Expired certifications, best way to deal with them?

We all have certs that expired or have ones that we will let expire in the future. My question is then what's the best way to display them when it comes to your resume? Do you following all of your titles with dates or leave out expired certs all together?

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Comments

Params7

I would say that if they are related to the position you are applying for, they definitely deserve a mention, even if they are expired.

jmasterj206

If they are expired I leave them out. If a person isn't willing to put the time in to recert on a topic that could be viewed negatively by a potential employer. For example I had my CCNA in 2003 and let it expire. Would I really have a grasp of routing and switching of 2013?...Nope.

NetworkVeteran

If they're expired, chances are, you no longer know the material well. I'd leave it off if you can't back it up. If you feel you're an exception and can back it up, simply sit the exam and obtain a new copy of the certificate. I've even leave off my 'never-expire' certificates that are more than a couple years old because I know I couldn't adequately back those up.

N2IT

I leave several off that aren't expired. The ones that are forget about it. @ NVeteran I agree Network and Security + don't make it on my resume neither does MS Project.

pert

Don't put anything on your resume you arent looking forward to answering detailed questions about.

Master Of Puppets

pert wrote: »

Don't put anything on your resume you arent looking forward to answering detailed questions about.

This! Also, I think it's important how you put it - if you have a cert in something that is expired and you want to mention it, you can just say you have some knowledge, or used to work with it. Something like that. As long as you don't say "I'm proficient in .." and something that suggests advanced knowledge, it's okay. At least this is how I have done it up until now and I haven't had any trouble. If I have a relevant skill at some level, even if it isn't the highest, I leave it on with a little explanation.

networker050184

If you are putting expired certs on your resume it tells me you aren't keeping your skills up to date. Not a good thing.

blargoe

I'd shy away from putting it on there in general, but I wouldn't say it's a one size fits all answer. For example, if it's clear that you have the requisite experience, but just didn't renew a cert that the prospective employer is looking for, I would think it is OK to mention the expired cert somewhere. There may be specific cases where it would be to your advantage to mention it, but in general, I don't think it helps to have it on there.

I do mention my expired CCNA at the bottom of my LinkedIn profile (at least, I don't remember taking it off), but I also put the date my certification expired.

boredgamelad

jmasterj206 wrote: »

For example I had my CCNA in 2003 and let it expire. Would I really have a grasp of routing and switching of 2013?...Nope.

Well, if you had been working as a network engineer for those 10 years and just decided not to re-certify, you probably would. But I agree it wouldn't be worth listing on your resume.