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Certification Finder Help

Certification Finder Help

Learn more about the Certification Finder.

What does this tool do?

The Certification Finder helps you identify occupational certifications that may be useful for current or future employees.

Certifications are nationally recognized verifications of skill or knowledge attainment based on generally-accepted skill standards for an occupation. Certifications usually include a combination of an examination, demonstration of skills, and/or experience requirements.

You might use certifications to:

  • Identify job candidates who demonstrate the skills and knowledge you need
  • Develop employees' knowledge in new areas
  • Connect to certifying organizations for professional development

How do I get started?

You can search for certifications by keyword or code:

  • To search by keyword, begin typing a keyword or name for an occupation, an industry, a certification, or an organization that offers certifications. A list will appear below the entry box. You can either select a search term from this list, or finish typing your search term.
  • To search by code, enter an O*NET or NAICs code number. You can search by two-, three-, or four-digit NAICs codes.

Once you click “Search” you’ll see a list of certifications that match your occupation, industry, certification, or organization. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, try a new keyword or code, or browse a list of occupations or industries by clicking on one of the links below.

What can I do with these results?

Your results will list and enumerate all certifications that match your search term. Use the controls at the bottom of the page to move between results pages and set number of results per page.

From the search results page, you have several options:

  • To show only the certifications directly related to an occupation, click that occupation in the top left panel, under "New Search by Related Occupations."
  • To narrow your results, use the filters to the left on your screen for related industries, types of certifications, and organization names. Manage the list shown by using the "More" and "Less" buttons.
  • To visit an association's website, click the link in the URL column. A new window will open for the association's website, which can be closed to reutrn to your results page.
  • Click the blue "New Search" button on the upper left side of the page, to begin with a new search term.
  • You can download and save your list of certifications as an Excel, PDF, Word, or RTF file by using the "Download" and "Select Format" buttons at the page bottom.
  • To email or print your results, use the controls at the top right of the page in the header.

What do the icons next to the certifications mean?

The icons next to certifications indicate the certification is in demand, or the certification or certifying organization is related to or accredited by a third-party organization or program.

In Demand= This certification is considered in demand.

CareerOneStop's analysis indicates the certification is frequently mentioned in online job postings.

Accredited by ANSI.= This certification is accredited by ANSI.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization that accredits the procedures of organizations that develop voluntary national consensus standards for U.S. business products, services, processes, systems, and personnel. Accreditation by ANSI signifies that the procedures used by the standards body in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute's essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process. As part of its work, ANSI provides accreditation services to organizations that offer workplace credentials, including personnel certificates and certifications. Learn more about ANSI Accreditation Services or how to apply for ANSI accreditation. ANSI currently supports four types of workplace credential accreditation:

This certification is industry-endorsed.= This certification is industry-endorsed

Certifications marked as third-party endorsed are endorsed by a major industry association that is not itself the developer of the certification. Major industry associations include trade associations and organizations that represent a sizeable portion of a particular industry. They do not include individual companies. Some industries may have several major industry associations, and those associations may endorse different certifications. Workers interested in employment at a certain company should check to see which industry associations that company is affiliated with, and notice which certifications those industry associations endorse. Workers should also check for regional industry associations that may be specific to the area. Find links and contact information for professional and trade associations.

Related to Job Corps training programs.= This certification is related to the Job Corps training program.

Certifications marked with [J] are ones that have been selected by the industry groups that advise the Job Corps program on their training program offerings. Job Corps is a free education and training program that provides academic, career technical and social skills training to low-income youth, ages 16-24. Graduates of the program may earn a high school diploma or GED, as well as industry-recognized credentials in over 100 career areas, to ensure they have gained the skills and knowledge necessary to enter the workforce, join the military, or enroll in higher education. Job Corps operates 125 centers in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Learn more about Job Corps or Find a Job Corps Center.

Military Occupations.= This certification is related to Military Occupational Specialties.

Certifications marked with [M] may draw on training and experience gained in certain military occupational specialties. These certifications were identified in Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) sites operated by the Army and Navy. Note that additional education or training may be required for a veteran with a certain military background to obtain the related civilian credential, based on number of years in the service, training, and specific work experiences. Learn more about Air Force COOL, Army COOL, Marine Corps COOL, or Navy COOL.

Accredited by NCCA.= This certification is accredited by NCCA.

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) was created in 1987 by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of a variety of certification programs/organizations that assess professional competence. Programs that receive NCCA Accreditation demonstrate compliance with the NCCA's Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs or with a new standard for Assessment-Based Certificate Programs. NCCA uses a peer review process to: establish accreditation standards; evaluate compliance with the standards; recognize organizations/programs which demonstrate compliance; and serve as a resource on quality certification. Certification organizations that submit their programs for accreditation are evaluated based on the process and products, not the content, and are therefore applicable to all professions and industries. Learn more about NCCA accreditation services or how to Apply for NCCA accreditation.

What are the different certification types?

There are five types of certifications included here: Core, Advanced, Specialty, Skill, and Product/Equipment. Each is defined below.

Core

  1. The certification does not have a minimum education level or has an education level below a two-year Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree and the certification does not have a minimum requirement for work experience or requires two or less years of work experience.
  2. The certification has an education level of an Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree or higher, but has a work experience requirement of less than 2 years of work experience.
  3. The certification has a work experience requirement of more than 2 years but does not require a two-year Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree

Advanced

The certification has an education level of an Associates of Arts or Associates of Sciences degree or higher and has a work experience requirement of more than 2 years, or requires obtaining a 'core' level certification from the same organization.

Specialty

The certification corresponds to a specialty within a recognized occupation. For example Oncology Nurse and Pediatric Nurse are specialties within the nursing field, so Certified Oncology Nurse and Certified Pediatric Nurse would be classified as specialty certifications.

Skill

A skill certification tests for basic skills and may or may not be related to a product. Examples of a skill certification would be CPR certification or word processing fundamentals certification.

Product/Equipment

A product/equipment certification tests for knowledge about the use of proprietary software or hardware products. This classification is used primarily for computer-related companies such as IBM, CISCO, HP, etc.

Where does this information come from?

This information is compiled and maintained by CareerOneStop. To suggest an addition or correction, please email info@careeronestop.org.

For information about displaying any of this data on your own website, please visit CareerOneStop's Web Services.

Who can I contact for help?

If you have questions about a website you visit from your list of certifications, please find and use contact information on that website.

If you have questions or comments about your list of certifications, please contact the CareerOneStop Service Center at info@careeronestop.org .