Certification Pays Handsome Dividends [GENERAL CERTIFICATION]

by Kimberly Pittmon

Certifying your skills affords tangible career advancement benefits.

Possible merits include boosting your salary, illuminating your résumé and advancing your job. In today's sputtering job climate, attaining--or maintaining--a certification can give you a razor-sharp edge.

Here is how a certification can jumpstart or augment your career:

1. Provides you leverage. Employers expect employees to contribute quickly, accurately and measurably. A certification says, "Yes, I can do that."

2. Illustrates your tenacity. If anything is worth having, it's worth the toil. Employers seek people who will produce more with fewer resources.

3. Boosts your confidence. In the workplace, it's all about solving problems. And confidence--to deliver--is the engine that drives practical solutions.

4. Illuminates your résumé. Hiring managers give résumés a cursory glance. A certification makes them apt to read your résumé and summon an interview.

5. Demonstrates your value. Employers seek a healthy return on their investment--you. A certification may keep you employed, get your hired or increase your salary.

Invest in yourself and remain competitive by certifying your skills today. Visit Microsoft’s certification site to get started.