IT certifications are a reliable indicator of employee success
By Ron Cohen
Vice Chair of the Channel Chiefs Council
As a lifelong learner, I’ve long espoused the importance of education. I am always reading something and try to learn something new everyday. In my career as a sales leader, I’ve always made sure that our programs had a strong emphasis on goal setting and regular training. Legendary college football coach, Bear Bryant once said, “ The key is not the will to win, the key is the will to prepare to win”.
That’s where training and certifications comes in.
As a technology association executive, I spent many years of speaking to audiences about the importance of certifications as a key to success in one’s career. At the Canadian Channel Chiefs Council our mission includes a number of initiatives, most notably, the development of a C4 Accredited Channel Management Chief as well as an Accredited Channel Manager designation. This program was designed to accelerate the career path of channel professionals, no matter what stage in their careers. It is made up of six pillars; each designed to validate knowledge in a specific area, including operations, marketing, strategy, finance, managing change, and building out the channel.
Certifications, training and experience are the three of the four most important characteristics when selecting a candidate for a position according to many studies done over the years by HR firms. A 2015 study, HR Perception of IT Training and Certification by CompTIA, one of the leading independent certification bodies in the world, uses multiple statistics detailing the importance of certifications to organizations looking to hire and promote staff.
The research shows certified employees are more confident, more knowledgeable, reach job proficiency more quickly, are more reliable and perform at a higher level than non-certified employees. The same study shows that 91% of employers believe IT certifications play a key role in the hiring process and that IT certifications are a reliable indicator of employee success.
Clearly, every company makes the majority of their decisions based on how it will impact their bottom line. If it can bring in more money or save money, then it is considered good for business. Unfortunately, many managers still view training and certifications as a cost and not an investment. However the statistics are clear on the ROI, both from a corporate perspective and for the employee. It’s good business.
Being certified is not only good for you; it’s good for the company. It can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. It also will improve your marketability and chances of quality employment for many years to come. If you are a channel executive or if you aspire to become one, you owe it to yourself to get certified. Your partners are most likely certified in one area or another; your techs most certainly are. Having the designation will position you as a leader in the community.
As Vice Chair of the Channel Chiefs Council, I invite you to take a look at the C4 Channel Accreditation program as it comes available to our members and to the technology channel community at large. Remember that excellence is always the result of striving to better yourself. And, it’s good for business.