There's a growing need for skilled business professionals. In fact, the business and financial services industry employs over 10 million people.
Not only that, the desired skill sets for most industries have evolved, making education vital to professional development. According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report, the skills required for jobs have changed by approximately 25 percent since 2015, and that figure is expected to double by 2027. This underpins why 89 percent of learning and development professionals agree that enhancing your skills is critical to navigating the future of work.
If you’re looking to advance your career in business, obtaining a Harvard Business School Online certificate can benefit you in various ways. Here's how.
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DOWNLOAD NOWWhat Is an HBS Online Certificate?
An HBS Online certificate can equip you with the skills and acumen to achieve your goals and participate in business conversations. By enrolling in a course, you can earn a credential to enhance your LinkedIn profile or resume and take steps toward your desired career.
Here’s a breakdown of HBS Online’s offerings.
Related: How to Choose the Right Online Certificate Program for You
Certificate of Completion
A Certificate of Completion denotes successful completion of an HBS Online course.
Earning it entails:
- Adhering to weekly deadlines
- Completing coursework in a timely manner
- Providing thoughtful feedback on others' reflections
- Engaging in dynamic, interactive activities via HBS Online’s course platform
Individual courses provide a Certificate of Completion. If you want to further your education on a particular topic, you can pursue a Certificate of Specialization.
Certificate of Specialization
You can earn a Certificate of Specialization by completing a Learning Track—three courses in a specific subject area—within 18 months.
Subject areas include:
- Business essentials
- Leadership and management
- Entrepreneurship and innovation
- Strategy
- Marketing
- Finance and accounting
- Business in society
Beyond bolstering your resume, obtaining a Certificate of Specialization can enable you to gain a more comprehensive understanding of critical business topics and signal to employers your commitment to lifelong learning.
Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business
If you want to grow as a leader, the Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) can equip you with vital and forward-looking business skills through an immersive, cohort-based experience.
CLIMB is a yearlong program that enables you to:
- Customize your curriculum
- Access a select network of like-minded leaders
- Experience exclusive course content
- Apply your learning through a capstone project
CLIMB is HBS Online's most comprehensive offering and provides unique perspectives from business experts on topics including leadership, personal branding, digital transformation, dynamic teaming, finance, and strategy.
Credential of Readiness
The Credential of Readiness (CORe) is designed to help you learn and become fluent in the language of business.
It features three courses and a final exam:
- Business Analytics
- Economics for Managers
- Financial Accounting
You can enroll in either a 10- or 17-week session, depending on your schedule. If you enroll in the January, May, or September cohorts, you could be eligible to earn undergraduate credit through the Harvard Extension School.
6 Things You Can Do with an HBS Online Certificate
Obtaining a certificate or credential from HBS Online offers significant benefits. Here are six things you can do with one.
1. Change Industries
Changing industries can be challenging, but HBS Online courses can provide the skills and knowledge to do so with confidence.
According to research by City Square Associates, nearly 36 percent of HBS Online learners have used their certificates to change careers.In addition, 67 percent have gained greater clarity about their professional futures.
For example, Shamari Benton briefly worked on Wall Street before returning to his first career as a player in the National Football League. When he was ultimately released from his team, Benton took CORe to revert to business.
“After feeling disheartened about leaving a Wall Street career and failing to make a team, a mentor of mine pointed me toward CORe as an opportunity to take on another challenge and build my business acumen for a permanent transition to a career in business,” Benton said.
CORe helped Benton confidently make that shift and establish himself.
"CORe was my first introduction to the case study method approach to education,” Benton said. "The top-tier executives discussing real-world issues facing their companies—coupled with insightful Harvard professors equipping us with the knowledge and skill set needed to excel—was what took the program to the next level.”
2. Advance Your Career
In addition to the acumen to start a career in a new industry, earning an HBS Online certificate can enable you to get a promotion when advancing your career. According to City Square Associates' research, nearly one in three HBS Online learners earned promotions, raises, or title changes after receiving their certificates.
For instance, Pamela Raymond, a communications specialist and IT project manager who completed CORe, leveraged her credential to advance her career in information technologies, earning a promotion and a raise.
“It gave me the confidence to say, ‘This is what I want,’” Raymond said. “And to be able to articulate it and back it up. I can prove what I can offer.”
Other HBS Online participants have experienced remarkable career advancement as a result of what they learned. In a recent survey conducted by City Square Associates:
- Most learners reported experiencing career advancement within the past five years and nearly a quarter directly attributed it to HBS Online
- Seventy-six percent said HBS Online had a bigger impact on their careers than other online business programs
By furthering your education through HBS Online, you can demonstrate to employers your passion, motivation, and desire to continuously improve. This, in turn, can increase your desirability in the job market. Data shows that more than eight out of 10 HBS Online learners say taking a course bolstered their resume, and 42 percent have attracted increased attention from recruiters.
“Once you get through it, you feel extremely accomplished,” Raymond said. “You start understanding that you do use this every day. It informs how you make decisions and how you talk to people and talk about projects.”
3. Prepare for an MBA
HBS Online courses provide a strong educational foundation if you’re considering business school.
