# Does putting an online certificate from Harvard on a resume do more harm than good? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950 "2023-08-23T03:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/1 "2023-08-23T03:38:27Z")
Recently got admission to a short program that had been interesting me for a while, the Harvard Business School online certificate in business analytics. My worry, though, is that if I were to put such a thing on my resume upon completion of the program, it might backfire, causing employers to sneer and think I’m trying to claim the glorious name of “Harvard” on my resume when it’s nothing but a 2-month certificate program, not a 4-year degree. Is it likelier to do harm than good? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/2 "2023-08-23T04:22:17Z")
If you complete a program, you put it on your résumé. Just make it clear that it’s not a degree, but a short certificate course. Why would you not include something that makes you more marketable? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/3 "2023-08-23T04:29:48Z")
If you’re applying for jobs in field X then saying “I studied X for two months” doesn’t seem particularly impressive to me. But if you have a long list of other impressive credentials in field X, then adding one more probably isn’t a net negative. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/4 "2023-08-23T10:59:49Z")
When considering interns and folks for our fresh-out-of-college program, I pay attention to that stuff. But if you an off-the-street hire, your work history is _vastly_ more important to me than any type of name-dropping you might put on your resume. My field is engineering, automotive, and not something like nursing or teaching where up-to-date certificates are required (and no PE’s required, generally). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/5 "2023-08-23T11:54:05Z")
I’d use it, but maybe consider where it appears and how you phrase it. Putting it near the top and saying “Harvard University Business School” would fit your scenario. But, if you have a section below your Experience section for Education, putting it below your formal education (degree), along with other certifications/completed coursework, and phrasing it like “Certificate in Business Analytics, Harvard University Business School Online Course” would probably mute your concern while still giving you due credit. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/6 "2023-08-23T12:11:48Z")
Continuing education from a reputable source should be viewed by employers as a plus, as long as it’s not overstated or given top billing on a CV. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/7 "2023-08-24T22:06:00Z")
I don’t think you need to specify it’s an online degree. Just say you have a certificate in business analytics from Harvard. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/8 "2023-08-24T22:22:26Z")
Honestly, I doubt it will help. I think prestige schools like Harvard offer such things because they know that people will pay for such stuff just because of the prestige. (One manager at my company had a tent card on his desk from a one or two-week course he took at Harvard or another such school.) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/9 "2023-08-24T23:15:08Z")
I’d tattoo it on my forehead. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/10 "2023-08-25T01:06:37Z")
I would go with the understated approach snowthx highlighted. I immediately view it with suspicion if someone implies they went to some marque school when it was a seminar, short course, summer program, etc. It tells _me_ loads about the person depending on how it is positioned. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/11 "2023-08-25T01:32:33Z")
Yes, that sounds like a good approach. Don’t oversell, but don’t undersell, either. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putting-an-online-certificate-from-harvard-on-a-resume-do-more-harm-than-good/988950/12 "2023-08-25T01:38:49Z")
Some online courses are reputable, and some are not, but I think everyone knows that one from Harvard will be reputable. It might not help you very much, but I have a hard time seeing how it could hurt.