The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) is a training program which educates and certifies trainees in the proper care and documentation of personal information during research.
Many research programs will require all key personnel to be certified in order to obtain IRB approval for the project. How can you present this certification on a resume?
How to Put CITI Certification on a Resume
A CITI certification should be included in the certifications section on a resume. Include the date you became certified and do not include expired certifications. For those who specifically work in the research industry, this information may be placed in the summary section.
A CITI certification is more than just an asset to a job-seeker, it is often a necessity in certain fields or jobs.
Professional research projects typically require Institutional Review Board (IRB) to approve the methods of the project researchers before it can be considered a valid study.
These types of research projects are typical in university and post-graduate studies, as well as professional research in labs and institutions.
The CITI acronym is well-known by all in these fields, so it is an excellent idea to include this certification on a resume for research jobs.
Because CITI is a certification, it fits best in the certifications section on a resume. It is best not to have only a single item in any resume section, so try to include at least one other certification here such as Series 7 or Six Sigma on your resume.
How to include a CITI certification in the certifications section
A CITI certification should be listed in the abbreviated form on your resume. Include CITI Certification as the title and list the date beside it. There is no need to give additional information about this award, as it should only be listed when applying for relevant jobs.
CITI certifications need to be renewed every 3 years, so it is important to also include the date that you acquired or last renewed it.
List the date as the month and year only, as including the day for any dates is uncommon on a resume.
If your certification has lapsed, do not include it on your resume. Expired certifications should never be included on a resume unless you are currently in the process of renewal. They add nothing positive for your resume, therefore should not be included.
When formatted properly, a CITI certification listed in the certifications section will look as follows:
Whether or not you hold a CITI certification makes no difference to jobs outside of the research industry.
If you feel as if an employer will not understand what CITI means without any added context, then it probably isn’t meant to be included on that resume.
Keep this certification simple inside of the certifications section, and your resume will look neater and clearer for your new potential employer.
Bullet points should not be used in this instance because they will clutter the section without providing valuable information.
For those who have a larger amount of experience and wish to include some of their achievements in a summary section, the CITI certification may be included there as well.
This is best when applying for relevant jobs, because it is a powerful way to show an employer that you are prepared for the research position.
How to include a CITI certification in the summary section of a resume
Include the CITI certification in a sentence describing yourself and your qualifications. The summary section should be comprised of full sentences without the use of personal pronouns. Do not go into detail about what CITI means, as the reader should already know.
The purpose of a summary section is to summarize a person’s main skillset, current occupation, current or assumed goals, and achievements.
This is meant to give an employer an overview of the applicant within the first few seconds of reading the resume.
When done correctly, this can catch an employer’s eye among many other resumes they are reading. Brevity is crucial to keep in mind when writing, as it’s easy to get wordy when writing in full sentences.
CITI should be written as an abbreviation in this section.
Include the CITI certification in a sentence about you and your experience. It’s best to include the number of years you have in the industry in this sentence as well.
When formatted correctly, this will look as follows:
Summary
A dedicated research assistant and CITI certification holder with over 6 years of experience in the food science industry. Experienced in surveying techniques, nutrition, lab safety, and compiling data. Currently seeking a full-time position due to recent relocation.
Note that the CITI certification is only briefly mentioned in the summary, and yet it stands out. Since the summary section is at the top of one’s resume below the contact information, anything written here will be noted by a potential employer.
Linking your CITI certification on a resume
The official CITI website will provide a link to your proof of certification upon completion. This information may be required by a future employer, so it is important to note.
It is not recommended to include links on your resume, but you should know how to access this information when asked.
It is not advisable to include links on a resume because they are often very long and cannot be clicked when printed out.
Only in situations where you are sending a resume by email is it possible to embed a link within text, so it is best to avoid using them altogether.
If an employer asks for proof of certification, you can print out a hard copy and bring it with you on your interview date. You can also send them the link by email, as it is accessible to anyone who is given your credentials.
Make sure that the link is accessible by someone who is not logged in to your account by checking it on a different device, or by using an incognito internet browser.
Giving an employer a false link is a big mistake, and they may not go through the trouble of contacting you to correct it.
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