CV Skills with free online courses
Applying for a new job can be nerve-wracking, especially when you realise the job you're going for requires key skills that you don't have on your CV.
Lucky for you, we've rounded up 10 CV skills with free online courses that'll help you go to the top of the pile! These courses are all offered fully funded and can be completed online, meaning you don't even need to leave your house to give your CV skills section the face-lift it needs.
Key Skills: Business
Business Administration
If you've never worked in an office environment before, applying to a job that requires business administration knowledge can seem daunting. Most jobs want you to have a certain level of foundational knowledge, which is where training courses come in!
A free Level 2 course in Business administration will teach you how to carry out administrative tasks in a business environment, how to manage information and how to support events. This isn't limited to business, however: it can be applied to a range of industries and job roles, so a great skill for your CV!
Leading a Team
Leadership skills aren't limited to those who have managed vast teams, you can learn leadership by being captain of a sports team, or by running a project. However, some of the principles that sit behind leadership can be tricky, especially if you're applying for a role that will involve a lot of communication with different levels or area of the business.
A free Level 2 course in Principles of Team Leading will teach you how to communicate with a range of stakeholders, the different leadership styles and what success in leadership looks like.
Customer Service
Businesses deal with their customers every day, in a variety of ways, even if they're not B2C focussed. Ultimately, all businesses boil down to how they deliver their service to their customers, whether that service is legal advice, healthcare, coffees or website management.
A Level 2 course in Principles of Customer Service is free and will teach you how to carry out customer-service related tasks and will give you the underlying knowledge of what good customer service looks like and how to deliver it. Perfect for your CV if customer service isn't one of your current skills!
Retail Knowledge
Retail jobs can be an excellent, entry-level job that open up pathways within sales, communication, PR, wholesale and logistics in a massive industry. However, many retail jobs ask for applicants that already have retail experience: which can be incredibly frustrating if this is your first retail position!
Bolster your CV skills with a free Level 2 course in Understanding Retail Operations. This course will teach you about effective customer service, what to expect when working in a retail environment and the value of teamwork, providing a thorough understanding of the retail sector.
Key Skills: Healthcare
Infection Control and Prevention
Whether you already work in a healthcare environment or you want to, knowledge of infection control and prevention is a vital skill that will set your CV apart from other candidates.
A Level 2 course in the Principles of the Prevention and Control of Infection in Health Care Settings is completely free, and gives you the fundamental knowledge you need to prevent and tackle the outbreak of infection in a healthcare environment. Specifically, it'll teach you what causes infection, how they can spread and how to control them in a hospital or healthcare setting.
Diabetes: Care and Management
Understanding what diabetes is, how it is managed and how it can occur is an excellent skill to add to your CV if you're looking at growing and progressing your career in healthcare. This specialised course is fully funded (meaning it's free!) and will teach you how Type 2 Diabetes can be delayed with life-style changes, as well as types of on-going care and treatment to help manage and control blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.
End of Life Care
End of life care is a specialised area of healthcare that can be difficult to break into without prior experience, but this course is just as relevant for those who already work in the field.
A free Level 2 course in End of Life Care will help you identify and develop skills required with end of life care. You will learn how to support patients, friends and families during what is an emotionally demanding time and formally recognise the skills required to work in this intense specialisation.
Patient Experience
Patient experience is something that all hospitals are concerned with, so adding this skill to your CV is a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd.
A free Level 2 course in Improving Service User Experience in Health and Social Care focusses on the customer-service aspect of health and social care. It will teach you how to communicate effectively both with your team, your patients and members of the public and the special requirements of customer service within a healthcare setting.
This is a great bridge between customer service and healthcare, offering pathways into commericial industries (such as retail) as well as specialisations within healthcare.
Key Skills: Social Care
Counselling Skills
Counselling skills are useful in a range of industries: from education to healthcare and social work settings. Whether you've worked in social care for a while or you're looking to break into it, adding counselling skills to your CV with a recognised Level 2 qualification is sure to put you head and shoulders above your competition.
A free Level 2 course in Counselling Skills will teach you the core skills of counselling and how these are used in a counselling relationship. You'll understand some of the key theories that sit behind counselling and how to apply these, as well as delving into ethical frameworks and how to address diversity in counselling skills practices.
Caring for Children and Young People
Whether you're looking to become a childminder or you already work with children and young people, having a recognised Level 2 qualification as part of your CV skills is a great way to stand out from the crowd.
A free Level 2 course in Introducing Caring for Children and Young People will teach you about the importance of play to young children, how to understand the developmental stages of children and young people and how positive environments can support learning. Later units will go into more detail on the legislation around the protection of welfare for children and young people, giving you a solid foundational understanding of what action to take if a child is sick, as well as emergency procedures.