Why Get Certified

The Value of Professional Certification

Professional certifications demand a robust understanding of the knowledge and specialized skills that are necessary to perform with a high degree of competence in a field. Additional annual requirements for training or practice ensure currency of skill and knowledge of new developments in that field. In every profession, professional certification helps employee, employer, and the consumer.

CPTC certification allows candidates to demonstrate their ability to recall, recognize, and demonstrate comprehension of the theories, concepts, models, genres, and approaches outlined in the full range of the nine core competencies of technical communication.

Professional certification can help provide an added boost to your credentials and career. Certification tests an individual’s knowledge and skills in the profession and validates them by an accredited third-party. While technical communicators may specialize in one or more areas within technical communication, professional certification demonstrates skills and knowledge of all core competencies, in addition to their selected specializations, which span the entire range of professional occupations in technical communication.

Why Professionals Seek Professional Certification

Certification enhances the professional development status of candidates in the field. It confirms that a candidate possesses the breadth of core knowledge and skills required to be a highly successful
technical communicator.

Certification builds professional credentials and a sense of personal achievement, as it serves as a portable career credential that has value in every organization or company, both professional and academic. It can lead to leadership opportunities or growth potential, by demonstrating a commitment to continuing education and high-quality standards, and by demonstrating knowledge and expertise in technical communication.

Professional certification is an important resumé credential and an advantage on the job market, setting candidates apart from other applicants whose practical skills and knowledge have not been validated by an external entity.

Professional certification has international recognition as a quality indicator of knowledge, skills, and practices in technical communication. Certification also appears in job postings and requests for proposals as a required or highly desired qualification, in addition to the baseline skills required for positions or proposals.

Professional certification prepares candidates for advancement within organizations, by showing commitment to the improvement of skills and knowledge outside of the organization and active engagement with the field across many industries and sectors that employ technical communicators.

Employers Benefit from Certification

Hiring new employees is time consuming and costly. Certification can help to accelerate that process. It helps to objectively validate candidates’ knowledge and skills of current and potential employees. A CPTC certification allows organizations to differentiate between potential candidates for advancement or leadership roles.

Certification also demonstrates a higher level of engagement and commitment to improved product and project quality. It helps professionals stay current in the profession, which ultimately benefits the business and can help reduce the risk of poor quality products. Certified practitioners also enhance qualifications within work teams, through demonstrating best practices to colleagues.

You can read more about benefits of professional certification in these issues of Intercom Magazine:

Professional Certification Encompasses a Broad Range of Competencies and Specializations

Regardless of your specialization or job title within technical communication, the nine core competencies cover a breadth of knowledge and skill areas representative in all work specializations.

Project Planning Processes, teams, and strategic planning
Project Analysis Users, purposes, and contexts of use for projects
Content Development Researching and developing content for technical genres
Organizational Design Organizational patterns and techniques for technical genres
Written Communication General writing style, tone, and readability
Visual Communication Visual principles, practices, and information graphic development
Reviewing and Editing Revising, substantive edits, copy-editing, proofreading, and usability
Content Management Managing and developing electronic content, media, and teams
Production and Delivery Project deliverables, outcomes, and publishing techniques

At the practitioner and expert levels, these nine core competencies are organized into four major areas of specialization, which include project planning and analysis, visual communication, content development and organization, and writing and editing strategies. Each of these areas represents important functional areas of expertise within technical communication practitioners and their professional roles.

You can read more about the nine core competencies in the following issues of Intercom Magazine:

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