We are in the midst of a talent shortage. Businesses are finding it difficult to uncover qualified individuals to fill important roles such as engineers, technicians and IT and office support staff. To help hiring managers assess the best talent and confirm employees possess the right skills, businesses are placing a high value on the best means to assess those abilities — certification.



When individuals earn industry-recognized certifications from programs like Adobe, LPI, Microsoft or VMware, they are showing current and future employers that they have the skills and confidence to perform the job. These professionals are finding that after certification they are even better performers … for example, 88% of certified employees reported that Microsoft Office Specialist certification made them more effective in their work.²

Higher performing employees & staff retention

Companies that invest in their staffs through training and certification have a more technically advanced workforce. Certified employees shown to have critical knowledge are more productive and respond to new challenges more quickly and with greater success.

The retention of skilled staff members creates a culture of career growth. Promotion and encouragement of continuous learning and certification keeps staff ahead of the technology curve, which makes it easier to fill knowledge gaps for specific projects with minimal work disruption. Additionally, employers see an increase in employee satisfaction, confidence and a reduction in turnover in their certified teams.




Why hire certified IT candidates …

Involved in virtually every aspect of business, the role of IT within organizations continues to evolve and expand. When hiring developers, system engineers, help desk and other IT professionals, managers focus their search efforts on three factors — education, experience and certification. Research shows that an overwhelming majority of hiring managers include certification in assessing their IT candidates. 

The benefits of hiring certified employees include higher performance, less downtime and a positive return on IT investment.


Confidence in employee skills

Hiring certified IT professionals gives employers added confidence that their workforce possesses the skills needed to meet business objectives by maximizing existing and emerging technologies.

Research of employer perceptions of IT certification reported that managers perceive improvements in their staff’s work effectiveness after certification.³ Requiring IT professionals to complete ongoing training and keep their certifications current helps prove to executive management that teams have the essential technical skills and knowledge to perform complex projects effectively and efficiently.




Maximize investment in technology

Knowing workers have the right skills and experience to work on the most up-to-date technologies enables IT departments to get the most out of their investments.

Utilizing certified professionals, corporations can expect

• A decrease in costs due to on time project completion with fewer cost overruns
• Less downtime
• Increased levels of innovation and quality

When hiring IT professionals to work on costly hardware and software systems, confirming subject matter expertise is essential. Validating competence of specialized skills is another way certification gives employers confidence in their hiring decisions while protecting their company’s IT investments.




Additional resources
For the latest in IT market research available, value of certification videos and certification program collateral, please visit our resource library.

Sources: 1. ManpowerGroup, Talent Shortage Whitepaper (2014); 2. Certiport, Post-Microsoft Office Certification Survey (2012); 3. Pearson VUE IT professional survey (2014); 4. CompTIA, Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification, Jan 2011; 5. 2014 IT Skills Salary Report (Global Knowledge & Windows IT Pro); 6. International Technology Adoption & Workforce Issues- CompTIA (May 2013)