Procurement is one of the hottest trending job and career I’ve seen in the last few years.
It’s a business function that is becoming highly specialized and seen as a value-added function to more and more enterprises.
However, despite conventional thinking the most established or the most common procurement certification courses may not be the right ones for you.
Here’s my checklist for evaluating which is the best Procurement certification course for you:
- It’s common for professionals in a specific trade to only look at the course that is the most “common” in the profession. However, don’t mistake the most “common” course for the “best” course, especially when your situation may be different from other people. It’s why I advocate choosing the BEST course for you and your situation.
- Here’s a question for you, if everyone in your profession has the SAME certification, then does having that same certification make you stand out from all of these people or does it just make you blend in with them all?
It’s common for professional in a specific profession to never question why a course is the most common other than it may have been the first one in the market or everyone else takes it, so why not? - Do your own due dilligence. An interesting fact when we were vetting potential instructors for our own Procurement Certification course, we found there were instructors who were teaching “established” courses without even having any prior Procurement experience. If that’s a deal breaker for you, then you need to do your own research.
- In any profession, on-going learning and development requirements are a must. You can’t just take one course and never keep up with industry changes. There are so-called certified courses on the market that just gives you a certification after a course and then never require any continuing development.Think about this, would you want a doctor who became a certified medical professional 20 years ago but never kept up with the latest medical news and insights?
- Ethics and morals. In any professional trade, a focus on values of ethics and morals is crucial for longevity. I’ve encountered course providers who sell their courses offering under-the-table benefits or compromising their certification requirements for the sake of having more members. Sometimes these tactics can sell more seats but in the long run, ask yourself if you want to be associated with such an entity that has these types of values. Look for programs and providers that focus on the same values you adhere to in life.
