Certifications That MBA Aspirants Must Know Of - Marketing And Finance

Every year, lakhs of students embark on the journey of MBA with millions of dreams and hopes. They slog for months to crack the toughest of the entrance exams and finally enter into their dream b-schools. Yes, a lot of students fulfill this dream that they had cherished for long. You could certainly be one of them. But is that all? It’s definitely not. The struggle then begins to shine out among the brightest lot. Be it admissions, summer placements or final placements, one has to stand out of the crowd at all these levels to be successful. This is where certifications can play a pivotal role.

How can certifications be helpful?

A lot of people enter b-schools having a clear objective and a domain in their minds while many are not quite sure of it. If you are one of those who is passionate about a particular domain, certifications are a great way to further enhance your knowledge. Also, they display your interest in the particular domain and thus, your inclination. Here’s an article that lists the certifications that can add value to your resume.

Finance

Chartered Financial Analyst:
This certification is offered by the CFA Institute. It is a highly respected and recognized investment management designation in the world. It helps build a strong foundation for financial investment analysis and portfolio-management skills. Candidates have to cover three exams (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3) to acquire this certification. The cost of the exam is considered to be a little high and one has to plan about the dates much in advance. However, a CFA is the best way to display your inclination towards the Finance domain.  The material provided for preparation is also very valuable to get the relevant knowledge.- Financial Risk Management:
FRM certification is a great value addition for you are someone who is interested in learning about the different financial risks and the concepts of risk management. A candidate has to complete two exams (Part1 and Part 2) to get certified. In addition to that, one has to demonstrate 2 years of relevant work experience for FRM.

Other certifications:
Here are some other certifications from the finance domain that one could opt for.
- Financial Modeling Certification
- FLIP (Finitiatives Learning India Pvt. Ltd.) Certification
- NCFM Modules

Sales and Marketing

Google AdWords:
Google AdWords is a great way for a candidate to learn and display his proficiency in online advertising. For becoming an AdWords Certified Professional, a candidate has to clear 2 exams. One is the AdWords Fundamental Exam. For the other exam, a candidate can choose one of these - Search Advertising, Display Advertising, Mobile Advertising, Video Advertising, or Shopping Advertising. The good thing about this certification is that one does not have to pay any fee for getting certified.

SMstudy Certification:
The certifications offered by SMstudy are well-recognized across the globe. They offer certifications in domains such as Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Research and Corporate Sales which have different levels based on work experience of the person such as Associate Level, Professional Level, Specialist Level and Expert Level. One plus point is that there is no fee for the Associate Level exam. The next levels of exams have to be taken as per the work experience of the candidate.

SMEI:
SMEI offers a variety of professional sales and marketing programs such as SMEI Certified Sales Executive, SMEI Certified Marketing Executive and so on. They are a great way to develop a good understanding of the sales and marketing domain.  However, these courses are highly professional and hence the fees for the exams are on the higher side.

Hubspot Certification:
Hubspot offers a number of certifications and tools in the sales and marketing domain such as Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Sales enablement and so on.

Please read this article, which talks specifically about certifications related to Operations, HR and General Management. Hope this one has been helpful for you guys!