Certification Connection

Is it time for you to sit for the ServSafe exam? If your state has a Food Safety Certification requirement, it’s essential to take care of meeting the guidelines for training and testing that will keep you in compliance with the regulations that apply to you. Many states require that managers in establishments where food is prepared and served – or prepared food is served – hold a valid Food Safety Manager certification.

Earning the ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification is one of the best and most convenient ways of meeting this requirement. If you’re looking for a place to complete a training class designed to help you prepare for the exam or a testing center where you can take your test, Mobile Technical Institute is a great option for you. Conveniently located in Mobile, AL,  food service managers in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida find the training and testing location to be a convenient and affordable option. For details about testing or upcoming class dates, see mobiletechwebsite.com or call  251-478-6848 .

When you become a special shopper or anonymous shopper you get assignments and earn some money. But your quality gets recognition only when you get some sort of certification. Mystery shopper certification is that recognition that helps you to stand out from the pack. The certification is only given to those shoppers who are the real professionals and can really turn the business on its head with their reports. The companies that engage the shoppers also give extra weight to the reports of these certified shoppers. In a single word, they are the pros of the trade.

Improvement is the secret of any trade and the agencies providing secret survey need to improve upon the practices to survive. The companies that provide special shopping services and secret survey services have their associations to improve upon their own trade. These associations themselves introduced mystery shopper certification opportunities for themselves. So the practice of certification was originally introduced to grade the service providers than the shoppers and is more aimed at self survival than improving upon the quality of the shoppers. It is a self regulation process to improve upon the practices and methods that are normally doing the rounds.

But nowadays the system is used to grade the shoppers also. The special shopping job is a profession that needs to be treated professionally. The certification programs are aimed at introducing a professional attitude to the job and grooming the shoppers to do their job efficiently. Ultimately the benefit is enjoyed by them and they land more assignments. The maximum benefit comes from the demanding nature of the assignments these shoppers are given once they receive the mystery shopper certification . These assignments yield a higher remuneration than those assigned to the non-certified shoppers and successful completion creates a goodwill that the companies are willing to pay for. This certification also acts as a guide to the potential clients of the secret survey companies.

It is not that the associations of the special survey companies are providing mystery shopper certification to the shoppers just out of charity. Any improvement in the quality of the jobs performed by the shoppers automatically benefits the companies. The shoppers are the eyes and ears of the agencies and good hearing and sight goes a long way in correct interpretation. Remember, good interpretation means good evaluation and good evaluation means proper suggestions for improvement. The clients are paying for improvement. Any visible improvement on the suggestions not only makes the clients happy but also improves the goodwill of the companies and the business.

Mystery shopper certification is provided in many names but they are simply nomenclature of the various grades of expertise of the shoppers. The basic grade of certification is the level where a shopper achieves expertise in the very basics of the trade and this type of certification can be received on-line easily. Almost all the shoppers can achieve this level and the modular structure of the certification courses makes the task easier. The higher levels of certification means that the shoppers are experts in their field and can handle any type of situation and can successfully deliver the toughest assignments. It takes enough merit to receive this type of certification and is not generally awarded without personal interviews. One thing can be surely said about the certification, it improves credibility.

Quality Assurance

Secret Shopping Resources [http://www.secretshoppingblog.com/resources.asp]

Kamyar Shah writes about different topics including self storage, property management, secret shopping and management consulting issues.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kamyar_Shah

Guest Post by Robbie Becklund

Are you a great cook or chef, but feel like you’re stuck in a rut at a job you can barely tolerate and hours that are killing you? Maybe you should look into investing in your future and take a chef course of two. It might be the ticket you need to move up to the next level, or give you inspiration to start your own business as a personal chef.

If you want to learn more about great Chef Courses stop by our website at http://CulinarySchoolNewYorkNY.com and have a look around. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robbie_Becklund

Guest Post by Tom Lord

To find out more about IT certification you can view my other articles by visiting my profile. you can also visit my site http://www.mmmlordy.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Lord

By Maurisa Westbury

According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupational outlook for human resources professionals appears quite promising. Overall projections indicate a growth rate for the job category of about 17% between the years 2006 and 2016. The bureau considers the predicted growth is faster than average when all occupations are taken into account. For anyone thinking of an HR career or staying in the field, that should be welcome news.

