The Learned Leader: Leveraging Business Certifications

The bridge for military professionals to effectively hit the ground running on a career after they serve comes in the form of professional certifications. Business management certifications, in particular, enable individuals to demonstrate various business-relevant skill sets across functional areas of a typical business, such as accounting, finance, human resources, information systems and marketing. In some professions these certifications are mandatory and known as licensure exams, i.e., CPA exam in accounting, and are needed when test candidates are required by law to demonstrate skills or knowledge before being allowed to perform a function or task. Professional certifications, on the other hand, are voluntary and are designed to ensure the individual is qualified to perform a particular specialized job or task, albeit one that is not legislatively mandated in order to practice.

There are many key benefits that business management certifications offer to servicemembers pursuing a postmilitary career, and widely known business certification programs are available. These certifications can assist individuals interested in transitioning to a postmilitary career.

BENEFITS OF BUSINESS CERTIFICATIONS

Professionals exiting the military are not simply looking for a job but a sustainable and upwardly mobile career. And for many, the goal is a path both business focused and directed toward management-level responsibility. By earning business management certifications during military service, individuals are better positioned for success and a more seamless career transition. Business certification programs offer several key benefits to the candidate:

Knowledge Validation. Much as a lawyer collects evidence to build a case, an employer assembles evidence in order to determine the ability of a candidate to fill job responsibilities. And in a soft labor market where employers are besieged with qualified applications, it is not enough for candidates to rely on self-promotion of acquired knowledge. Hard evidence can make the difference between a job interview and just another résumé in a sea of bottomless applications, which is why business certifications are so valuable: they deliver knowledge validation.

Employers recognize that evidence of continual learning is desirable and demonstrates the knowledge and skill set necessary to fulfilling professional responsibilities. Third-party validation of skills from a certification is far more powerful than self-promotion of knowledge. In some professions such as accounting and architecture the certifications are mandatory for career advancement, while voluntary certifications are viewed as evidence of an individual’s dedication and motivation, providing a leg up for raises and promotions.

The tangible benefits of business certifications trace back to the aforementioned challenge prospective employers face in validating skills acquired by candidates during military service. Earned designations provide assurance of a candidate’s ability to perform a job or task—making it easier for employers to match hard skills to vacancies and enabling them to equate skills garnered during military duty with those needed in the private sector.

Increased Marketability. Individuals making the transition to a postmilitary career do not simply want to be employable, but highly marketable as well. Business certifications focus on skill areas most in demand and valued by employers, and the ability for individuals to demonstrate knowledge and skills via certifications greatly enhances their marketability as a job candidate.

The marketability benefits are not limited to the certification itself, but for what the achievement represents to prospective employers—particularly when it comes to obtaining voluntary (nonlicensure) credentials. Pursuing voluntary programs demonstrates a passion, desire and commitment by the individual to his or her career and a thirst for knowledge and career betterment. In many ways, when an employer adds a new employee to the roster they are making a significant investment—in money, resources, training and time. When the new hire has already demonstrated a career commitment through certification exams, the employer views this investment as far more valuable, justified and more likely to succeed.

Cost Incentives. Business certifications have grown even more attractive during the down economy because national accredited certification exams offered through Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) are fully reimbursable to servicemembers. Not only does this eliminate financial obstacles for budget-stressed servicemembers, but can also offer an alternative— in some cases—to costly university credit programs that are out of financial reach for many who are determining the best path to a postmilitary career.

KEY BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Depending on their areas of interest and expertise, servicemembers can choose from a number of mandatory and voluntary business management certification programs. Three, however, have consistently proven to be among the most sought-after, well-known and widely acknowledged in the business world. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) Website, only 5 percent of the 20 million people participating in projects worldwide have acquired professionally recognized formal training on best practices for project execution. For individuals who have managed mission-critical projects while serving in the military and hold extensive experience in the various aspects of project management, PMI certification is one of the most valuable and well known when it comes to leveraging skills for postmilitary employment.

For the credential holder, project management certification translates to an elevated status on projects, within prospective organizations and the global project management community. At the same time, hiring organizations view the certification as a differentiator because it allows them to highlight these credentials when bidding on new projects.

For many, military service has involved significant work in information services, particularly as it relates to software competency and information technology (IT) skills. QAI Global Institute (formerly the Quality Assurance Institute), which focuses on improving quality, productivity and effective solutions for process management in the information services profession, enables those serving in the military to certify business-relevant IT capabilities through a number of exams, including:

• Certified Associate in Software Quality (CASQ)
• Certified Manager of Software Testing (CMST)
• Certified Software Project Manager (CSPM)
• Certified Software Tester (CSTE)

HR certifications from the HR Certification Institute demonstrate mastery in the field of human resource management. While HR certifications are voluntary, they offer individuals along several points of the career ladder the opportunity to qualify skills for a postmilitary career in human resources.

The HR Certification Institute offers four certifications:

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
• Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR)
• PHR with state certification in California (PHR-CA) and SPHR with state certification in California (SPHR-CA)

PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT WITH CERTIFICATION

These are just some of the business-relevant certifications available, and members of the military are likely to find many more that can help draw equivalencies between skills acquired while in service and those necessary in business. Business management certifications can bridge the gap between skills and knowledge gained in the military to desirable private sector employment and an upwardly mobile postmilitary career. By leveraging these certification programs, as well as many other worthy and highly respected programs, servicemembers can more effectively validate knowledge gained, become more marketable to prospective employers, and overcome financial hurdles that can serve as an impediment to professional advancement in the private sector. ♦
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Colleen Caulfield is vice president, federal segment at Prometric, a leading global provider of comprehensive testing and assessment services.