Free Online Certifications: Boost Your Resume Today!

Free online certifications and job skills training provide a fast, affordable boost to your resume. If you’re looking for a job or interested in changing fields, these free online courses can make all the difference in your success.

Beware of online scams.

There are many websites that offer free certificates in exchange for completing online courses. However, you need to be careful when you evaluate your options because not all of these websites are legitimate.

Anyone can create a website, upload a course and grant a certificate. Some of these websites may look very official but may not offer anything of value. As a result, certificates from many websites are not recognized by employers and don’t provide any benefit to you (aside from whatever you learned in the course).

We’ve found legitimate free online certifications.

In order to save you time, we’ve done a lot of research and compiled this list. It’s full of legitimate online certifications courses and online job skills training programs.

Of course, the certifications you want depend on what field of work you’re pursuing. To keep this list as readable as possible, we’ve divided it into categories for you.

General Certifications

No matter what career you’re interested in, these services might be able to help you boost your resume.

Class Central

This website keeps a list of free online courses that you can browse. In their advanced search tools on the sidebar, you can select “with certificate.” Check it out here.

Lynda.com

This educational service by Linked In provides thousands of courses in professional skills like photography, web development, business, design, software development, information technology, marketing and more. You’ll also receive Certificates of Completion for courses that you complete.

Although Lynda.com is a subscription service, you can usually get FREE access through your library system! Find out if your library card includes a free Lynda.com subscription here.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

MOOCs are free online courses from colleges and universities. Many of these classes offer a certificate of completion, statement of accomplishment or similar accolade that can be listed on your resume. Sometimes, the course is free but you’ll have to pay for the certificate. It all depends on which course you select.

You can find a constantly updated list of MOOCs from Open Culture at this link.

Digital Marketing

There are a plethora of digital marketing certifications available online but the ones that matter most come from well-known brands. Instead of wasting your time on no-value-added free online certification programs from obscure companies, check out these powerful courses from established brands.

Google: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

The Google Digital Garage is a great place for anyone who wants to learn more about digital marketing and online business building. The 26 modules are designed by Google trainers and take approximately 40 hours to complete. Get started on the Google course here.

Google: Academy for Ads

Google’s Academy for Ads is a free online course that provides more information about Adwords, DoubleClick and other Google advertising programs. If you take this course, you may be able to get your Adwords Certification through the Google Partner program. Check it out here.

Even though the other courses do not award certificates, they are still worth completing and listing on your resume. Google offers courses in Google Analytics, AdWords and more!

Hubspot: Content Marketing

Ultimately, Hubspot is one of the best places for free online certifications. Content Marketing is powerful. Learn how to develop strategies, master writing skills, generate content ideas, promote your content, measure success and more in this Hubspot course. Get started here!

Hubspot: Inbound

The Inbound Course walks through the concepts of inbound principles. It also helps you develop a company purpose, set business goals, creating buyer personas and understanding the buyer’s journey. Learn what inbound is all about in this course from Hubspot.

Hubspot: Inbound Marketing Course

The Inbound Marketing Course teaches the basics of search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, data analysis and more. This certificate is very appealing to entrepreneurs and startups who are looking for inbound marketing specialists to boost business. Sign up for the Hubspot certification course here.

Hubspot: Social Media Certification

Of course, social media marketing is a growing career field. As someone who has tried hiring social media managers, I can tell you I would vastly prefer someone who has completed free online certifications. It explains social media strategy, monitoring, content strategies and more. Master social media with Hubspot here.

Information Technology

Free Code Camp

Free Code Camp can provide free training and certifications for HTML 5, CSS3, Javascript, Databases, Git & GitHub and more. The company has been featured on WIRED, Time, LifeHacker, Business Insider, The New York Times and even more major media outlets. Start coding here.

Microsoft Certifications

All Washington State Residents can learn skills and gain free certifications through the Microsoft Imagine Library. In order to get access, you’ll need to contact your local library. For example, the Seattle Public Library offers free Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification exams.

Other Free Online Certifications

FEMA

The Emergency Management Institute, also known as FEMA, offers a certification that only requires an test. You will need to score a 75% or better on the test in order to receive the certificate. Get started with FEMA here.

Hubspot: Inbound Sales Certification Course

The Inbound Sales Certification Course takes about three hours to complete. It includes five classes on sales strategy. In order to get your certificate, you’ll need to pass a 60 question test at the end of the course. Start the Inbound Sales Certification Course here.

Need a job? We can help!

Nicole Thelin

Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.