Why a certification in project management?
If initial or continuing training in project management consolidates your theoretical and practical knowledge, making you a valued generalist able to effectively identify the ins and outs of a project, certification takes you further. It allows you to stand out from your competitors, sharpen your skills for complex and far-reaching projects, and show your commitment to the profession. Let’s see how.
- Certification makes you visible
Some non-certified project managers do a great job. Their professional background and their talents as visionaries, leaders and organizers are a very important asset in the success of their missions within an organization. Indeed, a certification will never replace either experience or hard work. It may, however, bring them to light.
A non-certified project manager is not always easy to spot by employers or clients. And word of mouth has its limits. According to CIO.com magazine, IT departments are looking for more and more certified managers. Indicating a certification on your LinkedIn profile or on your resume makes you more visible. Not to mention that certification gives you access to new networks.
- Certification is a bonus on top of your experience
By giving you the opportunity to acquire a framework and a rigorous method that will guide you in conducting large-scale projects, preparing for a certification accelerates your learning ability and strengthens your reflexes. It multiplies the complex case studies and gives you assets to face potentially problematic situations.
By improving your analytical, planning and organizational capacity, a certification also promotes positive project management experiences with a higher success rate. It polishes your know-how and strengthens your credibility, allowing you to increase your influence in projects and negotiate effectively with senior management
- Certification shows your commitment
Because of the efforts required to obtain it, a certification demonstrates, in addition to your intellectual abilities, your will and your pugnacity. Its temporary status, renewed regularly, is also a proof of your long-term commitment. It puts you in a constantly updated set of practices essential for large-scale projects, and indicates your interest in innovation in your job.
Certification is also a way to unify the profession, benefit from a common language and standardized processes. It is therefore appreciated by large companies or organizations that seek to clarify and rationalize their way of doing things, and to be at the forefront of their industry. It makes you a model engaged in this process.
If certification is not synonymous with experience, it complements it. It demonstrates a great rigor, a strong work capacity and targeted knowledge in project management and programs. For all these reasons, it is often a guarantee for project owners. It opens the door to major and complex prestigious projects, and substantial income.
Cécile Davan