Having spent the last eight years in B2B marketing, I have been party to many a conversation about the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) qualifications should I or shouldn’t I? Do CIM qualifications really matter to employers?
For anyone not familiar with the CIM and its qualifications, let’s establish what exactly we are talking about. The CIM offers several qualifications, but in the eyes of many the only ones that matter are:
The Introductory Certificate in Marketing
The Professional Certificate in Marketing
The Professional Diploma in Marketing
The Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.
The Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing is at the top of the pile, but qualifications all follow on from each other so you can keep progressing up the ladder. Graduates enter at the Professional Diploma stage, and non-graduates enter at the Introductory Certificate stage. I am a member of the CIM and completed my Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing in 2008 whilst working for a large professional services firm.
Why professional qualifications?
When I got my first marketing communications role I had just left a graduate training scheme as a financial management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, during which I sat the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) exams. So it was a natural next step for me to investigate professional qualifications to help me get ahead in marketing. I looked at the CIM and CAM diplomas, and it was a quick decision to go for CIM as it is a broader marketing qualification and better recognised in global business. It was the right decision.
The CIM study and exams have been the best training I have ever received in marketing. They have given me a full understanding of marketing; all its component parts, from marketing strategy, to product and market development, to pricing, to working with agencies, to communications; and critically, how marketing fits into the broader business context, including finance. Funny, I never thought I’d be studying balance sheets and ratios after CIMA, but I did for my CIM.
This combined knowledge has not only helped me do a better job for my employers, it has also helped me forge my career path. Being professionally qualified in your subject gives you confidence when interviewing, and importantly it provides you with an umbrella view of the myriad job options in marketing to help you navigate your way to your ideal role.
How to study
The structure of the CIM qualifications allows for flexibility. I studied when I knew I could fit it in round intense phases at work, and when my employer was actively supporting me. Most good employers will provide financial support and at least token study leave though the study is very manageable even if you are doing it in your own time. Evening or weekend classes and self-study are the norm, and as long as you do not attempt too many exams at once and are prepared to set aside a few weekends to prepare, you will be fine.
I question why B2B marketers are so tentative about CIM qualifications. They are challenging and highly relevant, and comparable in standard with other professional qualifications such as CIMA. I know: I’ve done both. In other parts of the marketing industry, the CIM qualifications are an absolute given. So, why not in B2B?
Perception versus reality
I believe the problem is twofold. Firstly, perceptions of CIM qualifications are lagging behind reality. Having spent much of my career in professional services working alongside accountants, consultants and lawyers, CIM definitely gets a rough ride, and until the CIM convinces B2B organisations of the value of its qualifications, B2B marketers may lack the incentive to bother.
Second, I would argue that the lack of understanding of CIM qualifications and lack of investment in them by B2B organisations is a symptom of the ongoing failure of many organisations to truly appreciate what marketing can do. If a company is not prepared to invest in you getting CIM qualified, you have to ask why.
Overcoming these factors isn’t going to be easy, especially in a recession where marketing is still seen by many as an obvious area for cut backs. But B2B marketing is evolving and strengthening all the time, and surely the canny will see that now is the time to invest in getting CIM qualified. As an individual or an organisation, it could be what sets you apart from the competition.
Next steps
Interested? Here is what to do next. Visit the CIM website www.cim.org.uk to find out more. You need to be a member to study for the exams, and its website will help you work out which qualification is right for you.
The CIM will also give you details of good marketing colleges in your area. Most employers will pay for your professional membership and, provided you make a good business case, your study too, though they will probably tie you in for a period post qualification. If they will not, I would recommend that you look at funding your own studies. There are four modules in each qualification, and you can reasonably achieve a qualification in a year whilst working full-time by sitting two exams in June and two in December. Good luck!
