MOOC / Open Courses on Resume

[Cod]

I have a question about how resumes can portray MOOCs (Udacity, etc.) and OCW (MIT, etc.) completions.

Should one put such completed courses on a resume? I know some sites like Coursera have a Signature Track that allows you to pay a small amount and earn credit for the course. Others like Udacity and Coursera free courses, offer you a Statement of Accomplishment. Last, course like MIT OCW don't offer anything proving you completed the course successfully. I was thinking it wouldn't hurt to put them in a personal development / hobbies section, but unsure since I'm not an HR guy. I wouldn't put all of the courses I completed, just the relevant ones for the specific position I'm applying for.

Or should they not be included at all?

 

[Choppy]

I would look at it like this. On your CV/resume you're trying to sell your most significant virtues to a potential employer.

If you've taken a course, been tested on the material, and/or applied it on a project that was later evaluated to demonstrate a degree of mastery, that's one thing.

If all you've done is watched a series of You Tube videos, that's another.

And a lot may depend on the particulars of the position you're applying to as well. If for example, you're a formally educated chemist applying for an chemist position with a butter company, and you've taken a MOOC on the history of butter, that might be a selling point.