The ROI of Specialty Certifications

During my 33-year career in human resources, I’ve had many people ask. “Should I pursue a specialty certification? Do I really need that, with all the experience I have?” My answer is always the same: Assuming that you have a good foundation of experience, additional credentials such as specialty certifications never hurt and often help to set one apart from the crowd.

Experience Fills the Toolbox

Deep and broad experience helps build skills and provides practical knowledge to draw upon over time. Consider a newly certificated private pilot, who has learned how to plan and execute a successful flight. Exercising the newfound pilot privileges will expose the pilot to different weather conditions, unfamiliar airports, varying enroute traffic situations and other elements that may not have been encountered during training. All of these experiences help to build the pilot's confidence and enhance his or her skills.

Leadership skills are also built through experience. There are ways to learn the elements of leadership before being assigned formal responsibility for a group of direct reports. Opportunities to guide committees and task forces teach collaboration and introduce the techniques for motivating people of different backgrounds. Project responsibility builds decision-making skills and effective time management. Mentoring provides a platform to develop skills in listening and delivering feedback. Those who ascend to leadership with this kind of experience generally have greater confidence and are more successful than those who are promoted based solely on their technical excellence.



NBAA Offers an Excellent Aviation Leadership Certification
Photo by Lillian LeBlanc

Experience in itself is important, but there are times when individuals of similar experience must be ranked against each other. This commonly occurs when selecting a candidate to fill a vacancy, but it happens at other times, such as civic elections, insurance ratings, or establishing one’s self as an expert. A specialty certification can offer a competitive edge in these situations.

Specialty Certifications Enhance and Validate Experience

Specialty certifications are common in the business world. These certifications typically provide quick validation that the holder has demonstrated mastery of a specific body of knowledge. In addition, the certification generally indicates that a certain amount of profession-specific experience has been documented. When combined with relevant experience and the requisite education for a profession, a specialty certification serves as a credential that sets one apart from others with similar experience and education.

The National Business Aircraft Association offers a leadership-specific specialty certification, called the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM.) Designed for leaders in the aviation industry, it is an excellent example of a credential that enhances and validates leadership experience. There are currently 174 aviation leaders who have attained the CAM designation.

Becoming a CAM requires a comprehensive application and successful completion of a five-part knowledge exam. Applicants are awarded points based on education and relevant aviation leadership experience. The knowledge exam tests the applicant’s mastery of Leadership, Human Resources Management, Operations, Technical and Facilities Services and Business Management. In addition to the application and exam, applicants must complete an essay explaining how the CAM supports and enhances the individual’s professional aspirations.  Two letters of recommendation are also required, serving as further evidence of the applicant’s career accomplishments.  The CAM’s multi-faceted approach to validation of the accomplishments and capabilities of a specialty certification applicant is unique and notable. In that regard, it is a model for other industry-specific leadership certifications.

Specialty Certifications are an Investment

Do the benefits of a specialty certification warrant the investment of time, energy and expense? Given the competition in the labor market, a specialty certification can provide an important edge for a candidate. This is especially true when the certification has recognition and acceptance within the industry or profession. Individuals who are comfortably employed can also benefit from the professional recognition and validation that a specialty certification offers, through acknowledgement of their professional expertise and accomplishments.

The recommended readings for this post focus on preparing for a specialty certification exam. Test Taking Strategies & Study Skills for the Utterly Confused by Laurie Rozakis will serve as a refresher those who have not recently prepared for  tests. The Secrets of Taking Any Test by Judith N. Meyers offers generic practice tests to build experience in test-taking techniques.