Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Increases Salaries

On average a 15% increase is possible. Employers reap the benefits of increased employee productivity and return on I.T. investment.

People holding the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification are earning, on average, 15% more than their peers according to leading recruitment company, Sigmar Recruitment in Ireland.  Head of temporary placement, Mairead Mulvey says that employers seek certification and those people meeting the requirement are being snapped up for the best positions.

The number of people holding the Microsoft Office Specialist certification has grown by 200% since 1997 when it was first offered. There are currently 1.4 million certificate holders globally, an increase of 40 percent from last year. In Ireland, growth is even faster with more people per capita taking the MOS examinations than any other EU country.

Office Support professionals with this certification can earn about 15% more than uncertified individuals, according a survey by Sigmar Recruitment Salaries Survey. As Mulvey explains: “Of the last 200 office vacancies we tracked, 87% of employers wanted people with experience in Office applications. And of those looking for experienced people, 52% wanted official accreditation.”

“This is a huge increase from last year,” she says. “Therefore, candidates holding direct accreditation in the software applications are considerably easier to place. We find that all our top temp jobs go to candidates that can prove their competence. It is not enough to put ‘proficient in MS Word’ on a CV. Employers want to see the Certificates.”

Levels of Office expertise

“Microsoft offers exams for each of the core Office applications,” says Clive Ryan, Business Group Lead - Information Worker, Microsoft Ireland. “There are several levels of competency. A user who passes an exam for one application can be certified at Core or Expert level. If multiple exams are passed, the user can gain a Master certification.”

The new Microsoft Office 2003 exams were introduced to the Market in October 2003. “Demand for exams related to a specific Office release usually becomes strong 12 to 18 months after that release,” he continued. “The demand for Microsoft Word and Excel exams tends to be greatest, so those are offered first.”  The exams for the Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, Access 2003 and Outlook 2003 are available now. It highlights new Office 2003 productivity innovations such as integrated team collaboration features and information security & protection controls.

Gaining popularity in the Enterprise Market

"Previously, the majority of people seeking Office Specialist certification came from the academic world,” said Ryan. “However, Microsoft is seeing increased demand in the Corporate sector, with the Excel exam gaining traction in the financial industry, where a job hunter with Excel expertise and certification can gain an edge over other candidates.”

Ryan says that the MOS certification is intended to provide end users with independent validation of their Office skills. "In IT, certification is a common expectation. In the information worker space, training is invaluable. In return, their employers can realise the best possible return on their IT investment by enabling their workforce to operate far more effectively."

Microsoft also has a Desktop System Certification, which is targeted at help desk employees and other IT professionals.