How to List Certifications and Licenses on a Resume

Most resumes list certifications in their own section, titled "Certifications" or "Licenses and Certifications," after education. Texas A&M's career center lists professional licenses, certifications and special training among the optional "other categories" of resume content.

Move them up when the credential is a requirement for the job. A nurse's RN license, a truck driver's CDL, a teacher's state license or an accountant's CPA license belongs in the top third of the page, either in a Licenses section right under the summary or in the summary itself. UNT Health's nursing resume guide puts it plainly: licensure and certifications must be easy to locate.

Credentials that employers screen for can also go after your name in the header, like "Dana Ortiz, BSN, RN" or "Marcus Hale, CPA." Keep the full entry in the certifications section as well, so the issuer and dates are on record.

A license is legal permission to practice, issued by a government body: a state board of nursing, a state board of accountancy, a state licensing agency for a commercial driver's license. You cannot do the job without it, so employers verify it. For nurses, NCSBN's Nursys database offers Licensure QuickConfirm, a free service employers and recruiters use to retrieve licensure and discipline records.

A certification is awarded by a professional or industry body after an exam or skills check, and it usually has to be renewed: CompTIA Security+, BLS from the American Heart Association, the PMP from PMI. A certificate shows you completed a course or program, such as a college certificate or an online course. Certificates can go on a resume too, but label them accurately. Calling a six-hour course a certification is the kind of stretch an interviewer notices.

Use one line per credential, with the details in the same order every time: full name with the acronym, issuing organization, then the date. Write both the full name and the acronym, as in "Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)," so the line matches whichever version a recruiter or applicant tracking system searches for.

For credentials that expire, show the expiration date ("exp. 06/2027"); for those that don't, show the year earned. UNT Health's sample nursing resumes do exactly this, listing the RN license with the state, active status and expiration date, and BLS with the American Heart Association and its expiration date.

Put the most relevant credential first, then the rest newest to oldest. If you hold many, group them under small labels such as Clinical, Cloud or Safety. Nurses who add credentials after their name follow the ANCC order: highest earned degree, licensure, state designations, national certifications, awards and honors, then other recognition, as in "MSN, RN, APRN, FNP-BC."

• Full name and acronym: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
• Issuing organization: American Heart Association
• Date: year earned, or expiration month and year
• State, for licenses: Registered Nurse (RN), Colorado
• License or credential number: only if the posting asks for it

Write the course name exactly as it appears on your card, the issuer and the expiration date: "Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider, American Heart Association, exp. 05/2027." The American Heart Association says its BLS Provider Course Completion Card is valid for two years, so the expiration date tells an employer whether you will need to renew before you start.

Know which card you hold. BLS is the healthcare-provider course that hospitals, clinics, dental offices and EMS agencies ask for. Layperson CPR and first aid courses, such as AHA Heartsaver CPR AED or American Red Cross CPR and first aid, fit jobs like lifeguard, childcare worker, coach, personal trainer and teacher. "CPR certified" with no issuer or date looks unverified.

For clinical roles, list the advanced cards your unit screens for in the same block as BLS: ACLS for ICU, ER and other critical care units, PALS for pediatrics, NRP for labor and delivery and the NICU, TNCC for trauma. A nurse recruiter can then confirm them at a glance.

List it only if you are actively working toward it: enrolled in the course, approved to test or holding an exam date. Write "in progress" with the expected completion date: "CompTIA Security+ (in progress), exam scheduled 01/2027."

New nurses can show licensure status the same way. UNT Health's guide uses "Eligible for RN licensure" with the month, and once you have an NCLEX date you can add it. Update the line as soon as you pass.

Do not list a certification because you bought a prep course or plan to start someday. If an interviewer asks for your exam date and you have none, the line costs you more than it earns.

Generally no, and never as if they were current. Many certifications lapse on a schedule. CompTIA Security+ is good for three years from the exam date, renews with 50 continuing education units or other approved activities, and once expired can only be regained by passing the exam again. A lapsed credential presented as active will surface the moment an employer verifies it.

If you are renewing, say so: "renewal in progress, expected 03/2027." If a credential lapsed but the knowledge still matters, put the skill in your skills section instead of claiming the certification. A past credential can stay when it explains your career path, labeled with the years held: "Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), 2016 to 2022."

Start with every credential the job posting names, required or preferred, using the posting's wording. Then add others that relate to the role. A focused section of three to six relevant credentials reads better than a long list of short courses.

Leave off credentials that have nothing to do with the job, such as a food handler card on a software engineer resume, and move short trainings to a "Professional Development" line. Keep proof handy: your card, a digital badge or a verification link, because employers in licensed fields often verify credentials before you start.

1. 1

   Gather the exact details

   Copy each credential's official name, issuer, dates and status from your card, certificate or the issuer's verification page.

2. 2

   Match them to the posting

   Mark which credentials the job lists as required or preferred, and use the same names the posting uses.

3. 3

   Choose the placement

   Required licenses go in the top third of the page; everything else goes in a Certifications section after education.

4. 4

   Write one line per credential

   Full name (acronym), issuer, and the expiration date or year earned. Add the state for licenses.

5. 5

   Check dates before you send

   Remove or relabel anything expired, and make sure in-progress items have a real expected date.

Samples for fictional job seekers. Use your own credentials and dates.

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We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.

1. UNT Health Fort Worth Career Readiness Center: Nursing Resume Guide (licensure and certification format, expiration dates, "Eligible for RN licensure")
2. American Heart Association: Basic Life Support (BLS) Training (BLS Provider Course Completion Card is valid for two years)
3. CompTIA: How Long Does the CompTIA Security+ Certification Last? (three-year validity, 50 CEUs to renew, retest after expiry)
4. National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN): License Verification with Nursys (Nursys and free Licensure QuickConfirm for employers)
5. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): How to Display Your Credentials (preferred order of credentials after a name)
6. Texas A&M University Career Center: Building Your Resume: Organizing Your Information (licenses and certifications as an additional section)