New Year’s Resolutions in February?
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GUEST BLOGGER
Glenn Bass, CPA
Director of Recruiting, Security & Investigative Placement Consultants, LLC
Bethesda, Md.
The beginning of the year is always a time for reflection. We spend countless hours crafting New Year’s resolutions, typically to enhance or better our personal lives, and by late January many of those resolutions have fallen to the wayside. So why think about resolutions in February? When it comes to your anti-fraud career and professional development, resolutions can and should be made any time of the year. Earning the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential is absolutely one resolution to which you should commit, and let me share a few thoughts as to why.
SME Status: There’s no better way to become a subject matter expert than to earn the credentials in that space. The CFE denotes proven expertise in fraud prevention, detection and investigation. Keeping up-to-date within the anti-fraud industry is critical for building expert power and credibility. By developing expertise in your job and your industry, you'll earn the trust and respect of the people around you to include management, peers and clients.
Go for the Best: Simply put, the CFE is the premier certification in the anti-fraud industry and is recognized on an international basis.
Opportunity: Earning your CFE is like having a key to the vast world of opportunities the profession of fraud examination offers. It’s increasingly being recognized as a preferred credential in the hiring practices of businesses, government entities and law enforcement agencies.
Higher pay: In my experience recruiting in the anti-fraud industry, when it comes to salary, CFEs have an upper hand at the negotiating table. Not only can CFEs ask for higher pay, but more often than not, they’re getting it. This is also backed up by specific statistical data that supports CFEs typically earn 25 percent more than their counterparts.
Personal Satisfaction: There’s no better sense of accomplishment than setting goals and achieving them. Whether completing a marathon, dropping a few pounds or earning your CFE credential, I guarantee you will feel awesome about yourself and what you’ve accomplished.
No matter where you are in your career within the anti-fraud community, think hard about making one more resolution this year – earning your CFE credential. Those three letters that will follow your name will make a powerful statement about the expertise you bring to the table and the commitment you have to the industry. Good luck, and go get it!