I realized recently that while many organizations and jobs require ITIL certification, few say why. I've thought about it, and here is what I came up with... The reasons behind this requirement are multifaceted and deeply rooted in ITIL practices' benefits to an organization. Standardization and Best Practices ITIL provides a set of standardized best practices for IT service management (ITSM). This standardization ensures that all certified professionals have a consistent understanding of IT processes, leading to more efficient and predictable outcomes. By implementing ITIL, organizations can align their IT services with business needs, reducing waste and increasing value delivery. Enhanced Service Delivery One of the core objectives of ITIL is to improve service delivery. ITIL-certified professionals are trained to optimize IT services, ensuring they meet the expectations and requirements of customers. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and retention, as well as

By Felipe Villegas and Donna Knapp (Reposted with permission from Professional Designations) A frequent observation among certification candidates is the notion that sample exams are less daunting compared to real certification tests. Despite both types of exams being designed to mirror each other closely, this perception persists. In this blog post, we will explain how exams are built and will speculate about the underlying factors contributing to this perception. Certification exams, whether sample or live, are constructed based on a standardized blueprint that outlines the distribution of questions, desired difficulty levels, and other technical details. These exams are assembled using a comprehensive pool of questions, each of which is classified by learning objective, topic, and level of difficulty. Once multiple exams are built, one or more are selected at random to be distributed as sample exams. If all exams are constructed the same way, why are sample exams often perceived a

By Donna Knapp You have signed up for a certification class. What that tells us is that you want to pass the exam. But first, you have to take the exam. Here are a few things that we know. The most successful people are those who take the exam within the first 10 days after the class. Once upon a time students took their exam at the end of class or at the end of a semester. They knew ahead of time when they were going to have to take the exam and prepared accordingly. Today, courses often come with vouchers that enable learners to take the exam at a date and time of their choosing. There are pros and cons to this. A pro is that if you are a night owl and want to take your exam at 2 a.m., you can. A BIG con is that you can put off taking the exam. What we see statistically is that the further away from the end of class we get, the lower the scores, and the less likely it is that people will ever take the exam at all. You are never in the zone more than you are in the days immediately f

By Donna Knapp You have signed up for a certification class. What that tells us is that you want to pass the exam. But first, you have to study for the exam. Here are a few strategies you can use to stay calm and focused and build the confidence needed to crush that exam. 1. Prepare for class In a perfect world, you start preparing to take the exam before you enter the classroom. For each of our certification classes we provide pre-class assignments that are designed to introduce many of the key vocabulary terms and concepts you need to know for the exam. Completing these assignments will enable you to become familiar with the content, making it easier to follow along and participate in class. You will also be more likely to remember and retain the information as it will be reinforced in class. We also encourage you to block out time on your calendar for 1 to 2 hours of homework, in addition to the class itself. This time before or after class each day is essential to reinforc

Originally posted on The AXELOS Blog - by @itsm_Donna In IT service management (ITSM) education is critical: it helps organizations get a shared understanding of terms and concepts and a proven body of knowledge such as ITIL® . The IT industry is rife with buzzwords carrying varied interpretations, so education helps get everyone on the same page. But while ITSM professionals may well understand the “what?” and “why? – for example why to minimize risk or restore services ASAP – today it’s the how that needs to evolve and change. And while there is always value in education, achieving certification creates a different level of engagement: people get involved and – critically – seek to understand. Getting certified allows you to represent your competence and understanding of the concepts you’ve learned. After that, you need to get out there and apply them to benefit your organization and add to your credibility and your baseline of experience. Today’s hiring managers are looking for th

By: George Spafford The news is full of failing companies and lost jobs, and the IT job market has not been spared the current economic recession. It is a worrisome time for everyone. We can view the recession's effects on the IT economy from two different perspectives: (1) that of employees, who fear losing jobs and worry about having the right skills, and (2) that of employers, which need to improve operating effectiveness and efficiency. While separate, these views are not mutually exclusive. Continuing education and the pursuit of IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)certifications can benefit both groups in terms of building IT skills and improving IT operational efficiency. Building IT skill sets with ITIL certification Firms hire workers based on their skill sets. While many organizations understand the value of developing IT workers' skills, others discard employees when skills no longer align with a company's needs. In their responses to employee surveys, it's