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You’ve Earned an IT Certification — Now What?

December 14, 2017 in Uncategorized by

You studied hard, left sweat on the testing center mouse and BAM you passed your certification exam. You are officially certified as an IT pro now what? Beyond the social high-fives, like telling your friends, there are some strategic moves you can make to get the most traction from your new technology certification. Here are four ways to take immediate action.


1. Tell Everybody Online and in Real Life

Update the certifications section of your LinkedIn profile and plug your new credential into the education and certification sections of Indeed and Monster. Spell out acronyms like the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification and include the abbreviation in parenthesis.

There are a lot of searches being done out there that aren’t going to be looking for a specific person, but a specific set of skills. Recruiters have a better chance to find you if your certifications are on your profile and your profile is up to date.

CompTIA alumni use the hashtag #CompTIACertified to announce the news and connect with hiring managers. If you’ve already got a job, tell your boss about your new cert. Print it out and hang in on the wall. Advanced skills could lead to more money and power.


2. Search for Jobs Asking for Your Specific Certification

A certification shows your commitment to technology and builds instant confidence in people looking to hire. By earning a certification, you’ve ticked the right box for some people. If you’ve earned your CompTIA A+ and find an ad reading Education: A+ preferred, you’re ahead of the curve go find out who wants your skills.

Search Twitter for the name of your certification or try #CompTIACertified to find posts related to IT job openings. Scroll IT job boards for your cert and start looking for patterns. What kinds of jobs require the IT certification you have?

Work with recruiters, find hiring managers and talent scouts online, and use tools for the IT job hunt to start navigating the landscape.

Even if it’s not the position you think you’re qualified for, it’s worth linking up with those posting firms. Look for what they post next. It’ll probably also be something you’re interested in.


3. Meet Up with IT Pros and Recruiters

Use the momentum of your new certification to contact recruiters directly, and open with the news that you’re now IT pro certified.

Maybe when the next opportunity comes up, they reach out to you directly instead of posting the job, or suddenly you’re on the short list of people who are competent and who they’d like to trot out for a job. Even if you don’t get a position through that recruiter, you can go back to them and say, Hey, we talked a while ago, and now I’ve been doing this for six months and I have all these skills.

You can also meet up with other IT pros in your area, certified in the same skills. Try online groups or IT professional groups like the CompTIA Association of IT Professionals (AITP), with chapters all over the country. You can also find online gatherings for IT certifications, like the CompTIA Certified Professionals LinkedIn group.

Make relationships. Relationships are how things move forward.


4. Mark Your Calendar

Circle the date you passed the exam on your calendar to celebrate your success, and then flip three years into the future, when the exam recertification time comes around. Set a calendar reminder for that far-off date so you won’t be caught off-guard and can give yourself plenty of time to refresh and renew your certification.

Continue learning. Start studying for the next higher certification. This will keep you current on technology, improve your resume and keep your current certifications up to date.


About the author

Mike Meyers (Mike Meyers)

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