A Step-by-step Guide of Project Management Certification for Beginners in 2021
The rapidly growing number of PMP-certified professionals attests to the increasing popularity and demand for PMP professionals in the world. The global recognition that comes with it opens a myriad of career opportunities for professionals.
If you have made up your mind to join the community of Project Management Professionals (PMP) and are wondering where to start, here is a step-by-step guide.
How Can PMP Certification Help Your Career?
What is PMP certification? Why do project managers all over the globe vie for the same certification? Often praised as the gold standard in project management, PMP certification is the perfect union of all the quintessential project management skills. It is authorized by PMI (Project Management Institute) and can distinguish you in your industry with having exceptional problem-solving and leadership skills.
PMP professionals can lead projects anywhere in the world; unlike other professional certifications, PMP does not focus on a certain niche, profession, or industry. While adding value to an organization comes easy to a PMP professional, there is more to the certification that makes it a globally desirable credential.
Here is why PMP certification is important for your career:
1. PMP Certification Rapidly Increases Your Credibility
More often than not, organizations that hunt for project managers use PMP as a criterion to filter their candidate pool. You can always count on your PMP certification to give you an upper hand over other non-certified professionals in the labor market. It shouts out your refined skill set and your hands-on experience with managing complex projects. Planning, monitoring, guiding, and executing a project demands great discipline and experience; project managers are expected to take the entire accountability of the project. PMP certification prepares a professional for just that.
2. PMP Professionals Have Great Earning Potential
According to a survey conducted by PMI, certified PMP professionals earn 20 percent more than non-certified project managers. Of the 32,000 project managers who were surveyed, 72 percent of them reported having had a hike in their annual salary, including bonuses and other compensations over a period of 12 months before the survey. The median salary of certified PMP professionals in the US is $81,000, while the median salary of non-certified project managers is $91,000.
3. PMP Certification Enhances Your Skills
It is imperative for a candidate to learn all aspects of project management before getting certified, including initiation, implementation, monitoring, controlling, and closing. PMP training sessions are designed to expose candidates to the aspects of a project that they otherwise would not have had hands-on experience with.
PMP certification helps you master the global standard language of project management. Candidates are coached to better align themselves with project goals, foresee hazards, and tackle risks with grace.
4. PMP Certification Boosts Your Marketability
It has been proven time and again that PMP certification can take your career to the next level. According to recent studies, some recruiters tend to divide their candidate pool into two: those with and those without PMP certification. Some organizations even prefer PMP candidates over individuals with Master’s degrees. Industries such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and finance have a strong preference for PMP-certified professionals since these roles require strict adherence to defined processes for the completion of sensitive projects.
5. PMP Certification Helps You Keep up with Industry Trends
Project managers, irrespective of their industry, are expected to update themselves with the latest project management trends and continually aspire to become their best selves. The field of project management undergoes changes every year, in terms of tools, techniques, practices, and technologies. Be it the integration of hybrid project management practices or the increased use of Artificial Intelligence and data analytics, managers need to have a horizontal knowledge of trends.
PMI is a very competent authority that rigorously follows and updates itself with rapidly changing trends in industries. The content of the course is amended based on the trends and demands so that a PMP-certified professional will have all the in-demand skills they need.
6. PMP Certification Helps You Maintain Influential Relationships
PMI certification training sessions put you in an environment full of people with similar aspirations and objectives. Professional networking is undisputedly one of the most influential ways to better your career prospects. Building and maintaining good relationships with other PMP professionals will help you open doors and increase your access to opportunities.
PMI holds meetings for PMP practitioners to learn more about project management. There are also dedicated slots for PMP professionals to discuss job openings in their own organizations, thus helping them connect their peers with the right opportunities. There is also an array of online and offline forums for PMP professionals where they can connect and explore opportunities.
PMP Certification Exam: The 5 Ws
The PMP certification exam is necessary for every project manager who wants to climb the project management ladder. Not only does the exam help you increase your visibility in the labor market, it equips you with all the skills you need to achieve the pre-defined objectives of your projects.
Here are the 5 Ws of the PMP exam:
Who – The PMP exam is for project managers who are growth-oriented.
What – It is an unprejudiced validation of a professional’s project management skills.
Why – It is recognized all over the globe and gives you an upper hand in the market.
Where – The exams are conducted at Prometric testing centers.
When – After PMI verifies your application, you have one year to schedule and complete the exam.
GreyCampus offers instructor-led PMP certification training. The program offers 6 months of unlimited access to live bootcamps, a simulated test, a 35 contact hours certificate, and access to official PMI content.
