You want to get a job certification, now what?

Certifications can give an extra needed boost to a job seeker. Certifications are a way for job seekers to show potential employers that they have advanced training in their field.  They are also a way to make you stand out from the rest of the competing job pool candidates.  However, there are thousands of certifications available across all industries.  How do you locate the best certifications for your particular skills?  Choosing the wrong certification could cause you to spend a lot of time and money and receive little benefit.  On the other hand, choosing the right certification could lead to increased job opportunities and pay.

The key is to find out what is in demand.  You want to get certified in an area that has plenty of growth and available opportunities.  Doing the necessary research is a must.  Analyze your current skills and write down some key components of your skill set.  Are you looking for an IT certification, a healthcare certification, a business certification, etc?  Then narrow it down from there. For example, are you good with databases, nursing, or project management?  In this article, we will talk primarily about IT certifications in our examples, but all industry certifications can be researched the same way.

Suggested steps to help you research certifications.

Ask Around

Find friends or business acquaintances that have similar skills.  Your friends, neighbors and co-workers might not do what you do, but they might know someone that does.  You can then use the certification information they provide to continue your research.

Search the Internet

Use a search engine like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. to search for certifications.  Use search terms such as 'IT Certification Research' or 'High Demand IT Certifications' or 'Highest Paying Certifications' or 'Best IT Certifications'.  You get the point.  Just don't search for general certifications.  You want to know what is trending and what is hot.  This will help you on your way to getting the most return on your investment when paying for a particular certification.  Once you narrow it down, you can also search for things like 'Microsoft Certifications', 'Adobe Certifications', 'Oracle Certifications', etc.

Look at Publications

Different publications focus on certifications.  One good resource is Certification Magazine.

Direct Companies

Have you narrowed it down to a specific certification that you wish to obtain?  Make sure you check out the company's website for more information.  For example, Microsoft has great resources on their different certifications.  Often times large companies will use specific testing vendors (next section) and you can find out who they use by visiting the company website.  This will help you ensure that you get a real certification.

Direct Testing Sites

Once you narrow down the criteria, testing sites often have valuable information regarding certifications.  You can find information on the specific tests available, details on the exams, costs and testing locations.  Here are a few examples of some certification testing centers.

Brainbench

Pearson Vue

Prometric

SkillSoft

SkillSniper maintains a list of over 10,000 worldwide certifications.  To make searching easy, each certification is listed under the actual certifying company and not the testing company.  Businesses and recruiters can search for free and quickly find job seekers with specific certifications.  All of the guesswork involved with resume keyword searches for certifications is eliminated.  A business or recruiter simply picks specific certifications that they require directly from a list and the results are returned in seconds.  If you have certifications or are looking for a job seeker with a particular certification then visit SkillSniper.com for more information.