Top 10 Certifications for Landing a New IT Job

There are very few certainties in tech contracting. It isn’t just another way of approaching a technology career. It’s more akin to starting a small business and that means taking risks, marketing, financial management and more.

One aspect of marketing that tech consultants appear to value is certifications. Forty percent of tech consultants said obtaining a certification helped them land a new gig, which is about 10 percentage points higher than their colleagues working in traditional roles.

To potential clients, certifications can inspire confidence that contractors are qualified to contribute, manage or lead various projects. So which certifications are notable for landing a new job? In a survey conducted by Dice, employed technology professionals identified the following certifications as helping them gain a new position.

It’s important to remember that not all certifications create the opportunity for a new job or a fatter paycheck, so tech professionals have to be certain that the investment is worth it.

Click through for the top 10 certifications employed IT professionals identified as having helped them attain a new job, provided by Dice.com.

In the Dice survey, employed technology professionals listed A+ certification as the top cert that helped them earn a new position.  On February 1, 2012, there were 660+ jobs listed on Dice.

Project Management Professional (PMP) made the top 10 and it’s the most frequently desired certification on Dice, with nearly 2,200 requests in job postings on any given day, up nine percent year/year. Project management is a lucrative role, with an average annual salary of about $104,000, add PMP and average salaries jump to nearly $120,000.

A company’s network is its lifeblood — Cisco Certified Network Associates demonstrate their ability to administer medium-sized routed and switched networks (1,200 job postings, up 21 percent yr/yr).

Along with CISSP, Security+ is recognized by the Department of Defense which requires contractors with privileged access to federal computer networks to obtain specific certifications. (450+ job postings)

MCSE is a widely recognized certification. According to the company, the certification is appropriate for systems engineers, technical support engineers, systems analysts, network analysts and technical consultants. As of February 1, 2012, there were over 1,100 jobs posted on Dice.

Entry-level network technicians have found CompTIA’s Network+ certification helpful in job hunting. There were over 200 jobs posted on Dice, as of February 1, 2012.

This basic level of certification is the first step to receiving any advanced Microsoft certification. There are many branches of technological services that build off this basic Microsoft Certified (MC) certification. Each branch builds off the competency and knowledge of Microsoft products and technology. (400+ job postings)

Seasoned information security professionals are eligible for the Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP) certification which is recognized, along with Security+ by the Department of Defense which requires contractors with privileged access to federal computer networks to obtain specific certifications. This is one factor driving the high level of tech professionals (53 percent) who have at least one certification and are based in Washington D.C. (1200+ job postings)

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) experience and expertise is becoming more vital. Service deliverability is essential and those with ITIL credentials can command a six-figure salary — nearly $110,000 — in addition to expanding their job options. (1,130+ job postings)

The Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) certification helps validate that an individual has the comprehensive set of skills necessary to perform a particular job role, such as database administrator or enterprise messaging administrator. MCITP certifications build on the technical proficiency measured in the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications.  As of February 1, 2012, there were over 460 job postings on Dice.