Q: I have done dozens of courses over the years. Now that I am refreshing my CV, should I take most of them out? Who cares that 20 years ago I did a course managing people more effectively? The world of people management has changed beyond all recognition in the meantime. Should I hit ‘delete’ on that courses, and many others? (ED, email ).
A: I can think of one person who would still be interested in the fact that you once did a course in managing people – somebody thinking of hiring you to manage people, writes Liam Horan, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers.
Yes, lots of things have changed in the past 20 years – but it was still a people management course. Relevance is often more important than chronology in career development. The fact that 20 years ago you studied to become a better people manager says a great deal about you – for one, it means you are no newcomer to this field.
I generally argue in favour of including courses on your CV. Training is no burden. However, look at tucking them away neatly so that they don’t take up undue space. Not every course needs a full line for itself on your CV –use semicolons to separate various courses and thereby ensure your CV doesn’t run to multiple pages/.
I would wager that very few people ever lost marks because of courses they’ve done. So the worst the courses can do for you is nothing: they are unlikely to result in you losing points in the eyes of the recruiters.
