Salt Lake City, Utah, January 24, 2011.

About those credentials…

Have you ever seen, CCA, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, CHDA, CHPS, etc., behind someone’s name and not had a clue what it meant — or if it meant anything at all? Those letters aren’t just for show. In fact, those two or three symbols can separate people from the pack or be the reason someone gets the job.

In today’s business environment, anything that differentiates an individual from the crowd and emphasizes commitment to a profession is career critical,” says Kent Johnson, partner for Da Vinci Search, a Minneapolis-based recruiting firm. “As hiring managers pore over the multitude of résumés for an opening, their eyes will naturally pick up those with the all important initials that trail their name.”

Here at Med-Certification, we know how important certifying is. In the business of health care career training for 30 years, it was a logical step to move to testing for aptitude, credentialing the applicant’s knowledge and experience, and providing the Continuing Education Credits, now mandated in health care (HCFA) to establish and maintain provider compliance. The same is true with the legal profession as those who use their services want assurance that their skillsets meet the business requirements.

How can credentialing help you?

Certifications show employers your dedication and commitment to your profession. They show you’re credible and knowledgeable about current trends and best practices in your field. In addition, designations polish all skill sets — not just the hard skills you might need in a position. In fact, 64 percent of employers in a recent survey found social interview skills and the ability to communicate well were the most important assets in a potential employee.

Staying on top of soft skills, such as critical thinking and time management. All the while maintaining expertise in hard skills such as widely used software programs provides candidates and employees with a necessary edge.

Even if you already have a designation, employers expect workers to consistently improve their current skill sets. According to surveys, the following percentages of employers want their employees to sharpen their skills in the following areas: time management (62 percent), customer service (45 percent), Microsoft Excel (44 percent), leadership (39 percent), interpersonal skills (33 percent), business etiquette (26 percent) and business ethics (17 percent). The need to maintain skills with new technology or information is done through Continuing Education Credits easily available at med-certification.com.

While there is no doubt certifications open the door and improve chances of getting an interview, official recognitions are not the silver bullet. Certifications are especially beneficially when coupled with appropriate experience in the field as well.

In some cases, however, certifications might count for more than just an added skill. If a person doesn’t have an actual degree, certifications often serve as well.

What kinds of certifications are out there?

There are literally thousands of certifications available to people, both on and offline, specializing in hard and soft skills, and in every industry. Med-Certification for example, offers more than 10 courses and certification in:

• Medical Billing, Coding, Transcription, Office Manager and Office Assistant,
• Legal Secretary and Paralegal/Legal Assistant. Students from the courses provided are so well versed during the training process that over 90% go on to become certified in their field of study.

Looking to expand your skill set, boost your salary and make yourself more marketable to employers? Here are several certificate programs that you might not have known about to beef up your résumé: Remember that Obama has set aside $37 billion in economic stimulus money for digitization of health records.

Career Planning

Great careers help create good lives but usually do not happen by accident. The average person spends 40 hours a week at their given career. That is over 2080 hours per year devoted to work. When one stops to consider how much time is invested it is easy to understand why career planning is imperative.  There are six major steps to effective career planning which include the following:

• Self-assessment
• Research
• Decision making
• Networks and contacts
• Work offers and acceptance
• Life-work planning

Self-Assessment

Accurate self assessment is essential to assist a person to determine  current skills, values, personal interests, learning needs, self-employment potential, and knowing what to look for in a career path.  Asking yourself questions like what is most important to me in life? Some may answer this question that money is the most important, and others may answer that having a lot of free time to spend in travel is most important. There are no wrong answers. A person seeking much money would need to look for a career path that would pay well. A person who wants a lot of flexibility might be better suited for self-employment.  Additionally understanding learning style, personality type, and one’s personal value system is important to making a well rounded self-assessment. Asking yourself the right questions is essential in effective career planning.

Research

Doing research to ascertain what types of work are available, what types of jobs interest you, and what are the current trends in that career field is an important next step in effective career planning.  Researching work environments, income potential, and what type of advancement potential a career might have are also important research criteria to consider.

Decision-Making

Decision-making entails writing a life-career action plan. This is where you take time to really consider what you want to accomplish in your life and in your career both short-term and long-term.  Things to consider would be health, exercise, community involvement, volunteerism, goals for education and/or career advancement.

Networks and Contacts

Networks and contacts are all about creating an award winning resume, interviewing skills, and locating potential employers. A well written resume goes a long way, but having a great interview is the key to getting the job you want. Understanding good interview skills, being able to ask the right questions, knowing what type of questions you will be asked and having ready answers is key to a good interview.

Work- Offers and Acceptance

This step is geared toward deciding which the best job offer is for you. Fitting into your new environment and making plans for the future.

Life-Work Planning

Life-work planning is learning to take time to assess your career and life and making adjustments if needed. It is also about making future goals, deciding on further education, and planning for the future.

