Certifications can result in enhanced earning power and broader career prospects. Additionally, combining certifications across areas can demonstrate broad knowledge and differentiate you from the crowd. The key is to know your position goal (e.g. VP of Quality, Manager of IT Security, Internal Audit Manager, etc) and determine the combination of education, experience, and certification that will facilitate your path.
I am diverse in my certifications and the ones I currently possess go across the accounting, project management, and process improvement/quality disciplines. I have found that having these on my resume differentiates me from many individuals applying for the same position and I use this as a talking point during interviews to highlight cross functional collaboration skills.
Below are some useful certifications that you should look into if you want to take your career to the next level. I will detail these by functional area, so you can align this with your long and medium term career goals.
Accounting/Finance: Reference here for descriptions. I’ve done the CPA and am going to get certified as a CFP as a future goal, to expand my tax practice/financial planning business. For accounting, stick with the CPA and/or the CMA. If you are striving to grow your finance career, the CFA is a tough certification, but you will be rewarded if you achieve this. The CFP is ideal if you want to demonstrate financial planning knowledge, experience, and ability.
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Certified Management Accoutnant (CMA)
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Enrolled Agent (EA – if you want to specialize just in income tax)
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
Audit/Internal Controls: These can be useful, especially if you want a career in an internal control, investigator, or audit function. On the finance side, many managerial audit positions require a CPA, so keep that in mind if you are looking to get certified in these.
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- Certified Information Systems Manager (CISM)
- Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
- Certified in Risk and IS Control
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Process Improvement: Strive to get a industry recognized body to certify you. I highly recommend using ASQ for this, as they are recognized in every industry as the leader in these certifications. From all the certifications I have received, the CSSBB (Certified Black Belt) is the most useful and I find myself using the tools and techniques in a variety of situations. Start with the Green Belt at a minimum…this certification will have value and differentiation capability no matter what industry or function you go into.
- Six Sigma Green Belt
- Six Sigma Black Belt
- Six Sigma Master Black Belt
- LEAN certifications
Quality: Again, I would use ASQ here as well. Click here for more details. I currently have obtained the CMQ/OE certification and recommend these if you want to demonstrate expertise in process improvement, quality practices, and management.
- Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE)
- Quality Auditor
- Quality Engineer
- Quality Inspector
- Quality Technician
- Reliability Engineer
- Software Quality Engineer
Project/Program Management: You can’t go wrong with certifications in this area, as project management skills can be applied to nearly every other function. PMI is the standard certifying body here and they provide a variety of certifications in the project management discipline. I currently have the PMP certification and can say that this has helped me achieve more in my career at this juncture than if I didn’t have it. PMI offers many certifications now, such as the PgMP, PfMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP, and OPM3 certifications. However, I would stick to the standard PMP at this point and build up experience, as I have not seen many job descriptions seeking those additional certifications.
- Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM): Ideal for someone who is starting in the PM discipline, but does not have enough experience to qualify for the PMP.
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner: Can be useful if you are in the software/systems development area.
- OPM3: Can be useful if you want to consult or teach on project management to organizations. Otherwise, it may not be entirely useful.
Information Technology: There are so many IT certifications out there, that it may be confusing which to obtain. The PMP can be effective for advancing in IT project management and the CISSP/CISM can also be effective in the IT security area.
- PMP
- CISSP
- CISM
- Microsoft certifications, such as Certified Solutions Developer, Solutions Expert, and Certified Database Administrator appear to be in demand.
- Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA)
- ITIL v3: I see this on many lucrative job descriptions as a preference or an outright requirement.
