Unlike a traditional college course or workshop in which learning is linear and time-based, the micro-credential learning process is a unique online experience. Participants can self-pace their learning in an authentic, meaningful way. Micro-credentials are mini-qualifications that demonstrate skills, knowledge, and/or experience in a given subject area or capability. Also known as nanodegrees, micro-credentials tend to be narrower in range than traditional qualifications like diplomas or degrees. For job seekers, especially older workers, earning micro-credentials can make your résumé stand out from other candidates and demonstrate how you’ve augmented your skills over time.
LinkedIn Learning offers video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills.
Google offers career certifications in specialty areas like IT Support,
Data Analytics, Project Management, UX Design, and Android Development.
A quick search of the internet can help you identify professional development programs that fit right in with your career interests. If you’re actively conducting a job search, pay attention to the postings and job descriptions regarding what certifications or credentials prospective employers are looking for in their ideal candidates. Use that insight to search online for education providers including online services, community colleges, and nonprofit organizations that offer free or affordable training to attain those micro-credentials.
Earning micro-credentials will not negate a prospective employer’s requirements for certain educational degrees or job-specific certifications. What micro-credentials will do is help you stand out from other candidates as someone who wants to stay ahead of the curve by learning new skills or preparing for industry changes. They’ll also give you an edge during performance reviews and salary negotiations, either in your current job or when fielding an offer for a new position. Micro-credentials can enhance your personal brand and credibility, and they can often be a catalyst for networking with other professionals in your field.
You can include your micro-credentials near the end of your résumé under Professional Development or Certifications. If a specific micro-credential is a perfect fit with the job you’re applying to you can also reference it in the Summary section of your résumé and in your cover letter. Take your professional visibility one step further by including acronyms of key credentials after your name on the top of your résumé where it’s the first things a prospective employer will see, such as:
- CPA: Certified Public Accountant
- APR: Accreditation in Public Relations
- CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor
- CMP: Certified Meeting Professional
- CNP: Certified Nonprofit Professional
By utilizing all of these placement options, you ensure that recruiters, hiring managers, and applicant tracking software (ATS) will spot those important credentials. or job field. T
Having the appropriate micro-credentials on your résumé and other professional sites could take months off of your job search, as well as potentially land you in a more exciting, better-paying position in the organization or field of your choice.
Garrison Leykam, PhD
Certified Remote Work Professional
- Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC)
- Certified Professional, Résumé Writer (CPRW)
- Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP)
- Certified Life Coach (Expert Level)
- PhD Marketing, MA Psychology
- LinkedIn profile in Top 25 MA, PhD profiles in U.S.
- Top 1% LinkedIn Industry Social Selling Index
- Author, Audacious at Any Age and Design You
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