Will an ICA qualification help me get a job?

Written by Jonathan Bowdler on Tuesday March 18, 2014

When I go to briefing sessions about ICA qualifications and speak to delegates about their career aspirations , one of the more frequent questions I get asked is “will the qualification get me a job in the area I am interested in?” Indeed in the last two or three years this question has increased significantly in popularity due to the rise in recruitment opportunities in compliance and related roles.

The answer is surprisingly simple and very positive. Of course no qualification guarantees you your dream job (or any job for that matter) however:

• Taking an ICA qualification will help you get interviews.Employers are looking for both experience and qualifications, ideally, depending upon the requirements of the advertised role. Having an ICA qualification will make your CV and application stand out. It shows potential employers that you have taken a significant and positive step and are committed to the career path you have chosen. It’s also a good idea to include a brief comment about your studies in your covering letter to bring the reader’s attention to it. You can even include it on your CV while you’re still studying (as long as you make this clear) to highlight your personal development plans.

• What you learn during your studies will help you perform much better at interviews. Interviews test your knowledge and understanding of the role you are applying for and your own experience, skills and knowledge. They also test your knowledge of the firm in question and the industry within which it operates. What you learn as part of your ICA qualification will significantly improve your capabilities in most of these areas, allowing you to perform better at interview by providing succinct and pertinent answers.

And of course all of the above equally applies to those who already work in a compliance role where the question that applies is “will the qualification help me get a promotion/better job?”. Indeed we are seeing more and more recruiters in compliance and AML specifying an ICA qualification as a pre-requisite for the advertised role.

Without doubt the most fulfilling element of my career to date as a Compliance Course Director at ICT has been to watch the steady (and sometimes swift) career progress of students who had, a few years ago, asked me the exact same question, “will it get me a job?”

View more information about ICA qualifications here