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Archive for certified interview strategist

CPC Member Appreciation – November 2011

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Simply being with other people who are also seekers and who are involved in
the same quest you are is very meaningful.
~ Dan Wakefield

CPC is proud to acknowledge the following individuals for being such an important part of this community.

New PROFESSIONAL Members:

  • Boluwaji Adedayomi
  • Margaret Totten
  • Saima Sheikh

Renewing PROFESSIONAL Members:

  • Catherine LeBrun
  • Charles Fraser
  • Mary Whitaker
  • Maureen Farmer
  • Michelle O’Donohoe
  • Michelle Onderwater

Newly Certified PROFESSIONAL Members:

  • Lita Pitruzzello, CIS
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10 Top Reasons for Earning a Certification

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Ben Franklin said it best in this quote: “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest”. Earning a certification is an investment in knowledge and certainly pays dividends. The preceding post started with a discussion of the values of earning a certification, including the fact that it indicates that one is skilled, knowledgeable and competent.  Here are ten additional reasons for you to become certified in your specialized discipline:

Certification:

  1. Shows you are committed to ongoing professional development and that you embrace a learning attitude.
  2. Proves you are an expert and brands you as the “go to” person for help and advice.
  3. Sets you apart from your competitors, or so meone doing the same type of work.
  4. Increases your confidence and boosts your self-esteem.
  5. Adds to your credibility. People begin to pay attention to what you do and what you have to say.
  6.  Gives you another qualification to add to your portfolio.
  7. Enhances your chances for partnerships and joint ventures, or if you are an employee, puts you ahead of the herd for internal career opportunities.
  8. Validates your skills and capabilities.
  9. Puts you in a position to raise your fees or demand what you are worth.
  10. Is an investment in your career, whether you are an employee or you are self-employed

Regardless of where you stand, the undisputable fact is that there are myriad of ways to upgrade one’s skills. Distance learning and virtual classrooms are becoming more mainstream, making it easier to learn from the comfort of your home and at your own pace. So are you ready? Get off the fence and jump on board. Certification certainly has its privileges, and earning yours may be easier than you think.

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Daisy Wright is a Certified Career Management Coach, Certified Resume Strategist, and author of No Canadian Experience, eh? As President of The Wright Career Solution and an International Career Strategist she offers high impact job search strategies to professionals who are serious about their careers. To learn more about what Daisy does, visit her website:  www.thewrightcareer.com or her blog at www.daisywright.com.

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Certification Has its Privileges…Jump on Board!

Monday, September 20th, 2010

In the current economic climate, fraught with layoffs and plant closings, many people have started to think of ways of becoming more competitive and stay ahead of their peers. While some are enrolling in certificate, diploma or degree programs, others are earning certification in their specialized fields.  As a career professional – self-employed or not – what are you doing?

It’s a given that nurses, doctors, engineers, dentists, accountants, and other professionals require some form of a certification. This typically indicates that these individuals are skilled, knowledgeable and competent, no questions asked. Certification, while not mandatory in many fields, shows a commitment to personal and professional growth. It is a mark of excellence. In some circles, certification is seen as a mini college degree demonstrating that you have successfully completed the required course of study, and have reached a certain level of competence.

Although many people champion the value of a certification and focus on the intrinsic value that it brings, there are the sceptics who downplay the value. They wonder if becoming certified will make a difference, and if it won’t, why bother. Let me tell you why you should bother. In 1998 I earned my CPRW certification because I realized I needed to enhance my resume writing skills. Although I had to cease from using the CPRW designation since I was no longer a member of the organization, I still thought I ‘knew everything’, especially as I was moving more and more into career development. It took me some years to finally decide to upgrade my resume writing skills and I registered for the Certified Resume Strategist (CRS) exam.

Even after that, it took me almost a year to review the study guide and sit the exam. What an eye opener it was! I started to chide myself wondering why I had not done it before. Lots of things had changed in ‘resume-land’ over those many years and the CRS certainly filled in the gaps. Not only that. Clients feel more confident when they know I am keeping abreast of current trends in my profession and it’s nice to add another certification to my name.

I used my story to illustrate that I was once sitting on the fence, probably like you. Maybe you would like to earn a certification in your field of expertise, but keep saying that you lack the time or the funds. Why not perceive it as an investment in yourself? Ben Franklin once commented that, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

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Daisy Wright is a Certified Career Management Coach, Certified Resume Strategist, and author of No Canadian Experience, eh? As President of The Wright Career Solution and an International Career Strategist she offers high impact job search strategies to professionals who are serious about their careers. To learn more about what Daisy does, visit her website:  www.thewrightcareer.com or her blog at www.daisywright.com.

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