There’s plenty of advocates in the business world that support the strategy of getting as many professional certifications as you can or deem appropriate for your line of work. These individuals aren’t scared of a little extra work and time being invested in their career, especially if it means having a nationally or even internationally recognized certification.
The adverse school of thought is comprised of individuals who feel that their resume, job performance, and experiences are certification enough – and a certification isn’t worth it. This may help them get by and land a job, eventually, but the best job seekers come certified for project management tasks and more. After all, you want to excel in your career, not just get by.
Not convinced? Here are just a few of the reasons that major companies are looking for qualified and certified professionals.
Certifications Mean Up To Date Education
Business best practices change over time, no matter what industry or job you’re in. Sometimes these happen gradually, but often they are quick, tech-influenced changes that evolve the industry. You may have a great degree from a respectable institution, but a couple of decades later and the knowledge and education you received isn’t that current anymore. Certifications, on the other hand, demonstrate that you have more recent training in today’s best business strategies, tactics, and systems. Plus, they are easier to renew than a college education.
Expresses A Passion For The Industry
Not everyone takes that extra step toward seeking out various professional certifications because not everyone has a real passion for what they are doing – it’s sad but true. When you meet someone that has nearly every accreditation available to them for their industry, it immediately sends a signal that this is someone who loves what they do. They want to learn everything there is to know about their job and the most up to date trends. These are the types of people that companies love and want to hire.
Certified Means Driven
In the same realm that being certified signals to companies that you are passionate about your work and career, getting certified also lets them know that you’re driven. As much as the anti-certification people want to convince you that certifications aren’t for them because they are already qualified, at the end of the day they just don’t want to put in the time and the work. Having a professional certification shows that you aren’t lazy or afraid of a little-added work. These are essential qualities companies are looking at when hiring new professionals.
Helps A Hiring Company Identify Standout Candidates
The job market has always been hyper-competitive, but it seems even more so today. LinkedIn, Indeed, and other recruitment portals and services create a lot more traffic for job postings.
Not only does this make finding a job hard on you, but it also makes the task of choosing the right applicant challenging too. Especially when everyone has a glowing resume and a LinkedIn profile full of endorsements, references, and job experiences. Businesses are looking for anything that will help them thin the herd and make their selection process a little easier.
By having a certification (or several) under your belt, you may have that extra something that puts you ahead of the rest of the applicants and gets you one step closer toward securing that job.
Showcases Traits And Skills Not Evident In A Resume
We do our best to create a compelling cover letter and resume, but it is hard to encapsulate our entire professional working history and know-how into such a small space. Your certifications may clue the potential employer into skills that aren’t expressed in other parts of your resume.
For example, if you note that you have a Project Management Professional certification, then a hiring manager knows that, depending on your education, you have between 4,500 to 7,500 hours of leading and managing projects. That’s a lot of leadership experience, which may not be evident from your work experience.
Internationally Recognized
A lot of certifications, including the Project Management Professional certification, are internationally recognized and accepted. For companies that work with global clients or have offices in other countries, having staff with universally accepted certifications helps establish credibility in these foreign markets. Similarly, if you decide to work in another country, your certification travels with you.
Marketable
While your certification primarily serves you and your professional needs, it’s not a bad selling point for your company either. Imagine your company convincing a lead to become a client by telling him or her that they’ll put their best, PMP-certified employee on the account – and that’s you.
This goes hand in hand with being internationally recognized; many certifications are very well respected and carry a lot of weight in the professional community. It is a marketable quality for you and any company that decides to hire you.
Put in the Extra Work
Whether you’re a new business professional looking for your very first certification, a long-time, anti-cert that is looking to convert, or simply someone that knows the value that certification training experience can have, you can look into PMP boot camp training.
Here, you will get a much more significant picture of how you can become PMP certified. By taking advantage of a training program for your professional certification, you are practically guaranteeing yourself a more straightforward and more direct path to your accredited future.
