Example:

• CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601), CompTIA, Earned: March 2025, Expires: March 2028
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, Amazon Web Services, Earned: December 2024

Example:

• “Managed network security protocols (aligned with CompTIA Security+ knowledge) for a 50-user environment, reducing vulnerability incidents by 15%.”

Maximizing LinkedIn with Your Certifications:

• Add to “Licenses & Certifications”: This is LinkedIn’s official section. Fill it out completely, and if the issuing body offers a way to link to a verifiable badge or credential ID, use it.
• Showcase Digital Badges: Many certification providers (like CompTIA, Microsoft, AWS) issue digital badges. Add these to your profile, share them in posts, and add them to your email signature for broader visibility.
• Highlight in Your Headline and About Section: Your LinkedIn headline is prime real estate. Consider including a key certification if it’s highly relevant to your career goals (e.g., “IT Manager | PMP Certified | Seeking DevSecOps Opportunities”). Mention how your certifications shape your expertise in your “About” summary.
• Skills & Endorsements: Ensure the skills associated with your certifications are listed in your “Skills” section and seek endorsements from colleagues and connections.
• Share Your Journey: Write a post when you earn or renew a certification. Share what you learned or why it’s important to you. This shows initiative and passion. As a Digital Brand Manager, you know the power of narrative – use it!

Preparing to Discuss Your Certifications:

• Be ready to go beyond simply stating you have a certification. Prepare to discuss why you pursued it, the key skills and knowledge you gained, and how it directly relates to the requirements of the job you’re interviewing for.
• Review the objectives of your certification before an interview to refresh your memory on the specific domains covered.

Using the STAR Method for Certification-Related Questions: When asked behavioral questions or “Tell me about a time when…”, use your certification experiences:

• Situation: Describe a specific challenge or project.
• Task: Explain your role and what was required of you, particularly how your certified knowledge was relevant.
• Action: Detail the steps you took, emphasizing the skills and methodologies you learned through your certification.
• Result: Explain the outcome and the positive impact of your actions.
• Example (for a security certification):
  • S: “In my previous role, we discovered a potential vulnerability in our customer data handling process.”
  • T: “My manager tasked me with assessing the risk and proposing mitigation strategies, drawing on my CompTIA Security+ training.”
  • A: “I conducted a risk assessment, referenced security best practices learned during my certification studies, and recommended implementing multi-factor authentication and data encryption for sensitive data, then helped guide the implementation.”
  • R: “As a result, we closed the vulnerability, enhanced data security, and ensured compliance with privacy regulations. This initiative was directly informed by the security principles I mastered for my certification.”

Example:

• “I see that [Company Name] is expanding its cloud services. My AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner knowledge makes me keen to understand how this role contributes to that initiative and if there are opportunities to apply those skills to upcoming projects.”

• Before negotiating, research the average salary for professionals in your role and location who hold your specific certifications. Websites like Glassdoor, Salary.com, Payscale, and industry-specific reports can provide this data.
• Remember the statistic from Article 6: certified IT professionals often command higher salaries. One study even found an average salary increase of $13,000 for certified employees!

When seeking a promotion or raise, don’t just mention your certifications. Demonstrate their value. Prepare a document or talking points that clearly outline:

• New skills and knowledge gained.
• Specific instances where you’ve applied these skills to benefit the company (use the STAR method here too!).
• How your certifications align with the company’s goals or address skill gaps.
• Your commitment to continued professional development.

• If a certification is listed as “preferred” or “required” for a role, it’s a clear point of leverage.
• During salary discussions for a new role, politely remind the hiring manager of your certifications and the validated expertise they represent. You can state something like, “Based on my research and considering my Certification Name which equips me with advanced skills, I am seeking a salary in the range of X to Y.”

• Many certification bodies (CompTIA, (ISC), ISACA, Cisco, Microsoft, AWS) have official member communities, forums, or local chapters. Engage with these groups online and, if possible, in person.
• These communities are great for learning, sharing best practices, and connecting with peers and mentors who understand the value of your credentials.

• Share Your Knowledge: Consider writing blog posts (on your own site or as a guest contributor), creating short informational videos, or offering to give presentations on topics related to your certifications. This showcases your expertise and builds your reputation. Your background in digital brand management is a huge asset here!
• Mentor Others: If you’re experienced, offer to mentor colleagues or students who are pursuing certifications you hold. This reinforces your own knowledge and positions you as a leader.
• Contribute to Open Source Projects: For those interested in areas like open-source security or DevSecOps, contributing to relevant open-source projects is an excellent way to apply certified skills, build a public portfolio of work, and connect with like-minded professionals. This provides tangible evidence of your capabilities.

• When attending conferences or industry events, mention your key certifications in your networking conversations, especially if they align with the event’s themes or the interests of the person you’re speaking with.

• If you’re looking to transition into a new IT field (like moving from general IT to a specialized security role, or into DevSecOps), certifications are invaluable. They demonstrate your commitment to the new field and provide foundational knowledge.
• Clearly articulate how the skills gained from your new certification bridge your existing experience to your target role.

• Plan your certification journey. Foundational certifications (like CompTIA A+ or Network+) lead to intermediate (Security+) and then advanced or specialized certifications (CISSP, OSCP, cloud-specific expert certs). This “stacking” creates a powerful narrative of deepening expertise.

• Keep an eye on certifications related to rapidly evolving areas like AI, cloud security, IoT security, and even concepts around decentralized technologies (as explored in our bonus article, “Own Your Data: Understanding Local-First and Decentralized Technology”). Earning certs in these areas can position you at the forefront of innovation.

• The ultimate way to leverage certifications is by applying the knowledge. Set up a home lab, work on personal projects, volunteer your skills, or find ways within your current role to implement what you’ve learned. This practical experience, backed by certification, is a potent combination.

• Information regarding the average salary increase for certified employees was discussed in Article 6 of this series, “Maintaining and Renewing Your IT Certifications: Keeping Your Skills Current.” The underlying data often comes from industry reports and surveys such as those highlighted by organizations like CompTIA or studies on the value of certification (e.g., “The 5 (plus one!) benefits of an IT certification – EXIN,” as referenced in Article 6 sources).
• Context on Local-First and Decentralized Technology was provided in the bonus article of this series: “Own Your Data: Understanding Local-First and Decentralized Technology.”