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It’s a competitive job field out there. By some reports, the job market has never been as competitive as it is now for many looking to land a good gig.
Hopeful hires would do right by attempting to stand out from the crowd by any means possible. There’s more than one way to do this, of course, whether that means beefing up your resume or heading back to school for further education.
One super smart way to stand out is by obtaining business certifications. Certification is more than a gold star, it’s a foundational proof that you’re an expert and can be relied on. When hunting for the perfect job or trying to advance in a career, there’s nothing more valuable.
But what are the business certifications worth getting? Read on and we’ll walk you through the six you should know about.
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Project Management Professional
Lasting power is one way to know what kind of business certification you should be after. The Project Management Professional certification has been around since the early 80s and lost none of the impression it makes on bosses and businesses.
If you’re attempting to hop from a technical track to a managerial one, this is the certification you’ll want to represent you. People with PMP are highly respected and relied upon. PMP-certified professionals obtain higher salaries, especially when paired with other certifications.
It might take a little bit of work to get certified. PMP has a reputation for having one of the toughest tests in the industry and high requirements. If you want to become certified you’ll need to have a four-year degree and three years of prior experience in project management.
But that difficulty is well known. It means if you do become certified your employers will understand that you really know your stuff.
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ITL Foundation
Work in IT? This is the certification you’ll need to take your career to the next level.
One of the best things about the ITL Foundation is that they accept people getting certified for entry-level positions. That means you won’t have to work for years to ensure you’re even eligible. You can hop straight in.
An ITL Foundation certification will help you understand how to align business needs with an IT department. Certified professionals are frequently at the cutting edge of organizational restructures at major companies. They are in high demand.
That’s why ITL Foundation members are some of the highest salaried workers in the world. Their skills are specific and heavily relied upon across many industries.
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Certified Ethical Hacker
Want to get your Mr. Robot on? This certification puts you right in the head of a hacker. But the idea of certification, as the name suggests, requires you to put those skills to good use.
Data security is one of the most hot-button topics of the current era, with huge data breaches at Facebook and in our election causing constant discussion. To help prevent hacks, these businesses will need people who understand how hackers think.
This certification is vendor-neutral and can apply to a wide variety of IT professionals. Certification is based on the test taker’s ability to find holes and vulnerabilities in a network’s defense.
It’s an important job, so CEH certified workers take home a nice salary for their hard work. If you’re into the security of the online world, there could rarely be a higher calling at this point in time.
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AWS Developer Certification
This is a certificate given to workers and IT professionals who understand how to use Amazon web services and create applications. There’s rigorous training to receive this certification, but the employment benefits are well worth the trouble.
On average, an AWS developer will earn over 100,000 in a given year working for companies like IBM or CenturyLink. The cost of proper training for certification can be quite high, but if you view it as an investment you can see that money back in no time.
The demand for AWS certified professionals is higher now than ever before. Many organizations have invested fully in AWS cloud services. Thus, the demand for professionals with this specialized knowledge is potentially limitless.
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Six Sigma Certification
You’ve likely heard of six sigma. The six sigma program is well known and regarded, with various levels of achievement broke down into different certifications.
Six Sigma teaches overall business practices that help employees, managers, or even CEOs properly run their businesses. It teaches how to best eliminate the risk of error and lead a business to success.
Even if you’re planning on branching out and running your own small business, a six sigma certification can be greatly helpful. Such training can help establish trust with vendors or even help you secure business loans. For more about securing loans, check this out.
Different levels of certification are broken down into ‘colored belts’ like a karate class. Black belt is obviously the best, but any type of six sigma certification will be a huge advantage to an individual.
The Business Certifications Worth Getting
There are so many different ways to stand out in the job market. So many that it’s hard to know which are the business certifications worth getting. The above are just a few that are highly recommended, but there are many more. It just depends on which direction you want to advance your career in.
Want more suggestions on how to stand out to potential employers? Check out our blog for much more information.
