11 Certifications You Need to Keep Your Job

Did you know you may soon be fired? The unemployment rate in the United States is sitting at 3.9 percent, which means the jobs that are available are also in hot demand. How badly do you want to keep your job?

You may have years of experience, but those sitting in the unemployment line are quickly gaining certifications to make them eligible for it as well.

Without getting the following certifications and adding them to your resume, you may be at risk of being fired… Act now!

1. Project Management Professional Certification

If you are currently in a project management position, having gained your experience on the job, you are at risk of being replaced by a young buck.

Someone who has a project management professional certification is not only more qualified but can also have far more knowledge in the field of project management.

Rather than lose your job to a college graduate fresh from the classroom, gain a 20 percent higher salary by completing your certification in professional project management.

2. Logistics Coordinator – Dangerous Goods Certification

The benefits of working in a supply chain are that there is always room to grow. However, if you don’t improve, you risk being left behind.

To keep your job and even benefit from a 35 percent salary increase, it might be worth looking into getting your International Maritime Dangerous Goods certification.

Such a certification makes you more valuable to your employer because you know how to transport hazardous goods without causing headaches for companies.

3. Governance of Enterprise IT Certification

Working in IT opens the doors for so many career opportunities. You can work somewhere as low key as a school – stopping kids from accessing dicey websites, or even somewhere as important as a bank, managing their security.

However, to get from a high school to a bank, there is a lot of work in between.

You are going to need to get a Certification in the Governance of Enterprise IT through ISACA. Without it, you can expect to stay in the dark, windowless office of your local high school for the foreseeable future.

4. Laboratory Supervisor – Clinical Laboratory Scientist Certification

If you work as a laboratory supervisor, but you have no certifications, then expect to have limited access to the building in which you work.

If you want to grow, and gain specialties such as microbiology, then you need a Clinical Laboratory Scientist Certification. Otherwise, you’re of limited use to your employer.

After putting in the hard yards to become a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, you can increase your annual salary by as much as 25 percent.

5. Public Accountant Certification

Getting a Bachelor’s Degree can make you think you’ve got it all made. The truth is, you can be a bookkeeper, an auditing clerk, or take up a regular accountant’s position, but not a lot else.

The real money and thrill is in becoming a Certified Public Accountant.

You can then work with large corporations, become a financial advisor, and even investigate criminal fraud. The more experience and qualifications you have, the closer you are to that six-figure salary.

6. Human Resources Certification

If you apply for any role in Human Resources, you’re not likely to get past the first round of interviews if they don’t see any certifications on your resume.

And, if you’ve been in HR in your firm for as long as it has been around, you may be on borrowed time.

Very few employers will see you as valuable if you don’t have a Human Resources Certification. If you are hired, however, you will most likely find yourself doing tasks that you feel are below your worth.

7. Certifications in Sales

Skills and experience count for a lot in sales, but if you’re applying for a new job or your employer is restructuring, you’re right to be fearful.

If someone doesn’t know what you’re capable of – except what they see on paper, you’re in trouble.

You need to be able to back your sales skills up with a Certification in Sales – even if you have an excellent selling ability. Your certification, however, can depend on what you are looking to sell.

8. FSA for Actuary

Are you interested in doubling your pay, and a little bit more? Who isn’t! If you work in insurance, analyzing data and forecasting liability, then you may not be at your full potential.

Believe it or not, with the more experience you get, you can gain a certification known as the Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Once you become a “professional” in your field, you can then earn as much as $150,000 per year.

9. Certified Nurse Midwife

Becoming a midwife takes a lot of hard work, education, and effort. However, as you’re involved with all parts of birth, it’s all necessary.

To get ahead and become a preferred midwife, however, you may like to look at getting your Nurse Midwife certification.

You can learn valuable skills that can help in all aspects of your job, but you can also get a pay increase to the tune of over $80,000 annually.

10. Optical Manager – National Contact Lens Examiner

It might seem like selling glasses is easy. After all, just like toilet paper, it’s a necessity for millions of people. However, to be an optical manager, it takes so much more than having a cheesy sales voice.

You need to know how to design, fit, adapt, and measure glasses, as well as read optical prescriptions. You’re also no use to your employer if you don’t get your National Contact Lens Examiner certification from ABO-NCLE.

11. Health and Safety Coordinator – Construction Health and Safety Technician Certification

We no longer live in a “survival of the fittest” environment. Instead, everyone must take the same safety precautions to ensure work sites are safe and hazards are kept to a minimum.

As a health and safety coordinator, there is a lot of pressure on your shoulders.

You have to know how to minimize and assess risk while inspecting workplaces for compliance as well.

However, compliance is changing all the time, so getting your Health and Safety Technician certification is crucial if you want to keep your job.

Conclusion

Employers want the best of the best to benefit their workplace – and they’re not afraid to give people the flick if they don’t meet the mark. Often, qualifications are a legal requirement for employers.

To avoid losing your job to someone less experienced but more qualified, ensure you get all the qualifications you possibly can.

If you don’t and think you can get away with experience alone, you could be the most experienced but unemployed professional in your field.