What Is a Certificate of Work Experience?

A certificate of work experience is a document used to indicate time spent working in a particular industry or position. This can be a simple document that certifies professional experience listed on a résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) to indicate that it is authentic and meaningful. A certificate of work experience can also be a legal document that is required for someone to receive some type of license. This is common for professions in which a certain number of years of experience are required for licensure, such as the requirements for a general contractor.

The primary purpose of a certificate of work experience is to provide authentication and documentation of the work that a person has performed. This information can be illustrated in a number of different ways, though it is usually guaranteed by another company or agency. The document itself often lists information about a person, including identification, and then indicates one or more places at which he or she has gained work experience. In order for a certificate of work experience to be important in a particular setting, it is typically intended for one field and provides information about work within it.

There are some companies that can provide a certificate of work experience that is used to indicate the validity of someone’s work. Most people list previous professional experience as part of a résumé or CV that is often provided while looking for work. Companies can be used to guarantee the information provided on this résumé by checking the sources a person provides and ensuring that someone has the experience that he or she indicates. This type of certificate of work experience is usually then provided to a potential employer in order to save that company the time needed to check these sources.

A certificate of work experience may also be required in some instances when applying for a license for certain positions. In construction, for example, workers may need to have a certain number of years of experience in a particular field to qualify for licensure as a contractor. The exact experience required can vary depending on the region in which a person works, but a certificate of work experience is usually provided to indicate both how and when it was received. A licensing board may then review this document and ensure that it is accurate, before granting the license needed for him or her to become a contractor.