Top Ten Tips on How to Market Your CIW Skills
You've heard the saying, "If you've got it - flaunt it." Well, if you have become a CIW Professional or Master CIW you deserve to let the whole world know about your success. Certification is not an easy process. It takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication to commit yourself to becoming one of the Internet industry's best through CIW certification.
We have some suggestions on how to make your CIW credential work for you, as far as furthering your career, helping you get that much deserved raise, and showing people you have what it takes to be the best.
- Consider Yourself A New Brand
You have a unique, new "feature" to help sell yourself to your current or potential employers. Show off your new features. Use CIW logos on your business cards, resume, cover letters, and Web site. The CIW brand is reaching greater heights daily. CIW is recognized as the Internet industry standard for certification. Employers will recognize and commend your new CIW status.
- Up-sell Yourself
So what if you're not a slick salesperson. It's easy to up-sell yourself by leveraging your "In Demand" Internet skills. Give your employers a list of your new skills. Better yet - show them an example of your new skills by pointing them to a Web site you designed in one of your CIW Site Designer series. Not only will they be impressed they will take action to utilize your impressive skills to their advantage.
- Create Your Own Not-too-obvious Marketing Program
If your company funded or helped pay for your CIW certification tell them 'thank you.' Your Accounts Payable department received a friendly reminder that you attended and fulfilled your CIW course requirements. Now it's time to remind your boss. Send them a thank you and include your new CIW logo above your signature. This will start them thinking about how much of a difference they have made in your life, your career, and their company's future success.
- Plan For Your Future
Okay, so you've never written a business plan and it doesn't sound too fun. Try it, you'll like it. At least you will like the future outcome of your well thought-out plan. Develop a simple yet effective business plan on how your certification can improve inter-departmental Web development. Develop a plan to implement an e-commerce site for your company to interact with its key customers. Develop a plan to show your career path, listing every step you will take to achieve your ultimate career goals (first on the list should be your CIW certification).
- Sell Your Certification
Be sure to sell the fact that you have validated skills. Include your CIW certificates with any resume packages you send out. Most people we speak to that are unaware that a web certification program exists respond with a resounding "we need one!" The response you will get by educating them will be positive.
- Volunteer Your New Skills
Try to donate or broker out your time to get some real world experience. Some people design web sites for non profit organizations, churches, etc. This helps the organizations get much needed services and you to build a real portfolio.
- Validate Your Resume
Have your resume reviewed by a non-biased third party to make sure it is selling your validated skills, any experience you have and your "can-do" attitude.
- Consider Teaching
Have you ever considered teaching? If you have attended courses and passed exams you are on your way to becoming a CIW Certified Instructor - due to our growing channel, there is much demand for people that have technical proficiency and can teach those skills to others. We suggest contacting the ATPs, colleges, etc. in your geography to see if they might have a need for additional instructors. Full info on what is involved in becoming a CIW CI can be found on the CIW-certified.com site.
- Back Up Your Facts
The CIW program is growing as are most IT certification programs. Some employers still do not know that the CIW certification is backed by organizations such as Intel and IBM. We have press releases that explain these relationships on our web site - be sure to include this information in your prospecting efforts.
- Shine
Talk about CIW. Wear a CIW t-shirt. Refer to your courseware to help solve a problem. Recruit other team members to attend CIW courses and get CIW certified. Shine so bright everyone asks how you know so much about Internet technology. The rest will follow.