Career planning is an important process to undertake in order to make sure that the over 2000 hours you spend at work each year are enjoyable and fit your personality, learning style, and meet your financial and life goals.

Med-certification.com is dedicated to helping you reach your professional goals by assisting you with certifying in your career field.  If you want to learn how, click on our How To Links.

Great Opportunity in the Legal Field

Overview
Although lawyers are mostly responsible for legal court work, very often they allot their responsibilities to paralegals. One of the most important tasks of paralegals is to help the lawyers to prepare for hearings, trials, corporate meetings and closings. Paralegals perform the background investigation into the facts of the case and make sure that all the important information has been considered. In addition to this preparatory work, they perform a number of other important functions. For instance, they help in drafting contracts, separation agreements, instruments of trust and mortgages.

Legal transcriptionists are more in demand than ever before.  They work in law offices, government, insurance companies, and also find the Internet a good way to find clientele.  Technology permits them to download digital records and transcribe in home offices.

Areas of Work
Many organizations require the expertise of paralegals. Law firms, legal departments of large corporate houses and government offices employ the services of paralegals. Within these organizations, they work in different aspects of applied law, such as corporate law, personal injury, real estate, family law, employee benefits and even criminal law. Since law has increased in complexity, paralegals now also specialize in their services. Paralegals in corporations and the public sector usually work a standard 40-hour week.

Training
There are a number of ways to become a paralegal. The most common is a paralegal program at a community college that matures into an associate’s degree. The other common method is through a program of certification in paralegal studies. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in paralegal studies are also available at a number of schools. Some employers also train paralegals. They hire college graduates with no legal experience and train them hands-on.

Nearly 1000 colleges and universities, proprietary schools and law schools offer formal paralegal training.  Familiarity with technical knowledge and the working of computers is also essential in paralegal work. The Internet and computer software are regularly used to research legal literature and save databases. Therefore, a course in computer operations can be extremely useful and is virtually essential.

Job Outlook
Employment for paralegals is expected to grow much faster in the future. Employers are trying to cut costs by hiring paralegals to take care of a number of tasks that were earlier performed by lawyers. Experienced and formally trained paralegals have the best employment opportunities. Insurance companies, banks, real estate agencies and title insurance firms are now hiring paralegals. The demand for paralegals will increase with the expanding population’s demand for legal services.

Earning Prospects
Earnings of paralegals and legal assistants vary. Salaries are based on experience, education, training, the type and size of the employing company and the geographic location. In general, paralegals working for large legal firms or in large cities and metropolitan areas usually earn more than those who work within smaller firms or in remote regions. In addition to the salary, many companies offer a system of bonus to paralegals. The average starting salary can be anything around $30,000. Even the lowest paid is close to $26,000, while the top make as much as $90,000 or more.

After five years of experience, the average salary increases. The average paralegal salary for the top bracket can increase to as much as $80,000 in five years.

If you have an analytical mind, and like law, then a career as a paralegal can prove to be immensely satisfying.

Training
There are a number of ways to become a paralegal. The most common is a paralegal program at a community college that matures into an associate’s degree. The other common method is through a program of certification in paralegal studies. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in paralegal studies are also available at a number of schools. Some employers also train paralegals. They hire college graduates with no legal experience and train them hands-on.

Nearly 1000 colleges and universities, proprietary schools and law schools offer formal paralegal training.  Familiarity with technical knowledge and the working of computers is also essential in paralegal work. The Internet and computer software are regularly used to research legal literature and save databases. Therefore, a course in computer operations can be extremely useful and is virtually essential.

Job Outlook
Employment for paralegals is expected to grow much faster in the future. Employers are trying to cut costs by hiring paralegals to take care of a number of tasks that were earlier performed by lawyers. Experienced and formally trained paralegals have the best employment opportunities. Insurance companies, banks, real estate agencies and title insurance firms are now hiring paralegals. The demand for paralegals will increase with the expanding population’s demand for legal services.

Earning Prospects
Earnings of paralegals and legal assistants vary. Salaries are based on experience, education, training, the type and size of the employing company and the geographic location. In general, paralegals working for large legal firms or in large cities and metropolitan areas usually earn more than those who work within smaller firms or in remote regions. In addition to the salary, many companies offer a system of bonus to paralegals. The average starting salary can be anything around $30,000. Even the lowest paid is close to $26,000, while the top make as much as $90,000 or more.

After five years of experience, the average salary increases. The average paralegal salary for the top bracket can increase to as much as $80,000 in five years.

If you have an analytical mind, and like law, then a career as a paralegal can prove to be immensely satisfying.

Meditec.com Legal Transcription and Paralegal Training Programs are an affordable way to acquire your educational goals.  The PL Program meets the hours and training requirement for testing with NALA for the CLA credential.  It’s a great time to get started with online, interactive, comprehensive paralegal training.

Med-certification.com will test and provide your certification for Paralegal, Legal Assistant and Legal Transcription.