Full Transcription for the video lesson below:
Hi there! I’m Farnoosh Brock. I created “Crack the Code to Get Promoted” which is the world’s leading training program to help you get ahead at your job and get promoted faster. If you are a corporate careerist looking for tips and strategies on how to make that happen for you, you’re in the right place.
Today, I want to talk to you about a question that I get a lot, and that is:
Should you go for that certification at your job? Should you get certified in that particular area in your expertise, in your industry, in your line of work?
I have to share my own experience of doing this and then I want to pose three questions that you must ask yourself before you hurry and get that certification because it may not be all that it’s cracked up to be.
So first, let me share with you my experience.
A Certification at your Job Should be Considered Carefully
I was in a corporate job for 12 years and I managed to get two very, very challenging certifications. I was certified as a Cisco Certified Internet Working Expert, which is a mouthful, but it stands for CCIE, which is a very well-respected certification. Then, a few years later I went for the Project Management Professional, the PMP certification, and let me share with you honestly how this worked out.
I thought that getting these certifications was going to be the golden key that unlocked my advancement in my job, and that was not the case. There are a lot of other factors at play. It certainly helped and it certainly was a good experience for me both in terms of learning and growing my experience and expertise, but it wasn’t exactly all that it was cracked up to be at my company.
And so, it made me step back and think: why did I spend all that time getting certified? I did not ask the questions that I want you to ask before you go through that process. So here are three questions that I suggest you ask if you are thinking about a certification, because certifications cost a lot of money that you may have to put in and they take up a lot of time, and before you make this commitment you need to be sure this is what you want and it’s going to get you the results that you are hoping to get.
What to Think About
The first question you should ask is:
Why do you want to get certified?
It may seem like a natural question. Well, of course you want to get certified because it looks good, it helps you get ahead – but really, get clear. Do you want to learn the process that they teach you in this certification? Is it going to help you do your day-to-day job better, or is it just a name on a paper or a plaque. And, are you really interested in going through that process as part of your own personal development and growth.
Next:
Set expectations clearly with your boss from the very beginning.
Granted, they can’t make any absolute promises, but you can go ahead and say, “Look, I am under the impression that if I get this certification which I’m interested in, then I will be more likely candidate for promotion,” or, “that it will qualify me for x % salary increase,” or whatever the situation may be at your job. If you do not know, then simply ask your boss if that’s a good investment of your time and how does he or she see that certification fit in your career path.
Then, the third part of your research is:
Look at people who have that certification.
They are people that could be your peers, in your company, in different organizations at your company or at different companies. If you have a LinkedIn account or you’re connected with other professionals, you can easily find out who holds that certification. Then connect with these people and ask them about their experience. Are they happy that they spent so much time, and money, getting certified? Did they get the results that they were looking for?
Then, gather all this information and make a smart decision for yourself at the end.
So, those are my suggestions for you because sometimes certifications are not all that they’re cracked up to be, and while they are valuable you want to be sure that they align to your own goals.
That’s your tip for today.
What’s Next?
Now, if you have gone through a certification process, if you have been certified and haven’t received the results that you were hoping to receive, or if you are just frustrated and confused with where your career is right now, then check out “Crack the Code to Get Promoted”. It is a comprehensive program that helps you figure out exactly what steps to take to get ahead and get promoted at your job. All the information is below. Check it out and come see me in the next video.
Bye!
