If you're partway through a qualification, it can be difficult to know how to list it on your CV. Follow our top tips to show off your skills without being misleading.
Be honest
The worst thing you can possibly do on your CV is lie or exaggerate the truth. This goes for both your work experience and any qualifications you want to include. This means you can’t say you’ve completed your course if you’re only partway through.

Education is something which people frequently lie about on their CVs so you may be asked to provide proof of your qualification - especially if it’s listed as an essential requirement in the job ad.
What you should write
It’s important to be clear when including details of your in-progress qualification - you don’t want to inadvertently give the impression that you’ve completed it.

It might be tempting to simply state that your course is ‘ongoing’ or ‘in-progress’, but this can come across as a bit vague. It’s best to be as specific as possible to let employers know how far away from completion you are.

If your course has a specific end date on which you’ll graduate, you should list it like this:

Name of awarding body, qualification level and subject, date of completion: day, month, year

e.g. CIPD, Level 5 Certificate in Human Resource Management, date of completion: 10th September 2019

It’s a little trickier if your course doesn’t have a set end date as you might not be 100% certain when you’ll have the course finished by. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t provide an anticipated completion date.

You should have a rough idea of how much work you still need to do and when you need to sit any exams you have - so you can use this as a guide. If you’re struggling to estimate when you’ll finish, try asking your tutor for their input as they may be able to help you work this out.

Once you have your estimated date, you can add it into your CV like this:

Name of awarding body, qualification level and subject, expected to complete by Month, Year

e.g. AAT, Professional Diploma in Accounting, expected to complete by January 2020

If you’ve only just started the course and don’t have much of an indication when you’ll finish you can use this format:

Name of awarding body, qualification level and subject, expected to complete in Year

e.g. CIM, Level 4 Professional Certificate in Professional Marketing, expected to complete in 2020

If your course is split up into modules that are individually assessed, it might be worthwhile to list the ones that you’ve completed. This will give employers an indication of the skills and knowledge that you’ve already acquired. 

Female Hands Typing On Macbook
Where you should place it on your CV
Where you place the ‘Education’ section on your CV will depend on the type of job you’re applying for and how much work experience you have. 

If the qualification you're studying towards is listed in the essential criteria of the job description, you should make sure you show off that you're on your way to completing it by having your 'Education' section near the top of your CV.

If you don’t have much relevant work experience, your completed or in-progress qualifications may be your strongest selling point. In this case, you should place your ‘Education’ section straight after your ‘Personal Profile’.

If you have more extensive work experience in your chosen field, this will likely be what employers will be more interested in. You’ll want to put this experience further up after your ‘Personal Profile’ and then place your qualifications after your experience.

Remember to list your qualifications in reverse order with the most recent and relevant first.

 
Collected from icslearn