Professional Designations for Email Signatures and Resumes

We’ve all seen that person on an e-mail signature listing out 6 professional designations following their name. You like to take exam. We get it. While you’re at it why don’t you should include H.S.D. for your high school diploma and that rock climbing certifications after that brutal safety test?

I’m all for exceling one’s career and earning these professional designations, but at what point do you move these letters from after your name to the bottom of your resume? You got your MBA, CFA® 
, CPA, J.D. – do you list them all out after your name, or focus on the one that is most applicable to your current position?

The only reason one includes these designations as part of their name is to portray a level of expertise in a subject matter that commands a level of respect. It’s a way of projecting credibility when discussing a topic without having to refer to your background.

But at what point does less mean more? You spent $200,000 on an MBA, you know that’s staying up there, so does your law school degree and probably any other thing you spent years working for. Yet a lot of the benefit that comes with being a CFA® 
Charter Holder is the prestige of the designation after your name.

As you rack up more than one designation it seems to me that the added benefit is diminishing. While the perception is still the same, yes you are smart and qualified; you are also instantly projecting your entire background without saying a word. Too much, too soon, negative benefit.

list of professional certifications that are appropriate for Email and Resume

When it comes to putting certifications on your resume or email signature after your name - less is more. You should not be putting letters behind your name unless you have a CPA, a JD, MD, or Ph.D. These certifications carry signficant weight and no recruiter or professional will take issue with you highlighting these.

FormerHornetDriver - Investment Banking Vice President:
What professional resume writers/reviewers have told me time and time again is that their three (and ONLY three) things that you put after your name on the top of a resume:

CPA, Esq (For a JD who has passed the bar), or MD.

In finance, you should not have a top of a resume that looks like this:

Source: http://www.resume-resource.com/insurance-manager-resume-example/

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Rewind a few paragraphs and fast forward a few years, I don’t want to be that person.

Background on myself: -Public Ivy, graduated at 20 -CPA at age 21 -CFA Level I candidate -Work for an accounting firm specializing in alternative investments in SF -Business school is always an option in the next few years

My school’s accounting program is one of the best so I was always geared towards the CPA path from the firms recruiting. Developed a heavy interest in finance and the markets my senior year; got the best of both worlds first year out (although your bonus season discussion is killing me!)

Will definitely transition to HF/VC/PE position in the future (although directly into a start-ups is also a very attractive option), and than comes business school. Assuming I finish the CFA process and get my MBA, I think the most powerful thing to do is add “M.B.A.” after my name, and include CPA & CFA on my resume, only mentioning it as it comes in conversation. That way that diminished benefit of all the designations is gone since you are not seeking that additional level of respect, not are you projecting your entire background with every e-mail/business card.

I would appreciate knowing what you think about spending the time to get these 3 certifications in the first place.

@Nivo0o0
 

People who say this, only say this because they'll never have an MBA therefore feel everyone else is a tool for having something they cannot achieve or are too scared to try to achieve.

I work with wealthy retirees, on numerous occasions I've been asked what my qualifications are because they want to know that the people dealing with their funds is educated to a satisfactory degree.

I've never felt someone was pretentious, obnoxious, a tool or a show off for having their qualifications in their professional e-mail address.

 
FormerHornetDriver:
grapefury is correct. What professional resume writers/reviewers have told me time and time again is that their three (and ONLY three) things that you put after your name on the top of a resume:

CPA, Esq (For a JD who has passed the bar), or MD

That is it.

Whoever told you this smokes crack. CFA is infinitely more difficult and respected than a CPA. Also no one puts JD after their name.

 

They do not put JD. They put: Joe Smith, Esq.

You're the first person I have heard of who has said that CFA carries more weight than a CPA. Maybe in certain jobs that is true, but across the board a CPA tends to have wider applicability.

Also, I have seen quite a few business cards get laughed at because the guy put CFA next to his name. I know that is different than a resume, but the message is similar.

 
FormerHornetDriver:
You're the first person I have heard of who has said that CFA carries more weight than a CPA. Maybe in certain jobs that is true, but across the board a CPA tends to have wider applicability.

Also, I have seen quite a few business cards get laughed at because the guy put CFA next to his name. I know that is different than a resume, but the message is similar.

While I appreciate you agreeing with me that Joe Smith, MBA = tool

I have never. ever. heard that putting CFA next to someone's name is laughable. The CPA and CFA generally pursue different fields. There are a LOT of CPA's trying to pursue finance jobs, but I've never seen a CFA charterholder pursue an accounting job.

Do you even work in finance?

 

This may be an old threat, but I just had to create an account to reply to insulting rubbish.

There's a huge fundamental difference between CPAs and CFAs. Though both designations are geared towards finance and accounting, its funny that you view and judge the importance of designations by simply saying "CPAs pursue finance and CFAs don't pursue accounting". If you're going to play it that way, then I'll do the same. Anyone can be coined a "Financial Adviser", but not anyone can be called an "Accountant".

