{"id":109707,"date":"2024-03-21T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=articles&p=109707"},"modified":"2024-03-21T13:52:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T17:52:39","slug":"can-a-professional-certification-help-me-advance-my-ld-career-3-tips-for-considering-certification-cptm","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/articles\/professional-development\/can-a-professional-certification-help-me-advance-my-ld-career-3-tips-for-considering-certification-cptm\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Professional Certification Help Me Advance My L&D Career? 3 Tips for Considering Certification"},"author":27,"featured_media":109710,"template":"","tags":[3428,1100,751,32893,184,32892],"class_list":["post-109707","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-certifications","tag-cptm","tag-credentials","tag-professional-certifications","tag-professional-development","tag-training-certifications","global_topic_tax-professional-development"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Marisa Shapiro, CPTM ","author_image":109713,"author_bio":"Marisa Shapiro, CPTM, is a director of professional development at Training Industry, where she connects learning and development professionals with courses and certifications that can help them advance their careers. To schedule a time to connect with Marisa regarding your professional development goals, click here.<\/a>","excerpt":"Considering earning a professional training certification? These three tips can help you navigate the process and find the certification that will help advance your career. ","main_content":"Since I started working at Training Industry in 2015, I\u2019ve spoken to thousands of learning and development (L&D) professionals considering our courses and certifications<\/a>. One of my favorite parts of this role is listening to individuals talk about their personal and professional growth plans. Often, by the time someone has reached out to me, they are already considering a certification<\/a>, but they are sometimes unclear about whether or not this certification will help them on their path to finding a role in L&D.\r\n\r\nHere are some of the top tips I love to share with those that are trying to find a job in L&D but don\u2019t know where to begin:\r\n

1. Understand the focus of the program.<\/h3>\r\nFor example, Training Industry\u2019s Certified Professional In Training Management (CPTM\u2122)<\/a> program focuses specifically on the role of the training manager and the competencies an L&D professional<\/a> needs to be successful in that role. This certification is perfect if your career goals include assuming a leadership role in L&D but may not be a good fit if that\u2019s not your goal.\r\n

2. Search for the certification you\u2019re interested in on LinkedIn or wherever you job hunt.<\/h3>\r\nSearching for the certification will give you some great information. First, you\u2019ll gain an understanding of the types of responsibilities people with this certification have and the roles they occupy \u2014 particularly the types of titles these certified professionals hold. It\u2019s critical to consider your own goals and where you\u2019d like your professional path to lead. If it looks like these roles are not where you see yourself, you may want to consider a different certification or professional development option.\r\n\r\nInvestigating others with the certification can also help you identify the types of organizations with team members holding that certification. This information signals the types of industries, company sizes and organization types that value the credential. For example, are most organizations that employ people with the credential in a specific industry, such as health care, or are there a variety of industries represented? Depending on your career goals, you may prefer a certification that\u2019s applicable across industries. The information will also signal if specific companies that you may be considering in your job search recognize the value and impact of professional development generally for their L&D team, particularly if notice that multiple people from the organization hold the certification.\r\n\r\nLastly, when conducting this kind of search, you\u2019re likely to identify professionals who could be a great resource to tell you more about the certification and the benefits they\u2019ve been able to apply on the job. L&D professionals love to share! Don\u2019t hesitate to reach out and ask them where the certification has taken them professionally.\r\n

3. Consider certifying before your interview.<\/h3>\r\nIn an industry like L&D, certifications are important and considered as such. I often hear L&D professionals planning to postpone certification until they\u2019re employed first, as people usually would like to have their employer pay for their certification. However, being certified before your interview (whether you work for the company already or not) means you are bringing an understanding of the direct challenges the organization is facing and the solutions you\u2019d implement to help solve them. Investing in your professional development before your interview will also prepare you with the language of learning to be able to immediately speak with executives and stakeholders about their initiatives. It also gives you the ability to essentially \u201chit the ground running\u201d once you start the job. Having the foundation and knowledge to immediately be able to step into your L&D role will have you delivering results in no time.\r\n\r\nOf course, while a certification doesn\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll land your dream job, it will validate your expertise, experience and knowledge. A certification can also connect you to a larger network that can also provide those connections which can help in your transition into a new role. I\u2019ve always felt that a good certification will help you with what you know and<\/em> who you know.","full_width":false,"content_band":[{"acf_fc_layout":"social_callout","blockquote":"While a certification doesn\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll land your dream job, it will validate your expertise, experience and knowledge."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content_area","wysiwyg":"[hubspot type=\"form\" portal=\"47185625\" id=\"fd09665f-80ba-4705-8ce9-79bd058135bb\" version=\"v4\"]