4 Quick Free Courses To Boost Your CV

Now that 2023 is in full swing, your ‘rents might start knocking on your bedroom door, asking you when you’re going to start looking for a job instead of scrolling TikTok all day. Now, regardless of how accurate that accusation is, we can also recognise that looking for a job can be a bit of a slog, especially when your resume only has a couple of dot points on there.

Rather than filling it out with ‘Zone Cross Country Participation Award (2012)’, why not pick up a couple of free online courses? You can do them at your own pace, give your CV a boost, and some of them even come with their own microcredentials.

You might be wondering what microcredentials are. Basically, education providers and employers got together and realised that you shouldn’t have to do a three year degree, or even a one-year Certificate or Diploma if you just want to learn one skill. Enter the microcredential. It’s a way of showing that you have the right skills, without so much of the red tape.

They’re still pretty new in the game, but are going to spread like crazy over the next few years - especially in the tech sector. 

So let’s get into it, and take a look at some short courses and microcredentials you can do over a few weeks.
 

Online Data Security (via Khan Academy)

Data security’s been pretty big in the headlines over the past few months, and for good reason. Companies hold some pretty sensitive information about their customers - stuff like home addresses, phone numbers, emails and credit card information, which makes them juicy targets for hackers and identity thieves.

Surprisingly, most of the time there’s a big data leak, it isn’t from some super-sophisticated hacker attack using cutting edge technology. The majority of hacks happen because of simple user error, and people not taking the time out to set up failsafes like 2-factor authentication.

Online security is a useful skill pretty much anywhere, and you can get yourself up to speed with this free short course.
 

Excel for the 99% (via edX)

I know, I know - Excel looks very boring when you see it from the outside. Despite all the jokes, Excel (and its cousin Google Sheets) are still a big part of just about any workplace, and while you don’t need to be a whiz, you’ll be surprised at how much you can do with just a few basic excel skills. Plus, it’s one of those skills areas where people at work get surprisingly impressed when you show that you can do something like a formula or a pivot table. 

It’s not just for work either. If you’re the planner of your friendship group, Excel is a godsend. You can compare accommodation options, plan an itinerary or track expenses without having to download an app full of notifications and microtransactions.
 

Write better cover letters (via Accenture)

Anyone who’s applied for jobs before knows that cover letters can be the absolute pits to write. That being said, there’s no denying that they’re important. They’re your chance to show before the interview that you’re more than your list of qualifications and experience. For roles where you’re expected to have good communication skills, it’s super-important that you nail your cover letter. No use having ‘attention to detail’ in your resume if your cover letter is sloppy as.

This is a super-quick course to give you a rundown on the fundamentals of a good cover letter. It’s there to help you show the company how much of a star you really are!
 

Build your very first iOS app (via edX)

Do you reckon you have an idea for the next big thing? If you’re looking to make an app for the Apple ecosystem, you’ll need to use a specially-made coding language called Swift (or at least know how to talk to someone who knows how to code in Swift). Luckily, this course takes you through all the basics of app-building, including using the developer tools, how to have conversations with iOS developers and how to design, develop and build your own simple iOS apps!

The great thing about this course is that it’s based around hands-on learning. Plus, you don’t need to have any prior programming experience to get started.
 

So if you have a little spare time on your hands, why not take a look at some of these courses? And if those don’t take your fancy, there’s a huge list of free courses over at Skill Finder for your browsing pleasure. 

However, if you’ve gotten to the bottom of this article and you’re not super-convinced that digital skills are important to have, then may we recommend you check out Digiskills? 

It’s our own free short course which is all about what the future holds, and how to build a career that will go the distance.