CPD component first to get a feel for how serious the candidate takes their profession/trade. A missing or weak CPD section usually correlates to those candidates who don’t get shortlisted.
Hope that helps.
It should show highest academic qualification and only go two down e.g. if one has a Masters, then only show the first degree or equivalent ahead of that; no need to go down to A levels or equivalent.
The rest of the entry should demonstrate how you have improved yourself over the last 3-5 years where it is directly relevant to the role being applied for.
Show course/activity, provider and year. Always strive to have at least one relevant entry per year to demonstrate the ‘Continuing’ bit. As mentioned above, keep evidence of any entrys. If you don’t have evidence, don’t list it.
When I’m shortlisting, I will always look for the CPD component first to get a feel for how serious the candidate takes their profession/trade. A missing or weak CPD section usually correlates to those candidates who don’t get shortlisted.
Hope that helps.
rog007 said:
The part of the CV where one demonstrates ones qualifications and continuing professional development should be titled ‘Continuing Professional Development’.
It should show highest academic qualification and only go two down e.g. if one has a Masters, then only show the first degree or equivalent ahead of that; no need to go down to A levels or equivalent.
The rest of the entry should demonstrate how you have improved yourself over the last 3-5 years where it is directly relevant to the role being applied for.
Show course/activity, provider and year. Always strive to have at least one relevant entry per year to demonstrate the ‘Continuing’ bit. As mentioned above, keep evidence of any entrys. If you don’t have evidence, don’t list it.
When I’m shortlisting, I will always look for the CPD component first to get a feel for how serious the candidate takes their profession/trade. A missing or weak CPD section usually correlates to those candidates who don’t get shortlisted.
Hope that helps.
Thanks, useful stuff re CPD. I think I need to update my own CV. It should show highest academic qualification and only go two down e.g. if one has a Masters, then only show the first degree or equivalent ahead of that; no need to go down to A levels or equivalent.
The rest of the entry should demonstrate how you have improved yourself over the last 3-5 years where it is directly relevant to the role being applied for.
Show course/activity, provider and year. Always strive to have at least one relevant entry per year to demonstrate the ‘Continuing’ bit. As mentioned above, keep evidence of any entrys. If you don’t have evidence, don’t list it.
When I’m shortlisting, I will always look for the CPD component first to get a feel for how serious the candidate takes their profession/trade. A missing or weak CPD section usually correlates to those candidates who don’t get shortlisted.
Hope that helps.
SydneyBridge said:
Rog, should a short course still be on your cv if done purely for interest and nothing to do with that person's job or career ?
It’s not about their job or career, it’s about the role being applied for.You have limited space on a CV (2 sides max is good practice) so there is little room for irrelevant stuff. If the job being applied for does not for example require a working at height qualification, think hard before you list it.
Hope that helps
Hoofy said:
I see where you're coming from.
I wasn't suggesting that it could be used to pretend the course is anything other than a short course.
With this in mind, would you find it relevant if such short courses were put on a CV?
No, not really. It is not a negative, but it’s like when my friend advised me to take the trolley pushing off my application for a banking job.I wasn't suggesting that it could be used to pretend the course is anything other than a short course.
With this in mind, would you find it relevant if such short courses were put on a CV?
The point was that it didn’t add much, and looked a bit like CV stuffing to mask a lack of more relevant or substantive entries.
I think MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have made 'massive' progressive in the last few years. This is the future of continuous learning and augmenting a degree in my opinion. There isn't an easy way to list these on CVs. Go for certification from well regarded universities and then you can at least list them under achievements/certificates/professional qualifications section.
The most attractive thing on your CV is always your work experience, what you've delivered and skills you have developed in that setting. You need to focus on that.
The most attractive thing on your CV is always your work experience, what you've delivered and skills you have developed in that setting. You need to focus on that.
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