Analytics Magazine Analytics Magazine, January/February 2014 | Page 44

CAP UPDAT E Certified Analytics Professional A usage guide for employers and clients. BY POLLY MITCHELL-GUTHRIE (left) AND SCOTT NESTLER, CAP (right) T The purpose of this article is to provide potential employers and clients of analytics professionals with useful information about the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®) program offered by INFORMS, the leading professional membership organization in the world for advanced analytics. Beyond providing some updates regarding the CAP program, we also offer suggestions on how certification should (and should not) be used and attempt to answer questions 44 | A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G such as, “How can certification help you find and retain analytical talent?” and “Why should I support certification for my existing employees?” FOCUS ON SKILLS AND KNOWL EDGE There are many ways to qualify a new hire; certification is one that may have some advantages over other methods. First, the CAP certification is designed to test across the breadth of knowledge that is necessary in many analytics jobs. Some of this was detailed in an earlier W W W. I N F O R M S . O R G