Certificates are proven to boost your salary and increase your visibility and competitive edge to ... [+] employers

Studies show that earning a professional certificate and putting it on your resume can significantly increase your chances of being hired—and even lead to a salary boost.

For example, according to a salary survey undertaken by CertMag in 2023, 64% of U.S. respondents and approximately 40% of non-U.S. respondents agreed that gaining an IT certification led to them receiving a raise within the first year after completing their studies and achieving their certificate. They received a raise of between 3-20% respectively, according to the survey's findings.

Whether you're in the spring of your career, a seasoned professional, making a career pivot, looking externally for a new role, or are hoping to secure a promotion or pay raise, gaining a certificate this year should absolutely be on your 2024 must-do list.

But what are the most essential and in-demand certificates you should be learning and adding to your resume right now?

It's key to remember to have a strong focus when deciding which certificate you wish to study this year. It must have some purpose, and be interrelated with your overall career goals.

Otherwise, you may commence your study but you'll lack the motivation to proceed all the way until the end. And it will be harder for you to draw practical applications from your course and apply them into workplace scenarios, because you will have little if any opportunity to apply them.

Additionally, adding random certificates to your resume makes you look indecisive and confused about your career, painting a negative picture of your personal brand to employers.

Therefore, there must be a meaning behind the certificate you choose to embark on. Every certificate must complement each other and your long-term career goals.

Bearing this in mind, let's take a look at 10 of the most popular certificates that are globally recognized by employers:

CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) is a short course that you can undertake in person that teaches you how to save someone's life using an emergency first-aid procedure. There are many course providers that offer this as a combination of online and in person training.

Popularly offered by the American Red Cross and other non-profit organizations, a CPR certification is useful in a wide range of professions. It's not only an obvious requirement in healthcare and in first responder jobs, but it is also useful for roles that involve working with children and those who are vulnerable. These include carers, teachers, security, construction, and events management.

If you're interested in landing a role as a project manager or programme manager or even more broadly within management or leadership, completing a project management course such as a PMP Certification is highly advantageous, and is coveted by many employers.

Similar certifications to PMP which are offered by the Project Management Institute, include CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management), and PgMP (Program Management Professional).

If your role requires you to use Amazon Web Services software, wouldn't it make sense to get a certificate in it so you can have an edge in your work? Thankfully, Amazon offers multiple role-based and speciality learning pathways through AWS certification, with exams administered by Pearson VUE.

Be intentional with your efforts to upskill, and ensure your certificates complement each other

Google offers a diverse range of certificates, primarily focused on enabling you to acquire in-demand skills within tech and business, such as analytics, project management, and technical support. Some Google Career certificates include the Google Data Analytics certification, Google Digital Marketing certificate, and the Google Cybersecurity certification.

Speaking of cybersecurity, cybersecurity certifications are another set of certificates that employers view as necessary to the success of their business, especially as we continue to work remotely. Not only does Google offer this through Coursera, but you can obtain it from providers such as CompTIA and ISC2.

Six Sigma is a skill that is helpful for careers within project management, quality management, supply chain management, production and manufacturing, and healthcare and IT.

You may often see it appear as a desirable or essential requirement in job adverts within these industries; and there are different levels, or belts within Six Sigma, so it's important to chart your career path carefully so you can pace yourself to study each belt. APMG International is one of the providers of this certification.

The CISSP certification (Certified Information System Security Professional) is one of the more advanced tiers of cybersecurity training, and "requires candidates to have at least five years of experience in two or more of the eight CISSP domains," according to Knowledge Hut. "In addition, CISSP candidates must pass a rigorous exam that tests their knowledge of all aspects of information security."

ITIL means Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a framework designed to improve the customer experience with IT services. The ITIL certification teaches you best practices for managing IT services effectively and aligning them with business needs while improving overall service quality.

This certificate can be obtained from providers such as Skillogic and Axelos, and there are various certification paths, so it's important to assess which on is most relevant for your needs.

Microsoft certifications vary depending on your role; for example, you could get a certificate in Power BI, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, or Microsoft Dynamics. And to eliminate all the extra noise, Microsoft Learn's platform allows you to filter by your role to get the best recommendations for courses you can pursue.

CRM (customer relationship management) software such as Salesforce remain highly popular in organizations, particularly as big-name employers such as Amazon Web Services, the U.S. Bank, Walmart, Macy’s, and The Hershey Company, amongst others, are its avid customers.

This means that to secure or maintain a well-paid role within these organizations, you need to have prior experience and working knowledge of Salesforce, relevant to your job. Salesforce offers a vast array of certificates, from Salesforce Administrator to Salesforce Platform Developer.

There is a huge variety of Microsoft certifications that can help you increase your confidence ... [+] within your role

As the saying goes, there's no time like the present. Stop procrastinating and define your career goals, chart your path, and identify what certificates you need to help you achieve your vision. Take a moment to invest in yourself today.