Creating a great CV (curriculum vitae) is actually a piece of work, but when you know what you are doing, it becomes manageable. One of the issues that many individuals will raise during this process is whether or not to include their first aid and CPR certifications. You may have taken a first aid and CPR class over the summer holidays, so do you include this certification even if your career does not have first aid and CPR training as a mandatory requirement? The truth of the matter is that this is actually very important information to add to your CV.
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjacL5gqyoc”]You may be wondering, just what the importance of including your CPR certifications in your CV is, but employers are looking for the finer details that set individuals apart from the rest of the pack. So say you are the only one in a group of about ten job seekers. It is evident that you stand a great chance of getting hired. In addition to this, many employers are looking for someone who will be able to respond effectively in time of disaster. We all know that the work place is a potential place where your first aid and CPR skills may be put to the test. Knowing what to do in such a case is imperative to save lives and ensure safety.
Now that we have looked at the importance of including CPR certifications on your CV, the next question that many job seekers will have is where to include the certifications. It is best to include your certifications at the end of the CV. This means that the bottom of your CV must be inclusive of a sub-section that contains a ‘Certifications’ part. This is where you will include all your certifications. Here is a sample CV excerpt that shows you how to write your certifications.
CERTIFICATIONS
St. John Ambulance Canada, CPR/ First Aid, July 14, 2013, expiration July 14, 2014
This section of your CV will indicate the certifications you have. As you can see above, the sub section that shows the certifications you have will indicate the training centre that you attended, in this case the St. John ambulance in Canada. It also shows that you received two certifications: first aid and CPR certifications. The sub section will also show whether your certification is valid or not. This is because the certification awarded to an individual will include the period during which it is active.
As an additional tip, you may consider renewing your certification if it has expired or is nearing expiry. As with many CV builder tips, you do not want to include CPR certifications when expired as this could work against you and cause you to fail the interview. Factor in the time required to do a renewal of the certificates especially because you will have to do a series of tests to get recertified. The refresher class takes just about 2 hours, upon which in completion you will get a card to verify that you have done the course. With this, you may now include your certificates on your CV.