Certification - October 2008 - (Page 12)

DEAR TEChIE Focus Pay-Increase Discussion on Enhanced Skills, Responsibilities Q: I recently earned a certification in e-discovery from Kroll Ontrack, which is my firm’s primary vendor for this need. My review is coming up, and I was wondering what this certification is worth to my firm? I typically get the same percentage raise every year, but [now I have this certification, and] my position has changed so much over the four years I have been here. Please advise as to what percentage or bonus I should ask for, if any. – Greg Ken Wagner: I can’t advise you on precisely how much you should ask for just for completing a certification for two reasons. First, professional certifications should reflect and validate job skills, so part of your wage increase or bonus should be based on your skills. Second, wage increases vary quite a lot from state to state and from country to country, especially in different industries. However, since you have stated your job role has changed quite a lot during the past four years, I would look at what you used to do and compare it to what you do now. Then try to negotiate your wage based on that. I also would take into consideration the following points when negotiating a wage increase: the current credit crunch affecting the economy; any training courses or exams your employer has put you through; if this course or certificate directly relates to your current job role; and any other responsibilities you’re willing to undertake. At the same time, you have to raise the following points with your employer: the current wage for similarly certified and experienced personnel in your position; the cost to the company of replacing you (including inhouse training time for the job, costs of any required external training or certification, the possibility of hiring the wrong person); and any other responsibilities that your employer may wish to give you. The point of this exercise is not to try to threaten to leave if you do not get everything you ask for, but to come to some sort of compromise so both parties are happy with the outcome of the negotiations. You as an employee have to feel valued for the work you do as an individual, and your employer has to feel it is getting value for its money. I wish you good luck, and I hope you get a wage that reflects your new job role and responsibilities. 12 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE October 2008 Wayne Anderson: Congratulations on completing this certification program. While this is certainly an accomplishment, this particular credential in e-discovery unfortunately is not well-adopted by the industry at large. These kinds of vendor-specific credentials focus on the particular needs and systems of the underlying product, and often they are intended to provide employers with specific capabilities they need. Therefore, the value this credential can add to your career is highly specific to your employer. As such, these kinds of credential efforts often don’t allow you to negotiate a salary increase as strongly as a more widely accepted credential such as the CISA, CISSP or broader security certifications. The Kroll Ontrack e-discovery certification is one of the first dedicated credentials in the e-discovery space. In a firm dedicated to e-discovery or archival services, there is a direct relationship between obtaining this credential and enhancing your ability to perform paid services for clients. This would be similar to the way in which an engineer or developer could use the CCNA or MCPD, respectively, to enhance a salary discussion. I would advise you to position this credential more as a part of your overall achievement for the year in combination with your other work efforts. By concentrating on the new or enhanced skills that you can use to mitigate risk or cut costs, you can engage management in a strong review discussion. 8 Ken Wagner is an IT network manager and part-time IT lecturer in the United Kingdom. He has lived in the United States, Asia and Europe. Wayne Anderson is a highly certified instructional consultant and the certification lead for Avanade, a global Microsoft consultancy. To pose a question to Ken and Wayne, send an e-mail to DearTechie@certmag.com. http://www.krollontrack.com/ http://www.isaca.org/Template.cfm?Section=CISA_Certification&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=16&ContentID=4526 https://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html http://www.microsoft.com/Learning/MCP/MCPD/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification - October 2008

Certification - October 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream Virtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Troubleshooting Academic Connection What We Like Look Ahead Elect IT: Technology and the Democratic Process Managing Relationships in the Nonprofit Realm Interface VoIP Technician: Answering the Call of the Network Inside Certification Ad Index Endtag

Certification - October 2008

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