Whether you're yearning to get a real job or a better one, the struggle to make your résumé stand out from the competition can be a demoralizing impediment to landing the right position. Portraying your skills and value to a company in a unique way without a long job history can seem nearly impossible. However, developing your skills in project management can make you a sought-after asset ton any organization. Becoming a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® is a relatively and inexpensive way to unlock better jobs and significantly higher salaries in almost any industry. This certification will build skills to effectively manage a project from planning and projections to execution through completion.

For those who hold a CAPM certification, earning the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification will allow you to further distinguish yourself and display your mastery of the subject. This leading certification carries a significant increase in annual salary.

1. Vast Job Opportunities

Glassdoor.com, a leading job listings and information website, has over 300,000 active listings for project management positions nationwide. Project management skills and knowledge are also applicable outside the borders of the US. Skills in project management benefit practically every facet of every industry. From IT, to banking and finance, sales, medical services, human resources, and research positions; project managers are in extremely high demand. Developing your skills in project management will grant you increased access to any industry that interests you.

2. High Perceived Value

A survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit saw the majority of international executives identifying project management as "the single most important skill for their current and future success." The US News and World Report has also ranked project management in the top three of most desired skills sought by employers. The demand for these skills means that a recognizable project management certification will distinguish your résumé from the competition in a way that a typical 4-year college degree cannot. No matter the industry, a CAPM or PMP certification will identify you as a necessary leader and team player who is focused on the efficient completion of assignments.

3. Greater Salary Potential

Glassdoor's salary tracker also shows average Project Manager salaries range from $26,000 to over $100,000 with multiple postings in excess of $200,000 annually. Simply obtaining your CAPM or PMP certification will increase your real and perceived values and have a direct effect on your income.

CAPM vs PMP

	CAPM	PMP
Who Should Apply	Entry-level employees or those with little project management experience	For CAPMs or experienced Project Management Professionals
Experience Required	No experience required	Minimum 4,500 hours of project management experience and 35 hours of Project Management education
Certification Maintenance	Retest after 5 years	Achieve 60 PDUs every 3 years to maintain a current knowledge of project management issues and strategies
Benefits	Access to multiple industries and lucrative employment Salary increases and résumé distinction Introduction to the field of Project Management	Résumé distinction through proof of subject mastery 12.5% increase in salary vs those in equivalent position without PMP certification Maintaining a current and multi-industry knowledge of Project Management

The CAPM examination can further facilitate your achievement of the more prestigious and financially rewarding PMP certification.

According to the Project Management Institute, which awards the CAPM and PMP certifications, they both focus on:

• The skills to initiate a project
• Project preparation and planning proficiency
• Executing, monitoring, controlling and completing a project
• Estimating activity costs
• Planning for quality at every stage
• Performing quality assurance
• Hiring, leading and managing a project team
• Foreseeing and planning for the unexpected

For more information on the PMI or the CAPM/PMP certifications, visit www.PMI.org.

CAPM and PMP Test Prep

Successful CAPM and PMP candidates typically use multiple study aids to prepare themselves for the exam. Although many business schools are incorporating CAPM and PMP test preparation into their classes, standalone assistance is also available. For more information on the CAPM or PMP certifications and effective test preparation, please view our project management courses or contact Jim Wynne at jwynne@meritcd.com

PMP and CAPM are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Through gaming and play, employees can experience positive emotions that enhance their learning retention rates.

Regardless of age or experiences, we all play games in some way or another. But games aren't just about play; they educate. From smartphone puzzle-oriented hits like Candy Crush Saga to games of "peekaboo", in which infants learn object permanence, games and learning have gone hand-in-hand for thousands of years. So what happens when you take learning through play and apply it to online training courses?

Beyond Childhood Games

According to many historians, the adoption of a "game" called Kriegsspiel by the Prussian officer corps was instrumental in Prussia beating France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Derived form the German word meaning "war play", Kriegsspiel was designed as a training system for Prussian military officers in 1812. War and simulation have a much older history thourgh: Chess, one of the oldest games still in existence, was used throughout the Middle Ages and the Reniassance to teach noblemen war strategies. Battle tactics were part of their jobs, and the most efficient training was often through play. The famous back-and-forth nature of a "Socratic" dialogue has parallels in tennis, fencing and other sparring games.

Today, thanks to the technological advancements in smartphones and other mobile devices, almost everyone has become a "gamer". The term might carry a stigma with business professionals, but used as part of an effective training regimen, games can make a huge impact on employee retention and performance.

Empowering Employees Through Play

Game designer and author Jane McGonigal has found that play can create a sense of hope and empowerment. According to her research, gaming produces and heightens positive emotions when individuals are participating and feel engaged. Emotions are one of the most effective tools training instructors can leverage. The late Jim Spaulding, technical instructor at Merit Career Development, believed that evoking emotions from students is essential to improving learning retention and employee engagement.

According to a recent Gallup poll, the 87 percent of workers who currently feel disengaged at their jobs could potentially cost companies trillions of dollars in lost productivity. Play might be the key to changing these attitudes and re-engaging employees.

McGonigal feels that gaming can create behavioral changes that lead to better performances from employees. Her research found that two areas of the brain "light up" when a person is actively engaged in gaming: the caudate and the thalamus, the goal-oriented rewards center of the brain, and the hippocampus, where learning and memory reside. These two parts of the brain are the lynch pins of retention, marrying motivation and memorization through emotional response and other stimuli.

Employees can only improve their skills if they're engaged and attentive during training. By designing courses where learning happens through play - rather than drilling information through presentations - senior leaders can ensure that their associates are gleaning the most meaningful lessons possible through training.

Review a course list or contact Merit today for more information