Investing in certification is a winning business proposition for employees, prospective clients, and companies as a whole.
Certifiable Winners
Investing in certification is a winning business proposition for employees, prospective clients, and companies as a whole.
When you’re pitching a major piece of new business,
you never know what’s going to make the difference.
Recently, my Chicago-based IT consulting firm solicited
the solutions development business of a major Midwest
insurance company. The customer’s final decision
came down to our company and one of our toughest competitors.
The customer laid two sets of resumes on the table—our
proposed team vs. theirs—to try and find a distinction
on which to base his decision. Then he found one: the
number of Microsoft certifications held. We offered an
all-MCP team, and the insurance company gave us its business.
That’s not surprising. A major industry association
chose us to deploy a Microsoft Exchange Server-based communications
and collaboration network for the same reason. So did
a global perishable consumer goods distributor, seeking
to deploy a Microsoft Site Server-based Internet commerce
solution.
Certification Speaks Louder than Words
These clients and others place clear value on the MCP
credential, coupled with experience, as a guarantor of
expertise. So do we. Seventy percent of our employees
have at least one MCP certification; a growing number
have two or more. Our MCPs make a tremendous difference.
We attribute 25 to 40 percent of our fast-growing revenues
to the value that MCPs bring to us and our customers.
That’s because MCPs have the best foundation in the
technologies they work with. Their certification is a
springboard from which to integrate those technologies
into innovative customer solutions. And their certification
demonstrates this expertise to others.
Effective Employee Recruitment
Microsoft certification is part of our culture of excellence,
and we communicate this to potential hires at the start
of the recruitment process. We tell them that future promotions
and raises depend on certifications and experience. We
explain that if they obtain two certifications within
six months, they’ll be evaluated more quickly for
raises and promotions. We also explain the investment
we’ll make in their training and career enhancement
over the long haul, giving them the time and money needed
to advance themselves.
They know we’re serious because the conversation
usually takes place in our conference room where one wall
is covered with MCP certificates. And they must like what
they hear, because we have a highly competitive, 80 percent
closure rate on recruits. Our retention rates are equally
competitive. For us, Microsoft certification is a great
way to distinguish our company both to customers and employees.
New Methods of Education
As a subsidiary of Wang Global, a Microsoft Certified
Technical Education Center, our consultants have access
to Wang Virtual University. This intranet-based academic
program helps the consultants train for certification
on their own schedules, from the convenience of their
homes or while traveling on business—wherever they
might be. With both intranet and traditional training,
we plan to train 2,500 MCSEs and MCSDs by the end of next
year. That’s a huge commitment, but one we know will
pay off for our customers, our employees, and our company.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of the MCP
credential, go to www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/default.asp?PageID=mcp&
PageCall=individuals&SubSite=benefits.
To learn more about Parian, go to www.parian.com.
About the Author
Richard Sheldon is Vice President of Consulting and Director of Client Services at Parian Development Group Inc., a Wang Global Company. Parian is a partner with Microsoft in serving technology customers.