Small Business

As a job applicant, your wardrobe isn’t the only thing that should be making a statement when you walk into an interview. This means that, besides shopping for the best dress, blazer, or petite women’s suits, it’s always good to have credentials that are just as impressive as your interview outfit. A shrewd professional is always on the hunt for ways to advance their career and scale their salary. Fortunately, there’s a way you can do this without having to acquire numerous degrees. Advancement can be achieved with a further education course.

Unlike degrees that are expensive, demanding, and can take several years to complete, further education programs are typically shorter. Thanks to the rise in online learning, you can take these courses at your own pace and at any time. They’re perfect for people who have to work. If you want to amp up your knowledge and impress recruiters, continue reading. In this article, we’ll discuss four certifications that are great for any profession.

1. Project Management Professional (PMP) Training

Having a project management certificate is one of the best ways to make your resume stand out from the sea of applications many recruiters receive daily. Attending a course like this will prove you have the knowledge, skill, and expertise to start and complete a project effectively. It also demonstrates that you’re committed to self-development.

You see, anyone can claim to have organizational and leadership skills (because they believe so). However, only a PMP certification will prove that you indeed have these skills. At the end of a PMP program, you will be able to initiate, plan, execute, monitor, control, and complete a project. In addition, the knowledge and skills developed from the PMP course are transferrable, which means you can work in any field and industry.

2. Human Resource Management (CIPD)

According to a 2018 report by Payscale, people who have taken further education courses tend to experience higher pay than their colleagues without professional credentials. Good HR knowledge can help increase your prospects of earning a higher income. Even if you already have a job, this certification puts you in a better position to ask for a raise.

It can also help distinguish you as an HR professional, and there are several reasons why. First, it inspires trust and confidence among your business colleagues as it shows you’re well prepared for your role. Secondly, you’ll have more knowledge that includes talent and organizational development, strategic human resource management, global compensation and benefits, risk management, workforce relations, and labor law.

For instance, let’s take a look at the impressive career of Malliha Wilson. She’s an alumnus from McGill University, a veteran litigator who presents cases to the Supreme Court of Canada, and a former Assistant Deputy Attorney General to the Ontario government. She was also able to take up the role of a legal advisor to the investment management corporation of Ontario by ensuring adherence to human rights and labor law and providing legal advice. Today, she’s the Senior Counsel for Nava Wilson LLP.

Most likely, she took various courses to reach the level she’s at now. It’s clear that the transferrable knowledge that an HR course provides in labor law and workforce relations gave her a broader net to cast into any profession of her choice.

3. CPR AED Certificate

According to the Center for Diseases and Control Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the predominant cause of death among ethnic and racial groups in the U.S., irrespective of gender. The CDC goes even further, saying that one person dies from heart disease every 36 seconds. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack.

This fact is just one of the many reasons why getting CPR training and AED training is important. You see, an emergency like cardiac arrest calls for quick thinking and a mastery of first-aid and CPR to help resuscitate the patient. Therefore, irrespective of your profession, employers will likely give attention to candidates with CPR and AED knowledge.

On the one hand, it shows you have sufficient medical training to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). On the other hand, it shows your commitment to caring for other people, which can be a sign of a good team player. As with many other certifications, there’s always the option to take a CPR AED certification online. However, ensure you register for the online course with a certified training center or instructor. This ensures that you receive the correct course completion card at the end of the training course.

4. Google Analytics and Adwords

We’re in a digital age where the internet is taking over how we make decisions that affect our daily lives. Many businesses are on the hunt for people who can navigate and harness the power of the internet. Google offers a wide range of products and services. Getting a certification in any of these services boosts your popularity and credibility as an employee and a freelancer.

The importance of Google certifications like Adwords and Analytics continues to grow as the years go by. This is because many marketers seek to optimize their sites for increased search engine ratings, and Google provides the tools to attain this goal. Despite these aspirations by online marketers, only a few bother to take up Google certification programs.

Therefore, enrolling in an Adwords or Analytics Google certification program arms you with a wealth of information that helps you become a better marketer and ad manager. Also, you get to know how to use several peripheral tools to boost your use of Analytics and Adwords.