What a Certificate Program Can Do For Your Career

Published on Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 by Dania Mallette Category: Career Development

With the downturn in the economy, many working professionals are finding themselves going back to school. These days job security is hard to come by and even individuals in the most noted positions know that they can be up on the chopping block at anytime. The good news is that there are a number of ways to make yourself a desirable asset to your company that could help keep you out of the unemployment line. Completing a certificate program is one of them.

What is a Certificate Program?

A certificate program is an educational program that allows an individual to receive a certificate of completion that shows competency in a specific skill set. Unlike degrees obtained from a four-year college or university, certificate programs are often completed within a few weeks or months, depending on the program. This option is ideal for working professionals and there are a variety of such programs available that are specially tailored for any career.

Types of Certificate Programs

The majority of certificate programs are organized according to a career choice or skill set that is commonly utilized within that career. For example, a person working in Human Resources has the following certificate programs to choose from:

Certificate in Human Resource Management
Master Certificate in Organizational Effectiveness
Certificate as an Employee Relations Specialist

The three main types of certificate programs are categorized as being profession-wide, corporate or product-specific. Profession-wide is the most common and serves the purpose of allowing a working professional to prove they have demonstrable experience in a specific area of their job title.

How Can a Certificate Help Me?

Completing a certificate program provides a bounty of benefits and advantages for people in the workforce. Perhaps the most obvious advantage is the fact that getting a certificate that applies to your career is impressive to employers and is a great addition to your resume. Taking the initiative to show the higher-ups that you care about your job goes a long way and could be your saving grace, should your employer need to make cuts in the budget or layoff people. Obtaining a certificate is also ideal for improving your chances at getting promoted, which can also mean a bigger paycheck. If you’re in competition with one or more candidates for a promotion, having credentials like a profession-wide certificate automatically makes you more desirable as a candidate.

How to Enroll in a Certificate Program?

One of the best ways to find out how to advance in your current position is to make friends with the folks in Human Resources. Find out what positions are currently open and what credentials, if any, can help you move up in the ranks for consideration. Or you can turn to the Internet and conduct a search for certificate programs that apply to your career choice. These types of programs are growing in popularity so it won’t take much to get the online results you’re looking for.

In order to enroll in a certificate program, you will first need to make sure you meet the list of requirements (if applicable), sign up to take the test and pay any fees. It is best to choose a test date well in advance so that you’ll have time to prepare and study the material that will appear on the exam. From there, you’ll have access to study materials, test questions and other resources to help you successfully pass the exam.

For additional help with your career, visit our page on building a Resume!

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