Hundreds of thousands of students enroll in Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs annually to advance their careers. Yet, the idea of going back to school can be daunting. If you’re a prospective MBA student, HBS Online courses can be a preparation tool to start developing critical skills you’ll need in business school.
For example, CORe offers a rigorous and immersive learning experience that helps you build the business fundamentals found in traditional MBA programs. Malachi Koop, a senior consultant at EY-Parthenon, is an excellent example of how HBS Online can support prospective MBA students on their educational journey.
Soon after graduating from the Moody Bible Institute, Koop realized he wanted to make a difference in the world through business. After an initial startup failure, he turned to education to build his business knowledge.
“One of my big takeaways was that I was too naive going into the process,” Koop said. “I hadn’t taken any business classes in college. It set me down this path of thinking really seriously about going back to school and getting my MBA.”
Koop ultimately decided to enroll in CORe and, over time, found more value in the credential program than he originally anticipated.
“HBS Online is what confirmed for me that I wanted to pursue an MBA,” Koop said. “I was worried about being able to prove to an admissions committee that I had what it took from a quantitative perspective, but HBS Online gave me another data point on my resume to prove it wasn’t going to be an obstacle for me.”
Related: The ROI of an MBA: Is the Degree Worth It?
4. Complement Your Technical Skills
Not every aspiring business professional comes from a traditional background. With the increase in technological advancements, nearly every industry needs leaders with technical expertise. However, those same leaders need business acumen to make informed decisions.
One example of this is the rise in engineering management. While engineers traditionally focus on developing industry-specific skills, business skills are becoming more in demand for leadership roles in the field.
Those skills include:
- Communication
- Creative problem-solving
- Leadership
Earning a certificate from HBS Online can provide the context many engineers need to effectively apply their technical expertise to business decisions.
For example, Anthony Alvarez, a product architect at Siemens, enrolled in Economics for Managers to supplement his engineering knowledge. While still in the early stages of his career, Alvarez found constant value in the business skills he developed at HBS Online.
“In conversations about the aerospace industry with other employees, I’ll have the opportunity to partake and understand when corporate business decisions are made and announced,” Alvarez said. “Once I gain more years of experience in the industry, I’ll even be able to apply to an MBA program.”
5. Start or Grow Your Own Business
Starting or growing a new business can be exciting, but it also poses several challenges. Uncertainties around innovation, market shifts, and evolving industry trends are common obstacles to entrepreneurial success.
Earning an HBS Online certificate can give you the specialized knowledge to turn your idea into a viable venture. Through real-world case studies and peer discussions, you can better understand the startup process, including how to:
- Come up with an innovative idea
- Pitch a business idea
- Conduct market research
- Find product-market fit
- Create a term sheet
HBS Online also focuses on helping you develop the characteristics and entrepreneurial skills to ensure your business achieves long-term success.
Indya Wright, CEO of full-service creative firm Artiste House, enrolled in Entrepreneurship Essentials to do just that. While her passion was in the arts, she found little encouragement to turn her interests into a profession.
“Art was never something I was encouraged to pursue professionally,” Wright said. “My family didn’t see it as a viable career and never realized it was, or could be, profitable.”
Taking Entrepreneurship Essentials enabled Wright to pivot her business model and adapt to a changing marketplace. Perhaps the most prominent market shift Wright navigated was the financial hardship of creative-based companies during the pandemic. She advised many of her clients to take their work to digital spaces to continue bringing in revenue and remain open post-pandemic.
“This was not only incredible for me, but it was incredible for my clients,” Wright said. “The course inspired me to help my clients pivot into digital spaces. It was no longer about ‘How can I keep money coming in for me?’ but ‘How else can I continue to serve my clients?’”
Related: 4 Entrepreneur Success Stories to Learn From
6. Become a More Effective Leader
Many HBS Online learners pursue certificates to become effective leaders. By taking courses focused on subjects such as leadership and management and business in society, you can identify your leadership style and become a more ethical decision-maker.
“One of my pet peeves about working in tech is that you don't receive leadership coaching until you get to the executive or C-suite level,” said Juliana Casale, a marketing professional who took Leadership Principles. “I wanted to fix that for myself.”
After taking the course, Casale felt more confident in her leadership abilities.
“I'm now more mindful of how my colleagues are experiencing me and less averse to having difficult conversations,” Casale added.
In addition to developing leadership skills, 65 percent of HBS Online learners have reported receiving more respect or influence at work.
For example, professional dancer Jenna Pollack took CORe to help advance her career and make a difference in the performing arts.
“Being able to talk about the business side of what I do gives me more credence,” Pollack said. “CORe gave me the skills to back up my ideas and get people to pay attention. With it, I feel much more confident in negotiations, vouching not only for my work but for the things I think need to change in the dance world.”
Jumpstart Your Career with an HBS Online Certificate
If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, earning an HBS Online certificate is a worthwhile starting point.
With access to a global network and a unique learning experience featuring real-world examples and interactive activities, earning a certificate from HBS Online is an effective pathway to achieve your professional development goals.
Are you interested in discovering how HBS Online can help advance your career? Explore our course catalog, and download our free guide—complete with interactive workbook sections—to determine if online learning is right for you and which course to take.
