Put the qualification where the employer can find it.
List the official title, issuer, date, and expiry in a clear Qualifications section. If the advert calls it essential, bring it closer to the top. If it is unfinished or expired, say so.
Check mine freeCheck your qualifications against the advert
This check runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. It finds exact evidence in the advert, checks dates and missing details, and never invents a requirement.
What belongs in the qualifications section?
Include degrees, professional certificates, licences, regulated training, and relevant courses. Leave out a short course that adds no evidence for the role. The section should help a hiring manager verify a requirement, not make the CV look busy.
- Use the exact awarded title.
- Name the issuing body or institution.
- Add the issue or expected completion date.
- Show renewal or expiry when current status matters.
UK CV qualification examples
| Type | CV wording | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | BSc Psychology · University of Leeds · 2023 | Add the grade only when it helps or the employer asks. |
| Professional certificate | CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma · CIPD · 2025 | Use the official qualification title and issuer. |
| Licence | Emergency First Aid at Work · St John Ambulance · Expires May 2027 | Show the expiry date when current status matters. |
| In progress | ACCA Applied Skills · In progress · Expected 2027 | Name the stage completed and the expected finish. |
Required is not the same as preferred.
An essential licence can decide whether the application is eligible. A preferred certificate may strengthen the case but should not be presented as mandatory. The audit quotes the matching advert line so you can check the wording yourself.
What this audit cannot prove
It cannot know an employer's private screening rules, confirm that a certificate is genuine, or decide that an unmentioned qualification is irrelevant. It shows exact advert evidence and date checks. You make the final call.
Sources checked
UK careers guidance and qualification records checked on 23 July 2026.
Qualifications on a CV
Use a clear Qualifications or Education section. Move a mandatory licence or certification higher when the advert names it as essential. Keep the title, issuer, date, and expiry readable.
Include them when the role, apprenticeship, or early-career application asks for them. Experienced candidates can usually give more space to recent, relevant qualifications.
State that it is in progress and give the expected completion date. Do not present an unfinished course as awarded.
Keep an expired certificate only when the history is relevant and label its status clearly. Never imply that an expired licence is current.
No. The audit runs in your browser. If you choose the optional full-profile comparison, the pasted job description is kept in this tab for up to ten minutes so it can survive sign-in.