After all, job stability is not easy to come by in any career and the government’s statistics can serve as a respectable source of confirmation. From that standpoint, the decision to enter or stay in the HR industry seems to be a sound one. However, to grow within the field and explore pathways to upward mobility, questions about credentials and certifications come into play.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) offers two levels of certification, including the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). SHRM also offers the Global Professional in Human Resources for those with international responsibilities. The California Certification in Human Resources is for those who plan to work in the State and are unfamiliar with California’s labor and human resource laws.

Now let’s ask the real questions. Are certifications required to succeed in the business? Do they translate into higher earnings? Are they worth the investment of time and money? What are the facts?

In a press release dated June 22, 2008, the HR Certification Institute, a SHRM affiliate, announced the findings of a recent study called the Value of Certification Survey. The survey, which polled over 3,000 certified and non-certified HR professionals, revealed that one out of two hiring managers prefer HR certified professionals. The report also shows that 44% of the respondents feel HR certified professional create a positive impact on their company’s financial bottom line. In fact, every statistic in the survey showed the benefits of certification.

What it did not reveal, however, are statistics that show certified HR professional enjoy higher earnings than their non-certified colleagues do. The lack of scientific salary studies leave us to conclude that, in terms of compensation, it may be no more valuable than years of industry experience or a formal HR degree.

To the contrary, that’s not to say employers don’t respect the value of HR certification, they simply don’t require it as a hiring guideline. In a very un-scientific survey, we examined five different HR job postings on the largest internet employment website. The positions ranged from entry-level HR to director. The results regarding the requirement for certification ranged from “PHR helpful but not required” to “PHR certification strongly preferred.”

In making the decision to certify or not, consider how strong the credentials would appear on a resume. And the fact that certification may greatly increase your chances of making through the screening process. Something also to consider is how heavily an employer weighs its value when evaluating candidates for promotion.

The cost of certification is another important factor. According to the same study conducted by the HR Certification Institute, 59% of those already certified say their organization encourages them to pursue certification. Only 34% of non-certified professionals report receiving encouragement. Of those professionals, 55% say their employer will pay for the training, compared to 78% of the certified professionals.

When an employer leaves the cost to the employee, it matters even more and requires closer examination. The cost for the PHP is in the neighborhood of $1,000 and that includes the learning system, class and registration fees. The time investment is clearly important as well. The class alone is a 40-hour course and that doesn’t include study time.

Given the facts, here’s how one HR Vice President summed it up, “Certification is valuable to everyone, but common sense dictates that the economic value is greater for those who are early in their careers. If you are at the HR manager level or below, and can make the time to pursue certification, do it now. You’ll differentiate yourself from the herd, whether you plan to stay forever in your HR shop, or intend to switch jobs and companies in the next couple of years.” That appears to be excellent advice, especially coming from someone close to the top of his career.

Guest Post by Todd Alexia

Do you like the idea of working as a real estate agent, home inspector or real estate appraiser? Earning the credentials necessary to work in these professions is something that you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. It’s possible to complete the training requirements to earn licensure in most states online, from the comfort of your own home without having to spend a fortune.

If you’re interested in becoming a professional in the real estate industry, visit Career Web School to learn more about cost effective, quality online training programs designed to help you prepare to become a real estate agent, broker, home inspector, and real estate appraisal. You’ll find that the online real estate training programs are very affordable and convenient, making it easy for you to prepare for your career in one of these professions while you continue to work in your current field.

Guest Post by Henry Lance

CompTIA A+ is the most recommended and trusted certification for entry-level service technicians. This certification covers all the basics of networking from installation to complete networking, employers know that all CompTIA A+ certified experts have the knowledge and skills can complete the job successfully. It is great for you to add A+ certification to your resume will show to employers your capabilities with basic hardware and operating system technologies.

IT is the field of experience having an explosive surge of development, and the outlook is that this will not end in the coming years. The main thing is concept of training and certification which is important for people pursuing their career in this field. CompTIA has Read the rest of this entry »