The Growing Demand for Certified Information Management Professionals

A recent AIIM [1] survey found that that one of the most sought-after skills that organizations are lacking is that of the Information Management professional. The discipline of Information Management encompasses the organization, architecture and business processes associated with the use of information within an organization. The roles and responsibilities of Information Management professionals span governance, information architecture, metadata organization, process workflows, taxonomy design and evaluation and integration of information systems and services.

The unabated growth of information coupled with the strategic importance of harnessing, preserving and controlling organizational information assets for competitive advantage demands increased investments in Information Management skills and best practices. Yet, the AIIM survey found that such skills are challenging to find. It is for this reason that AIIM has developed a comprehensive training curriculum and offers formal certification for the “Certified Information Professional” designation. [2] The rationale for this program is based on the AIIM finding that “few people currently have ‘information professional’ as a title, but many have the stewardship, management, and application of information assets as a core part of their job.” [3]

Based on the ISO Standard 17024 for formal certification programs the AIIM “Certified Information Professional” program tests prospective candidates in six core knowledge domains: Information Access/Use, Information Capture, Collaboration/Workflow, Information Security, Information Architecture and Planning/Implementation. AIIM offers on-line resources to assist prospective candidates to prepare for the certification examination.[4] The examination facilitated by Prometric test centers, including locally in Ottawa, and costs USD $265. Candidates have 2 hours to answer 100 multiple choice questions.

The value of the Certified Information Professional designation is gaining wide acceptance by hiring managers. Independent market research of business executives by AIIM confirms that 61% prefer consultants that hold the CIP designation, 64% prefer to hire a CIP vs. a non-certified candidate and 76% would pay a CIP a salary premium.

CORADIX recognizes that value of the “Certified Information Professional” designation and plans to hold preparatory workshops for Government of Canada employees and for the consulting community to help prepare for and earn this sought after designation.