As a team at Certiport, we love getting behind-the-scenes views of the work that our students and teachers do each day. Now we’re switching things up and giving you an inside look into the lives of the team at Certiport.
For our first employee highlight, we’re giving you the inside view into our marketing team leader, Craig Bushman. Craig is the Vice President of Certiport Marketing and has been with the company for nine years. Find out more about Craig’s day-to-day work and his favorite part of Certiport below.
Certiport: Craig, we’re so excited to share a little behind-the-scenes view of your work! Tell us a little about how you started at Certiport.
Craig: Many years ago, I had a friend who managed European sales here and I learned about the company before it was called Certiport. Back then, we were called Nivo. Nine years ago, a former colleague recruited me away from Symantec to come manage the marketing department here.
Certiport: Almost at the ten-year mark! How do you feel like things have changed since you first started?
Craig: Good question. First, we have almost quadrupled in terms of number of certifications delivered. Today we are at over 33,208,000 exams delivered since our company’s inception! Each year, students and professionals are finding that industry-recognized certifications demonstrate real-world skills and productivity. We have had great success in helping companies impact their software sales by having a strong certification program. Since I’ve been here, we’ve more than doubled the number of clients we represent, including Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, Intuit, Apple, Unity, EC Council, and others. We have more that are interested as well. We’ve grown as a company and were purchased by Pearson VUE in 2012, which has helped us to add services and resources to our portfolio of offerings. Most importantly, we’ve seen a greater positive impact our business has had on the lives of individuals everywhere.
I recently heard a statement that I think fits nicely in what we do as a company:
Experience creates Knowledge
Knowledge creates Confidence
Confidence creates Success
When individuals have the experience, knowledge and confidence that comes from a certification, they will immediately be productive in the workforce and valued by employers.
Certiport: That is so true. Speaking of productivity in the workplace, what’s your average day like now?
Craig: I think I am a professional meeting attender. Lots and lots of meetings about strategy, technical discussions, and meetings with clients and partners. Ultimately the meetings are all about meeting our customers’ expectations and ensuring that we remove the obstacles for customers to work with us. Also, it is important that we represent our clients’ interests in a manner pleasing to them. The goal of our clients is to increase usage of their products and prepare individuals to have college and career success.
I also spend a lot of time meeting one-on-one with employees about progress in their job and providing direction on activities and marketing strategies to hit our quarterly goals.
My fingers have also become very strong in this job as I spend most of my time between meetings answering e-mails! With our presence in over 120 countries, there is a lot of communication that happens across the globe. It’s true that the sun never sets on Certiport. With more than 30 million exams delivered since our inception, someone, somewhere is always taking an exam on our system. With that constant cadence of business across the globe, there is a lot of work required to keep our partners and customers informed and moving forward at all hours of the day.
Certiport: Keeping things busy, for sure! What would be your biggest message to these students and test takers?
Craig: Make sure others know about your accomplishment! Download the badge that comes with our certifications and use it on social media. Ensure that your certification is prominently displayed on your resume. In job interviews, tell your potential employer that you are certified and can immediately be productive on the job.
Certiport: Good advice. Let’s take it back to when you were a student. What was your favorite class in school?
Craig: Ironically, it was called “Steno Pool”. We did office work for teachers and I ran the speed tests in typing class. I loved typing. In fact, I got up to 122 words per minute as a senior in high school on an electric typewriter! That helped me get a job that year as a typesetter at a printing press company.
Eventually I ended up graduating high school and going to college at Brigham Young University. I first started out in Computer Science but really didn’t like programming, especially in Pascal. If you got one thing wrong, the entire program didn’t work! I ended up going in to Broadcast Management and got my first job working for KSL Radio in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Certiport: From radio to certification! That’s quite a switch. Do you feel like you use your broadcasting skills in your current job?
Craig: It’s all about strong communication. Sometimes I must push myself outside my comfort zone including being the emcee at our two largest company events: the Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Associate World Championships and our educator conference, CERTIFIED. A couple of times, my children have been in the audience and are amused at seeing what I’m willing to do on stage and wonder where that comes from!
Perhaps the greatest benefit radio gave to me was paying attention to the quality of the message and writing. I had a great mentor early in my career that helped me develop stronger writing skills. It is perhaps the greatest asset a marketer can have.
Certiport: We couldn’t agree more. Last question for you. What’s your favorite part of working for Certiport?
Craig: It would have to be working with talented people who have a passion for their job, both those who work in our office and our customers as well. It is so satisfying to see a customer success story developed from a teacher who made a difference in the life of a student. We see them all the time. Each year, as we celebrate the accomplishments of hundreds of thousands of students across the globe, we hold a global competition for the Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Associate certifications. This event culminates a year of hard work by students, teachers, Certiport partners, and ourselves. It is extremely gratifying to see the success and happiness of these students. We are excited to host our 18th annual Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in New York City this summer. This will also be the 6th year of the Adobe Certified Associate World Championship. Should be an exciting event!
A big thank you to Craig, and the entire Certiport team for helping students and professionals around the world earn industry-recognized credentials. Learn more about Certiport here.