3 Ways to Leverage Your PMI Certifications to Find a Job
You’ve worked hard to earn your project management certifications. Now it’s time to make those certifications work for you.
15 March 2011
If you’re searching for a full-time project management position, you’re not alone. Therefore, it’s essential that you stand out from the competition. If you hold one of PMI’s project management credentials, now is the time to make it known.
Earning PMI credentials can certainly make you more employable — just ask Kwang Gu Baek, PMP, PgMP, manager of project management for Knorr-Bremse Railway Systems Korea in Seoul, South Korea.
After earning the Project Management Professional (PMP)® and Program Management Professional (PgMP)® credentials, he noted an increase in the number of calls he received from headhunters.
“I was hired because I have the PgMP® credential,” says Mr. Baek, who also is chairman of PMPCafe.com, an online project management community. “According to my employer, the credentials made me stand out among dozens of candidates so he chose me.” He now sees an increasing number of local and international companies including “PMP® preferred” in their job descriptions.
But for Mr. Baek, earning the credentials was not enough. He also knew how to highlight those credentials in his job search.
Here are three ways you can draw attention to your PMI credentials, too:
- Advertise your credential everywhere.
Include your PMI credentials on your résumé, supporting materials (such as a cover letter) and your online professional profiles, says Naomi Caietti, PMP, enterprise architect, consultant and project manager, State of California's Department of Corporations, Sacramento, California, USA. “Be prepared to provide detail on how you maintain your credential via professional development activities.”
Your credential shows prospective employers that you’re focused on their strategic needs and your own professional development.
“Organizations will see you have drive and motivation behind you. It will help set you apart from other candidates who may come with years of experience, but don’t have a certification,” she says.
“In the marketplace today, organizations want to know that candidates have gone through the effort to get their education. Certification demonstrates your focus on personal development, career and education.”
- Talk about your certifications.
During the application and interview processes, gauge the best opportunity to mention your certifications, says Veronica A. Williams, PMP, PgMP, managing director for Act Inc., a not-for-profit that provides education and workforce development solutions in South Orange, New Jersey, USA.
“When someone asks what you bring to the table for a particular job, highlight your experience and achievements. Then mention that your experience has been validated by the profession and general business practitioners through your PgMP credential,” she says.
“When you say it’s been validated by the profession, they should understand obtaining the credential is much more than taking a test.”
For job-seeking project managers, another powerful benefit of earning PMI credentials is that many people know what is involved in the process, adds Ms. Williams, who is also an instructor at Learning Tree International.
“It’s a way for people to say, ‘Yes, this person brings a certain level of expertise, professionalism and integrity to my job,” she adds.
- Combine your credentials and experience to stand out from the competition.
In her last job hunt, Ms. Caietti focused on her PMP and PgMP certifications and the diversity of her previous consulting and practitioner roles in the public and private sectors.
“It gave me an edge over other candidates who may not have had this certification. I was looking for an IT position in the public sector as a project manager or as an enterprise architect. By sending out three résumés and going on one interview—I landed my current position,” says Ms. Caietti, who is also a member of the PMI Project Human Resource Management Community of Practice.
Finding a job in today’s marketplace can be difficult, but your PMI credential speaks for itself. Moreover, it can elevate you past other candidates and put your résumé at the top of the list.
