For some time now, the IAPP has been the benchmark for global privacy/data protection certifications. They have various certifications, and the highly-recognized Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) series are tailored to certain key jurisdictions. The CIPP/E is tailored to Europe, which basically means properly understanding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as a bit about some other key European regulations.
The CIPP/E Body of Knowledge can be found here.
The Exam Blueprint can be found here.
The Glossary of Privacy Terms can be found here.
The question is what obtaining the CIPP/E can do for you, in a practical sense.
Number 1: CV Building
There is no doubt that obtaining the CIPP/E can give you a competitive advantage when applying for new jobs. Even if you currently work in privacy, many job adverts list CIPP/E as a requirement. Even where it is not a requirement, almost every job related to privacy will have this as a distinct advantage. First, this is because many applicants inflate the scope of their experience. On the other hand, the CIPP certifications independently certify your knowledge base, which the applicant cannot invent. Secondly, the CIPP/E helps applicant appear to be a complete applicant. Nothing sounds better than an applicant who checks all the boxes, and if the difference between two great applicants is a certification, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of that differentiation. Thirdly, the CIPP/E contains the full suite of privacy knowledge, including things such as cookies and direct marketing, which many applicants may be missing.
The benefits of the CIPP/E expand beyond the borders of Europe. For a person based outside of Europe, obtaining the CIPP/E evidences knowledge of the European regulations, which can help to obtain global positions, or simply positions within international organizations, which are those that frequently pay higher salaries. Further, since Europe is a massive market and the GDPR has extraterritorial scope, privacy professionals based in domestic organizations outside of Europe should have at least some knowledge of European privacy regulations.
Number 2: Expand Your Current Job
You may not work within privacy at the moment, but you must already recognize that expanding your current responsibilities is a great way to work your way into becoming a more senior employee and/or increase your salary. Is there some privacy work you could be doing? The CIPP/E will almost undoubtedly assist you by allowing your supervisors to have faith in your privacy abilities and allocate privacy work to you.
There is an easy way to do this. Frequently, privacy professionals are very busy. Companies do not over-invest in their privacy compliance team, and those privacy professionals obviously need to take annual leave and do get sick. We assure you that there is rarely a long line of trained individuals that can cover the leave of the privacy team, and that is where you can start.
This lead us into the next potential benefit….
Number 3: Properly Cover Responsibilities
Obviously, if you work in a data protection role, particularly in Europe, the CIPP/E will help you fulfill your job more competently.
Some roles that do not work specifically within data protection should have some working knowledge of privacy regulations. This will vary according to the exact organization, but will typically include the legal department, compliance department, the IT team, professionals working with artificial intelligence, and human resources, just to name a few. Obtaining the CIPP/E will help these individuals to perform their roles better, appear much more competent and well-rounded, but also help them to demonstrate professional development, which could even assist to justify salary increases.
We truly believe that for most people it is very worthwhile to pursue the CIPP/E qualification. If you wish to discuss whether it could assist you personally, then do feel free to get in contact with us. We deliver training specifically tailored to you and at better prices than our competitors. If you would like us to assist you to pass the exam, then send us an email as info@smartaicompliance.com and we will put you in the best position to pass rapidly. Here is a link to our page describing the training we can offer you.