Among other things, a procurement certification proves that you are serious about your profession.  So, naturally, a common interview question for a buyer position is:  “Why don’t you have a certification?”

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There are three lame excuses that we’ve heard. Please, if you want to call yourself a buying professional, do not make these excuses. These excuses are so thin, any hiring manager can see right through them.

Here’s the first one…

“I don’t have time”

Think about the people who have accomplished great things in this world: Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, etc. They had the same 24 hours per day given to you and I.

Anyone can look at their responsibilities and claim to not have time. There’s a billion things for each of us to do. And, unfortunately, that makes saying “I don’t have time” oh-so-convenient.

But, let’s break things down a bit.  Each of the six online courses of the SPSM Certification Program consists of eight lessons, each one hour or less in duration. If you committed to doing just one lesson a week, you could earn your SPSM in less than a year.

Now, think about some of the things you do in your week that could steal that one hour from you. Spending time on social media, watching TV, sitting in traffic instead of taking the bus, reading entertainment articles, etc.

When you spend your time doing those things, you have nothing to show for your time spent. Now, imagine using those hours to earn a buyer certification. You would have something to show for it. Something that would help you get more money in your paycheck, better job performance, higher-level opportunities, more respect from your coworkers, and more.

Wouldn’t you rather have something to show for that time? For that mere one hour per week? Wouldn’t it be worth making time for those benefits?

Buying professionals like you do just that every day and are moving ahead with their careers as a result.

We’ll cover another lame excuse in Part II.