With the current economic climate and jobs becoming hard to find, you really need to do things to set yourself apart from your competitors hunting for the same job.

In the IT sector, one of the ways to do this is to work toward becoming Microsoft Certified. Seeing the Microsoft Certified logo on your CV gives the prospective employer the peace of mind that you know what you are talking about and are passionate about the job which you do.

MCSE stands for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. People which might find this of interest would be the budding Technical Support & Systems Engineers, Technical Consultants, Network & Systems Analysts as well as regular Software Engineers/Professionals.

Whilst the certification sets you apart from competition without the certification, it can also lead to a feeling of better job satisfaction and a nice increase in the amount of money you earn.

There are also the benefits you get from Microsoft when you become certified such as the industry recognition and access to technical and product information directly from Microsoft. In addition, there are also discounts on Microsoft products and services to be had.

Would you like to earn more, have better job satisfaction and stand out in a crowd when applying for jobs in the IT Sector or any job involving a computer? Then you need to take the Microsoft Office Specialist exam.

Choose your Grade level: Specialist, Expert or Master

So you want to become a specialist?

To become a specialist, simply pass one of the following exams:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Outlook

Or perhaps you consider yourself an Expert?

To be classed as an Expert, you’ll focus entirely on either Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.

Or maybe Master sounds more like you?

To be classed as a Master, you will have to pass the following exams:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint

And then pass either Microsoft Access or Microsoft Outlook

Benefits of being Microsoft Office Certified

Being Microsoft Office Certified can be a huge advantage when applying for jobs as it helps boost your skills and when potential employers see the Microsoft Office Certified logo upon your CV it can set you apart from the competitors competing with you for the same job.

There is also the impact it could have on your pay packet and your job satisfaction with research suggesting that people with Microsoft Certification show more competence, have better productivity and are more highly regarded by their employers, co-workers and clients.

Of course if these exams don’t really appeal to you or you just want to learn more about any of the programs in the Microsoft Office range, book yourself on one of our great value Training Courses.

We’ll inform you more on these developments in future articles.