Their application in the real world is completely different. CFA, I'd say can get you a nice job in finance, a nice promotion in finance, but does it have any real applicability outside of the climbing the corporate/investment/finance ladder on Wall Street? The CPA, on the other hand, can do the same(minus climbing Wall Street) and is much broader in a sense that you can work in virtually any industry. And on top of that, CPAs hold more authority in practice (The weight - signing off on legal documentations under and protected by law).

I'd rather be Partner in an Accounting Firm than one in an Investors Group, anyway.

At the end of the day, the employer is going to be looking at the character first and the credentials second. So, the designation of choice, which I personally recommend, would be the FYE - Fix Your Ego. I just got that license revoked, but no matter! You can take that exam as many times as you wish!

 
FormerHornetDriver:
They do not put JD. They put: Joe Smith, Esq.

You're the first person I have heard of who has said that CFA carries more weight than a CPA. Maybe in certain jobs that is true, but across the board a CPA tends to have wider applicability.

Also, I have seen quite a few business cards get laughed at because the guy put CFA next to his name. I know that is different than a resume, but the message is similar.

This can't be a real post from someone who's a first year Associate. People laughed at the CFA? Really? Who the hell is laughing at the CFA? Probably someone who dropped out because they couldn't pass Level II. In finance it's the gold standard. Not the CPA which you can flunk multiple parts and just keep retaking multiple times a year until you pass them all.

 
Best Response

First off it's a non-target. Secondly, only two of these credentials are even remotely relevant, the MBA and CFA. No MBA worth having (top 25-30) will let you in straight out of undergrad. CFA will let you sit for level 1 in undergrad, but it isn't an important credential for IB. The rest are for private wealth management and insurance. If you find "industry jargon" confusing you may be in for a rude awakening if you get an IB internship.

 

Agree completely, first learn what IB actually does which I suggest you get the Vault Guide and then start thinking of doing IB. None of these will help you with IB unless you get into a top MBA and apply as a summer associate. If you need help with this DM me

 

I've completed a certificate program after I graduated undergrad, to show my interest and path into finance, which really seemed to help get people's attention rather than my previous degree. I cannot comment on the B-School enrollment though. It may help, I don't see why it wouldn't, but you would have to really have your story down and reasoning behind it.

 

CFA is harder than the MBA, CPA, and every bar. The bars pass rate on average across the 50 states is around 70% and that's just for one test. The only way law could be considered harder is if you're trying to make law review at a T14 law school. MD it goes without saying is harder. But that's why there are zillions of lawyers/ CPAs/ MBAs.

 

Get this fact. Every year in the US alone, there are over 130,000+ MBA's awarded.
In the 50 year history of the CFA, there are only 100,000 people in ALL who hold it right now.

Compared to the CFA, there are 10X more people that have a CPA

 

If you put your masters or bachelors degree after your name, then you're a douche.....plain and simple. SOME certifications are okay, i.e. CPA, CMA, CFA, etc., but they better hold some serious weight, and don't put more than one or you're going to look like an attention-seeking little b. Oviously, MD, PhD, and Esq are all acceptable. F your BBA, F your BSA, and most importantly, F YOUR MBA......loser.

 

Agreed that "Joe Smith, MBA" is probably the worst thing you can possibly do. Does that mean Harvard or University of Phoenix? You ONLY put MBA on your resume when applying for jobs or in your publicly posted biography (company website, Linkedin, Facebook, etc.), but never, ever after your name.

I also agree that it is ok to put "Joe Smith, Esq" and "Joe Smith, M.D.", or in the case of professors or other academics "Dr. Joe Smith" is ok, too. However, "Joe Smith, CFA" is definitely ok on, say, an email signature or business card. Absolutely. Not even a question. So is "Joe Smith, CPA". I would say the only time off the top of my head that putting two designations is ok is with "Joe Smith, CFA, CPA".

 

My rule for professional designations is to include them if they are governed by a public entity. So like many mentioned here, MD, JD(Esq), CFA, CPA are all acceptable to me for email signatures. I also think PhD is credible enough that one could include it in their signature even though it is not a statutory title.

I’ve also noticed that those in non-profit, government, and academia are more prone to overuse this, as many will put ‘MA’ after their name to denote their Masters of Art degree. Ugh.

I think ANYONE is a tool if they have this as their LinkedIn or Facebook name. They are professional designations, NOT part of a name. So I automatically am turned off by someone who has ‘Joe Smith, CPA’ as their LinkedIn name.

 

Don't put any letters after your name unless it's MD or maybe CPA.

Also, to the point that MBA's are super common --- it's true, but they obviously aren't all equal. Having a good background and scoring in the 95th percentile on the GMAT is no walk in the park.

Please don't quote Patrick Bateman.
 

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I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold. I'll be fine once I get it
 

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"I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. " -GG

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