Are You Certified?: The Benefits Of Certification In Business

There are many different types of certification in business. These include food hygiene certificates, environmental certificates, fair trade certificates and financial security certificates, which are often given out by professional organizations. There are also various forms of individual certification which may be obtained by taking a course.

Some of this certification is mandatory if you want to work in a certain line of business, while other certification is voluntary. A lot of business owners can be hesitant about applying for voluntary certification – it can be expensive and may require putting in a lot of work in order to meet standards. However, such certification can often be worthwhile in the long run. Below are just some of the advantages to getting certified.

Develop your skills and knowledge

Many people become certified in a certain subject so that they can pursue a career in a specific industry. When starting your own company, you don’t have to prove to an employer that you have certain credentials – you are the boss. However, such credentials can still be important for helping you to develop necessary skills and knowledge.

For example, a course in leadership could help to earn you a leadership certificate. Such a course could help you to build valuable skills and knowledge on how to lead employees if you’re thinking of recruiting your first staff. This can help you to become a better leader.

Consider what skills and knowledge you could benefit from learning and look into courses. This could include university courses or short courses.

Give your company an improvement goal

Certification forces you to meet certain standards. It can motivate you to improve your business, making it more efficient and more ethical.

Many people want to grow and improve their business, but are unable to motivate themselves to make the necessary changes. Certification gives you something to aim for. It can often become a fun challenge for hotels to earn that extra star rating, for an investment firm to achieve GIPS compliance or for a farm to achieve organic certification.

Build trust among the people you work with

One of the biggest perks of pursuing certification is that it can improve trust among the people you work with. This can lead to more productive and successful relationships. Some of the people who may become more trusting include:

Customers: Many customers are more trusting of a business that is certified. Certification proves that you are able to meet certain standards and that you are therefore more likely to achieve good results than an uncertified company. Some customers will deliberately look out for trust badges, qualifications and awards before choosing a company to work with. Consequently, you could notice an increase in customers after becoming certified – it can become a valuable part of your marketing.
Employees: Employees are likely to be more proud working for a company that has certification. Pride in a company can lead to greater productivity. You may also find that more candidates are encouraged to apply for vacancies, helping to give you more options when hiring new staff.
Investors: Some investors will only put their money into a company if it is reputable and ethical. Certification can make investors more trusting of your business – it shows that you are already respected and less likely to be involved in a costly scandal.
Suppliers: You may even find that some suppliers are hesitant about working with a company that isn’t certified. Obtaining certification could allow you to gain the trust of more suppliers and give you more choice as to which companies you work with.