Top 5 certifications to advance your management career

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As a manager, you understand the importance of on-the-job experience. Working on innovative projects, attending trade shows, and representing your company at conferences are all excellent ways to expand your skills and network. If you can’t get enough of the type of experience you are looking for, management certifications are a great tool to usher in the next phase of your career.

Do you need a management certification?

Certifications are always helpful, but they become particularly important during professional transition periods and when the job market is uncertain. At times like these, reputable management certifications can help accelerate the journey to your dream job.

Growing your competencies through certifications can also make you a more resilient manager, helping you protect your own career and preserve the integrity of your team.

What are the best management certifications to see on a resume?

We’ve selected the top five business management certifications to help advance your career. These selections are based on the reputation of the certifying organization and the market demand for the targeted skills. If you’re looking for a career change, they’re a great addition to your resume.

By extension, this list also serves as a handy reference for staffing managers. Not all certifications are created equal, and some simply serve to inflate an individual’s credentials. These are trusted, high-quality certifications that are widely considered signals of competency.

1. PMP^® Project Management Professional

According to research by the Project Management Institute, between now and 2027, employers worldwide will need an estimated 87.7 million project managers. That equals approximately 2.2 million new project-oriented jobs annually!

Since PMP^® certifications are sought after around the world, earning your PMP^® Project Management Professional certification can be a huge career booster. The industries with the greatest need will be healthcare, manufacturing, construction, publishing, information services, and professional services, as well as finance and insurance

2. Certified ScrumMaster^® (CSM)

If you’re hiring in IT, you probably already know about the ScrumMaster certification. As an increasing number of companies are opting for agile, project-based work, there’s a growing demand for managers with a CSM certification from the Scrum Alliance^®.

With a CSM certification, you’ll understand Scrum methodology, know how to facilitate strong teamwork, and be able to adapt the team’s focus to evolving conditions. CSM-certified managers are in high demand in information technology, engineering, and other rapidly developing fields.

3. CBPA^® Certified Business Process Associate, Professional, or Leader

With companies looking to streamline operations and integrate new technologies into their organizations, there’s a growing demand for managers who are skilled in business process management. One way to demonstrate your competency is to become CBPA certified.

The Association of Business Process Management Professionals International (AABPMP) offers certifications at the associate, professional, and leader levels, which reflect the stringent standards expected of qualified business process management (BPM) professionals around the world.

4. AIPMM Certified Brand Manager

This certification from the Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM) teaches you how to optimize customer relationship management and maximize brand equity and value.

Considering that customer experience is rapidly becoming more important to customers’ perception of brands than price or product, this certification is a signal to potential employers that you’re on the cutting edge of brand management.

By extension, If you’re on the other side of the interview table and you’re looking to hire marketing professionals, an AIPMM certification is a good sign of a qualified applicant. In the hands-on field of digital branding and marketing, formal certifications are a potential differentiator.

5. AMA^® Certificate in Analytical Skills

In this hyper-connected world, we generate data with everything we do. The more data available, the more data analysis needed. Since analytical skills are becoming increasingly important, earning one or more certificates in Analytical Skills from the American Management Association^® is a smart career move.

There are three certificate levels designed to equip you with progressively more advanced skills to quickly analyze and interpret data for strategic decision making. The perk about this certification is that instead of being tied to a particular software or product, it teaches core principles that are applicable to all research and analysis positions.

The above certifications on a resume (or LinkedIn profile) indicate: