Top 10 Reasons to Choose PMP Certification
Category: PMP Posted:Mar 20, 2017 By: Alvera AntoProject managers are tasked with overseeing countless aspects of a single project, and they may work in the Technical industry, in Constructions, or in any virtual field imaginable. Wherever they are employed, they need to be confident, organized, and focused. PMP is meant for employers choosing Project Managers or ensuring that existing managerial candidates are ready to take on new roles.
One of the most globally recognized certifications, PMP is an acknowledged professional certification in Project Management that authorizes and certifies a skilled professional’s experience and education in Project Management. This highly desired credential is served up by the world-renowned Project Management Institute (PMI) for professionals who get through the PMP exam that is organized by PMI.
PMP has such an enormous reputation with aspirants of Project Management and industry veterans that it is synonymous with quality and efficiency, over the world.
Register for Free Live Webinar for PMP
Even though there are various Project Management courses in the market from different vendors, PMP certification from Project Management Institute (PMI) serves up a comprehensive body of common knowledge. This knowledge is applicable globally and is transferable across domains. It is always recommended to obtain Project Management Training from a PMI authorized training center since it provides deep insights into the course material, which usually won’t happen with Self-study.
Working in Project Management requires careful attention to detail, invaluable hands-on training, and rock-solid credibility. However, planners and schedulers in project management roles often find themselves unable to provide proof of their accomplishments beyond previous roles as project managers. This is where certification in PMP will come in handy.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification was created to meet the growing demand for a streamlined, predictable means of ensuring a project manager’s credibility. Finally, PMP certification is a review of your past and current abilities as a project manager, which adds credibility and reliability to your work worldwide. However, many fail to grasp the positive impact of PMP certification on a Project Management career. One has to remember that while Project Management Professional certification being worldwide, it’s also industry-wide in transportation, construction, architecture, oil and gas industries, structural engineering, and energy.
Here are the top ten reasons to choose PMP certification:
1. PMP Is A Globally Acknowledged Certification And Accreditation
According to a leading recent survey, there are more than 450k PMP certified professionals worldwide proving that a PMP credential is recognized and sought-after worldwide.
Accomplishing the PMP certification heightens morale and boosts confidence. It puts a professional smack dab in the middle of the league of global professionals who are certified and increases the possibility of networking and connecting with international PM experts. It also helps a professional showcase their skills and expertise to potential global employers.
Varying demographics and cultures usually have different expectations of a professional’s role as a project manager. However, Project Management Professional certification is recognized around the world prompts organizations and corporations to select you for their project management needs.
2. PMP Is Based On Decades of Industry Research and Expertise
PMP is a professional designation that is achieved by earning a degree that is offered by PMI which is situated at Pennsylvania in the United States of America. PMI is an offshoot of Georgia Institute of Technology and was started off as a Non-government organization in the year 1969. It was around 1980 that project management procedures were standardized. The all-encompassing book – PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) was produced in 1996 to consolidate efforts to standardize project management procedures. The PMI defines PMP as an application of skills along with the application of techniques and knowledge to ensure projects can be executed in the most efficient manner.
3. A PMP Credential Greatly Expands Your Market Reach and Scope
Once you have earned a PMP certification, you as a professional will be instantly connected to several project management forums, online communities and discussion boards, and a whole lot more. This will give professional access to a global pool of professionals willing to dole out their advice and insights gained from years of industry experience. This will help one as a project management professional enabling one to stay abreast of the latest happenings and developments along with the trends in the industry.
Learn PMP from Industry Experts
With the ubiquitous nature of the internet and internet-powered communications, it will be possible for an aspiring project professional to get in touch with the crème de la crème of the project management talent pool, irrespective of geographic distances and time zones. Since the PMP community is a close-knit global one and is populated by time-tested industry veterans who can solve management problems using industry best practices.
4. PMPs Have Better Job Opportunities
A leading international survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, says that over 80% of high-profile projects utilize project managers who are accredited with a PMP certification. Also, in another study called the PMI Pulse of the Profession study, corporations that have over 35% of PMP accredited project managers showed higher degrees of project performance. Therefore it can be deduced from the above actual survey and statistics that, a PMP Certification opens up better career avenues and gives professionals much greater job opportunities in the project management world.
This also leads to increased remuneration and better career opportunities by enrolling in a Project Management Course leading to PMP certified status makes it highly likely for an individual to get a raise in the existing job. It also opens the doors of other employers looking to fill managerial positions in their companies.
Underemployment is literally eliminated once a project professional earns a PMP certification since the jobs offered to PMPs are highly challenging and very well paid.
