Proper Order To Present Certifications

MJohnsonres

Hello Everyone,

I only have one current certification but noticed those of you who have multiple certifications.

What is the proper order (if any) to present your certifications or does it really matter at all?

: i.e. Lowest to highest, highest to lowest, by area of expertise

Just wondering...

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Comments

ptilsen

I like to sort by vendor, in order of age/career level of the certification. E.g.:
Comptia A+, Net+, Sec+
MCSA, MCSE
CCNA, CCNA Security
SSCP, CISSP

But, that's just how I do it. There's an argument to be made that most valuable certs get top billing. On that note, I believe I do list my MS certifications above by CompTIA, or probably would now that I'm thinking about it.

NetworkVeteran

You mean on a resume? I only list certifications that are appropriate for the role(s) I seek and my skill level, so valid entry-level certifications don't appear on my resume.

dave330i

I have a company resume which list my certs in chronological order (newest first). I have a personal resume which list the important ones first. Personally prefer to list the important ones first.

webgeek

I list them in alphabetical order on my resume....A+ ce, Network+ ce, Security+ ce

Iristheangel

I put them in order of importance/skill such as Cissp going first, mid level certs next, and comptia last.

boredgamelad

Highest level cert goes first on mine.

antielvis

I have over a dozen certifications, so I break them down into categories on the resume (Comptia, Microsoft, CISCO).

You should ALWAYS put all your certifications on your resume. If your resume is passed by a recruiter for a specific job & you don't get it, they may well have something else open they could offer you. I know in the USA that the job market is tight & sometimes that second opportunity can be a good thing.

NetworkVeteran

antielvis wrote: »

You should ALWAYS put all your certifications on your resume.

Nah. If a hiring manager wants a CCNA, the job is not a fit. I think I'm not alone in getting too many rather than too few "opportunities". I only need a few good ones. Similarly, I'm not in the market for web development, so posting my certifications related to that would be silly.

Never choose always or never on a test.

networker050184

If you are putting your resume on a job site then I think its a good idea to list the lower level certifications you have even if you have acquired higher ones. These are often pulled by key word search and it would be a shame to miss out on a good opportunity because your resume wasn't pulled when some recruiter searched on CCNA+CCNP instead of CCNA or CCNP etc.

If you are sending a specialized resume to a particular company then it should be customized to fit the specific job requirements.

ptilsen

I'm inclined to agree with NetVeteran on this. If I were to go back on the market, I'd consider dropping at least my A+, and certainly wouldn't list my ACN "Competency". I probably won't even list my AAS degree after I finish my B.S. I don't really have that much in the line of certs or education, and I already get plenty of opportunities. Once you hit that career level and get your resume to that quality, the low-level or irrelevant certs are just spam magnets.

Ahriakin

On a resume it depends. When hanging one out there, the most marketable/high level goes first. When asked to submit a resume for a position then it depends on the job requirements, the highest level in the primary function goes first.

GoodBishop

I recently redid mine on Linked in. I put my highest one first, CISSP, then I put the next highest, CISA/CISM/CGEIT/CRISC, then I put the next highest, CIPP/US and CIPP/IT, and so forth.

When I get the CEH, that will go below the CRISC, and when I get the ISSAP, that will go below the CISSP.

MJohnsonres

Thank you to everyone for your help!