Ready to Show Your Boss You’re Serious? Try These Certifications

You’ve already landed an internship or an entry-level position. Now you want to work your way up the ladder, but you’re left wondering if you’re stuck where you are until you complete your degree.

But the reality is that you can do plenty of things in the meantime to impress your boss and increase your chances of a promotion. One such method is to get a certification in your field. And better yet, you can study for most certifications in your spare time and take the test when you’re ready, making it the perfect thing to do during the summer break when you’re not as stressed with coursework.

Here are just a few examples of certifications you can get to impress your boss.

Safety

Depending on your career path, you can show your boss that you’re serious by getting a relevant safety certification. Nothing says “serious” more than “safety”!

Safety certifications run the gamut and are specific to various industries. For example, if you work in the restaurant or hospitality industries, you can get a food handlers license or food safety manager certification to prove that you know how to prepare and handle food in a way that keeps consumers healthy. But someone who works in a warehouse may want to become a Certified Safety Manager, a role that helps prevent workplace injuries and accidents. OSHA and FEMA are just two examples of organizations that provide this type of safety certification.

Management

If you hope to be in a managerial role one day, go ahead and take certification tests that help prove you have what it takes to step into a leadership role.

Such certifications might include:

• Project management
• Portfolio management
• Business analysis
• Agile practitioner
• Program management
• Supply management
• Social media management
• Change management

… and much more! Check out the Project Management Institute and the Management and Strategy Institute for more information. Note that many management certificates require some level of experience or prior education.

Information Technology

In the realm of information technology, there are numerous certifications available that can help you prove exactly where your talents lie. You can be certified in virtually any system or program on the market, including:

• Apple
• Microsoft
• Linux
• IBM
• HP
• Cisco

And of course there are numerous coding language certifications, like C++, Java and HTML, and IT security certifications that can boost your role within a company.

An IT certification makes you a shoe-in for a promotion or raise as it proves you have tangible skills. One of your co-workers may also know how to code or to develop a native iPhone app, for example, but if you have the proof that you know how to do it, the job is surely yours.

Ask Your HR Department

If you’re still wondering which certifications your boss likes to see, talk to your HR representative. You may even be able to acquire the training materials for some certifications for free via the company; in general, businesses like to encourage their employee’s continuing education. Marketing, health and financial certifications are further examples of what can be accomplish

Once you are awarded with your certification, be sure to update your resume and send it to your manager. Use it as an opportunity to leverage a promotion or raise at your next performance review. After all, experience and education make a difference on the job!