5. PMPs Get the Most Challenging Projects Since They Have an Edge over Non-PMP Certified Project Managers
A PMP Certification earns an aspiring professional entry into a challenging and important industry because it shows one’s dedication towards project management and showcases the required experience and knowledge to handle projects that are complex and challenging.
The PMP Exam eligibility conditions comprise both experience and education for project managers and other project professionals. This means that PMP Certification validates not only one’s education and training but also, the skills and experience that were exercised in leading and directing projects.
In case two project managers of near-equivalent backgrounds in education and experience apply for a position in a future or current project. The project manager with the PMP certification will speak volumes about recent work and education and will stand out from the non-PMP certified project managers 9 times out of 10.
6. PMPs Have Enhanced Project Management Skills and Demonstrate Better Project Performance
It is not only on paper that a PMP certified manager’s skills and experience stand out. The PMP manager is always more efficient at handling project tasks and execution in real-time. The high standards for a PMP exam make sure of this since it tests professionals on a holistic level. Project professionals are tested on all the five project management processes from initiation to the closing of a project (initiation, planning, and execution, monitoring & controlling, and closing). This provides the project manager with a highly standardized, detailed, and actionable group of project management best practices which draw from all the five processes of project management mentioned above.
Not only that, but a professional will need to be completely aware of the nine areas of project management which comprising of everything right from project scope management to procurement management. This comes with the deep knowledge required to get through the PMP exam. This, in turn, will enhance a professional’s project management skills greatly allowing the project manager to handle all types of projects with great ease.
PMP Project managers are known to understand the detailed efforts that go into preparing and maintaining this certification. When you have a PMP certification, you must obtain at least 60 professional development units, or PDUs, every three years. These units are valid proof of your ongoing education in your field. This once again requires a high-level understanding of project management skills and their application in real-time project tasks
7. Greater Visibility to Recruiters
Research across industries conducted by leading international surveys and statisticians show that organizations prefer hiring PMP certified project managers to their non-credentialed peers. The PMP certification is an established standard that shows a professional’s expertise and skillset level in project management and it immediately captures the recruiter’s attention, during the evaluation of potential profiles.
Since a recruiter spends only a fraction of the time they have to shortlist profiles, and this certification is guaranteed to get selected without hesitation, based on the purely awesome reputation that is held by PMI and PMP throughout the world.
8. Utility across Industry
A PMP Credential is the best bet for most project managers in different professional fields, across sectors such as business processing, IT, telecom, research, commerce, finance, and a whole lot more.
In the current market scenario, many enterprises and organizations want to come out on top as industry leaders and lead the pack when it comes to innovative thinking. To make sure this happens, companies are hiring employees with the certification of their skills which would prove to be an added asset to the company.
Taking up a PMP certification will help professionals gain universally applicable project management skills. It has also been established that a project management certification will boost one’s knowledge in a domain that is in demand all over the world. What is remarkable about the PMP certification skills is that they are valid and applicable across a wide spectrum of industries and demographics. This leads to massive opportunities for project management professionals.
9. Inexpensive Certification Cost and Long-Term Gains from Getting certified
A PMP certification is pretty reasonable when it comes to testing costs- around $555 a test. And for PMI members it is even lower with test costs at only $405 per text. With this certification, one can get all the advantages such as credibility and reliability while still offering reasonable prices for tests.
One can increase the rate of clearing the said tests by taking up courses from authorized institutes or online, with both modes being equally effective. This PMP certification can be considered as a valuable long term investment with a guaranteed ROI due to its credible nature. This certification will make it clear to employers worldwide that one is dedicated to keeping up one’s designation in management for a long time.
10. PMPs are Recession-proof
There is always economic upheaval and reformation once every few years the world over, owing to changes in the socio-political scenario and global crises. During economic downturns and recessions, many are prone to get laid off to increase the company’s bottom line. But leading international surveys have found that PMP professionals would retain their value even during a recession due to their strong and highly transferable core competencies. This certification definitely manages to separate the other Project Managers who are available and are working in the same field.
Conclusion
Project management is a vast domain with every industry employing the best talent available in the market to manage operations in their organization, whether it is product-based or service-based. This being said, there is no faster way to rise to the top of the list of highly employable project professionals than by taking up a PMP certification. This will enable a professional to leverage decades of research, knowledge, and best practices to better accomplish project tasks, and prove oneself as an asset to an organization. It will help new project professionals gain entry, and existing project professionals establish a strong foothold in the project management sphere. And will also help stabilize one’s career to survive the worst of economic downturns. It is a long-term investment that will help you to set yourself apart from the competition and quickly rise through the ranks at the corporate workplace. So, if you are thinking along the lines of starting out or boosting your current status as a project management professional, sign up for a PMP certification to emerge as a success in the current marketplace.
You May also like to read: 7 advantages of PMP certification for the much-needed breakthrough