Looking to Boost Your Resume and Job Opportunities? Try These Certifications

• Author: Jessica Williams
• Posted: 2024-06-09

The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues despite hope in the form of a vaccine. If you are one of the millions of Americans who has lost a job or seen your wages slashed as a result of the health crisis, you are undoubtedly looking for ways that you can boost your resume and improve your job opportunities. Before you rush back to school or waste money on other endeavors, you would be wise to consider obtaining a certification in an area that will provide you with the most opportunities for career mobility.

Here are five of the best professional certifications to look into if you are wanting to get a better job or a raise at your current position.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

The PMP is an ideal certification to obtain if you are a project manager looking to prove your worth. This is particularly useful if you work in the technology sector. Once you have met the prerequisites, you are eligible to take the PMP exam. Offered by the Project Management Institute, you can choose to prepare for this exam on your own or take a prep class to brush up on your knowledge.

As an alternative, you may want to consider getting a lower-level Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification. While not as comprehensive as the PMP certification, a CAPM does not require as much educational or on the job project experience.

Certified Scrum Master

A Certified Scrum Master certification is another great addition to your resume if you work in the tech industry. With this certification, you are ready to help teams develop and implement new projects using the lean method of implementation. The certification requires a 25-hour course followed up with an exam. This certification will most likely boost your pay grade immediately, sending you well north of $100,000 in most cases.

Network Certifications

There are a variety of network certifications that you may find useful if you strive to be a network engineer or admin. Cisco offers a myriad of professional certifications, all designed to put you on the fast track. The basic Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is a good place to start, covering a wide range of IT fundamentals. From there, you can consider the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). The CCIE is widely regarded as one of the most coveted certifications in the industry, giving you access to a higher career trajectory.

Digital Marketing Certifications

There is no shortage of available digital marketing certifications that you can pursue if this is your passion. A good place to start is by exploring the certifications offered by Google. Many of these certifications are offered at no cost, meaning that the only thing that you need to invest is your time. HubSpot is another provider that offers free certifications to those digital marketing professionals willing to put in the time and the work.

Human Resources Certifications

One of the most rapidly growing spaces in the certification game is in the human resources profession. While it had not been on the radar for many HR workers just a few years ago, more and more of these professionals are now looking to make themselves more marketable by obtaining a valuable certification. A Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification is the most common goal for many of those in the field. Moving up the ladder of certifications, you will find the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) option. A SPHR is a good way to demonstrate that you have mastered the HR body of knowledge and skills. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification is another asset that many HR professionals find valuable as they strive to advance up the career ladder in this increasingly competitive field.

There is no doubt that getting top dollar for your talents and knowledge is not easy these days. However, you can put yourself in the best position to weather this economic storm if you use this time to improve your skill set and make yourself more marketable. You will not regret this time and effort once you are earning more money with better job security in hand.