Hello. My name is Arlice Banks and I am studying for the OM exam in September. My current title is Executive Administrative Assistant but I have been employed in various positions within academia for almost 30 years. Regardless of the position I have held, I have always pursued opportunities to improve my skills and work on personal growth.

I am studying for the OM exam for the same reasons that I studied for the CAP exam – I believe that having certification from an organization like IAAP is a boost to our profession – it is demonstration that I have successfully completed an exam that tests for a specific body of knowledge that IAAP feels is required of those who work in our field. In an academic setting where people are often motivated by how much one accomplishes, I feel that it is important to show that there are standards for administrative professionals as well. Certification not only benefits me by improving my skills, but it demonstrates to others the scope of work that administrative professionals perform today. My supervisor was amazed by the amount of information that was incorporated in the eight knowledge areas covered on the CAP exam.

I am a late bloomer to IAAP, not joining until 2014, even though I have been working in the administrative field my entire career. However, after obtaining my CAP certification, I could tell how proud my supervisor and my colleagues were of my accomplishment. My supervisor has always been supportive of my efforts towards my  professional development, but after completing my certification, he seemed to place even more value on my work and included me in various projects going forward.  

I believe that obtaining my OM certification may provide me with new opportunities within my organization. I would like to explore serving in a supervisory role in some capacity, and I hope that obtaining my OM certification will advance me one step closer toward that goal.

I found that many in my organization rely on me for my institutional knowledge, but I think they also admire me for still having a passion to learn. More importantly, I know that if I am to stay competitive in the ever changing administrative field, I must keep my skills current and obtaining certification is one way to achieve that goal.