Professional certification or professional designation is a designation
given to a person after completing a specific training or course. It is similar
to a diploma; if you have one it indicates that you're qualified to perform a
certain job, depending on the qualification or designation you took up.
How important is a certification for your career? How does it help you get ahead
in your career or even make a career change? These are some of the questions
that you have been asking concerning certifications. This report offers brief
answers to essential questions about professional certifications.
When you apply for a job opening that needs
specific competencies employers will require you to show that you're
qualified to perform the job. They ask you to show that you have a trade
certification issued by a relevant certification body.
For example, if you apply for a certified medical assistant position you have to
have a qualification on medical assistance. Employers rely on certifying bodies
to assess prospective employees for a specific set of knowledge, skills, or
abilities. So you should have a professional certification when the job requires
you to have one.
Certifications are usually given by
professional bodies and corporations. It is like a license; however, while a
license is required by law, certification is generally voluntary.
There are some designation bodies that are directly related to the designation.
For instance, a software company may offer to certify individuals as competent
to use its products. A popular example is the Microsoft certification, which the
Microsoft Company offers to IT professionals.
You can become a certified professional after
completing a set of training sessions and/or passing an exam/s. Unlike a general
designation where you can get a suffix such as MA after your name, a
professional designation does not offer the post-nominal.
There are two types of professional certifications -- those that need to be
renewed periodically and those that last a lifetime. Sometimes as part or whole
of the certification renewal, you must show evidence of continual learning, or
continual education.
So, if you're a career changer getting a certification in a new field of your
interest is clearly faster than pursuing, for example, a graduate degree. By
having a professional certification your chance of getting a job offer is higher
because prospective employers are confident that you are qualified to perform
the job.
