Analytics Magazine Analytics Magazine, January/February 2014 | Page 50

CAP UPDAT E CAP Special Supplement This issue includes a special supplement, “Certified Analytics Professional Candidate Handbook” (second edition). To view it, click here. by requiring applicants to provide validation of these skills, this measure is currently qualitative and certainly bears further investigation by employers. The nature of the depth and breadth of skills needed in a given position merits more targeted interview questions by the potential employer. Finally, even more intangible considerations such as attitude and fit are far beyond the scope of a certification exam and up to each employer to find other ways to assess. The benefits of hiring Certified Analytics Professionals certainly go beyond just having the right person on the job. Certified employees elevate the credentials of an organization and improve customer confidence. For example, a CAP-credentialed senior analyst with the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, while helping work up a new center for analysis to full operational capability, indicated that certification would increase the credibility of his organization and the important work it is doing. Consulting firms in particular have shown strong interest in the program as a way to illustrate to their customers the quality of their bench. It’s clear that the benefits of hiring certified CAPs extend beyond the internal needs of the organization and extend to the perception of it by external stakeholders. For more information about the CAP program, visit the website or contact Dr. Louise Wehrle, INFORMS Certification Manager, certification@ informs.org, 443-757-3599. Polly Mitchell-Guthrie is lead strategist and customer liaison for advanced analytics at SAS and vice-chair of the ACB. She is a member of INFORMS. Scott Nestler, CAP is an Army operations research analyst and chair of the INFORMS Analytics Certification Board (ACB). He is a member of INFORMS. 50 | A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G W W W. I N F O R M S . O R G