Career Development Hub

We've talked a lot about the value of certification, but what's something real you learned in the process? Whether you're just starting your certification journey or have been through it more times than you can count there's always something to learn along the way.

What's one lesson or piece of advice you'd share with someone working toward their certification?

Maybe it's how you prepared for your first audit, what surprised you the most, or something you wish you'd known earlier.

Drop your thoughts below- your experience might be exactly what someone else needs to hear right now.

------------------------------
Jamie Gravatte
Community Manager
Exemplar Global
------------------------------

Great question, Jamie! One of the biggest lessons I've learned through certification work is that it's not about the certificate, it's about the discipline you build into your business.

The first time I went through a certification audit, I thought preparation was mostly about making sure the documents were in order and the procedures were written correctly. What surprised me was how much the auditor cared about whether the people in the organization could actually demonstrate understanding and consistency. It taught me quickly that checklists and binders aren't enough-you need alignment, clarity, and daily practice for the system to hold up.

Another lesson: don't treat certification as an add-on to the business plan. When you integrate the management system into your strategy, it becomes a living framework that helps leaders make better decisions, allocate resources more effectively, and identify risks earlier. That's when certification stops being a compliance task and starts being a value driver.

If I had one piece of advice for someone starting out, it would be: don't aim for "perfect" on day one. Aim for transparency, document what you actually do, and commit to improving the system as you go. We use a 1-5 maturity scale. That mindset makes audits and improvement initiatives far less stressful and ensures the certification effort pays dividends long after the certificate is framed on the wall.

------------------------------
All the best,
James

--

James R. Thompson
COO/CIO & Technical Leader
Concentric Global | Office: 843.608.0127
------------------------------

Wow! ONE lesson? I've got to admit, that there are so many lessons from each person of each audit. Well, I might have answered myself in just that one sentence. I learn to "go with the flow". You have to read people, and let the understand (no, not MAKE them understand, but LET them understand), that there are many benefits to fully engage in the quality system.

After I've asked them their name and how long they have worked in the position they have, I ask them what is a quality system, then I let the answer in many ways with many tries. Then I offer a simple answer by asking a question, do you do your job well. They always answer yes, then I offer that quality is the word "well", they do their job "well", and showing everyone they can do their job "well", and who better to do their job well is the expert (meaning the person in that job) who does their job day after day, hour after hour, to their best, after {however many years they have worked in that position} years. They of course, like being called an expert, but it is truly only the people in their job, who can answer your questions. In this way, they are put at ease, and feel very confident about their answers and willing to open up immediately. (By the way, this is a secret that I will only share with this community!)

------------------------------
Donna Stockwell
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-07-2025 02:21 PM
From: James Thompson
Subject: What's One Lesson You've Learned from Getting Certified?

Great question, Jamie! One of the biggest lessons I've learned through certification work is that it's not about the certificate, it's about the discipline you build into your business.

The first time I went through a certification audit, I thought preparation was mostly about making sure the documents were in order and the procedures were written correctly. What surprised me was how much the auditor cared about whether the people in the organization could actually demonstrate understanding and consistency. It taught me quickly that checklists and binders aren't enough-you need alignment, clarity, and daily practice for the system to hold up.

Another lesson: don't treat certification as an add-on to the business plan. When you integrate the management system into your strategy, it becomes a living framework that helps leaders make better decisions, allocate resources more effectively, and identify risks earlier. That's when certification stops being a compliance task and starts being a value driver.

If I had one piece of advice for someone starting out, it would be: don't aim for "perfect" on day one. Aim for transparency, document what you actually do, and commit to improving the system as you go. We use a 1-5 maturity scale. That mindset makes audits and improvement initiatives far less stressful and ensures the certification effort pays dividends long after the certificate is framed on the wall.

------------------------------
All the best,
James

--

James R. Thompson
COO/CIO & Technical Leader
Concentric Global | Office: 843.608.0127
------------------------------

@Jamie - After stepping away for a day and circling back on this topic, I realize I answered the question from a perspective of "certification for an organization" vs. personnel or training certification from Exemplar Global. 

Regarding certification as an individual, my ONE lesson to pass along is to put "resourcefulness" ahead of credentials. Like a certified organization, your credentials are only as good as your application of your competencies. To be, it has been extremely beneficial to go through training and certification while also organizing my files, capturing key links (i.e., online resources, associations, social media accounts to follow, etc.), and indexing my files in Dropbox or Google Drive. While you're going through training and certification, it is beneficial to build a digital locker of sorts so you can reference your competency assets when the time comes to actually put them to use.

Stay organized, take good notes (now you can use AI to assist with that), and be a good Secretary. Your future self will thank you. 

------------------------------
All the best,
James

--

James R. Thompson
COO/CIO & Technical Leader
Concentric Global | Office: 843.608.0127
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-07-2025 02:21 PM
From: James Thompson
Subject: What's One Lesson You've Learned from Getting Certified?

Great question, Jamie! One of the biggest lessons I've learned through certification work is that it's not about the certificate, it's about the discipline you build into your business.

The first time I went through a certification audit, I thought preparation was mostly about making sure the documents were in order and the procedures were written correctly. What surprised me was how much the auditor cared about whether the people in the organization could actually demonstrate understanding and consistency. It taught me quickly that checklists and binders aren't enough-you need alignment, clarity, and daily practice for the system to hold up.

Another lesson: don't treat certification as an add-on to the business plan. When you integrate the management system into your strategy, it becomes a living framework that helps leaders make better decisions, allocate resources more effectively, and identify risks earlier. That's when certification stops being a compliance task and starts being a value driver.

If I had one piece of advice for someone starting out, it would be: don't aim for "perfect" on day one. Aim for transparency, document what you actually do, and commit to improving the system as you go. We use a 1-5 maturity scale. That mindset makes audits and improvement initiatives far less stressful and ensures the certification effort pays dividends long after the certificate is framed on the wall.

------------------------------
All the best,
James

--

James R. Thompson
COO/CIO & Technical Leader
Concentric Global | Office: 843.608.0127
------------------------------

Great insight, James thank you for sharing!

I really like how you pointed out that certification isn't just about knowing the standard, but also about applying it in real-world situations. That's such an important perspective, especially for those who are newer to the process.

Is there one specific challenge you faced during your certification journey that stands out to you, and how did you overcome it? I think many in the community would benefit from hearing how you navigated that experience.

------------------------------
Jamie Gravatte
Community Manager
Exemplar Global
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-08-2025 03:46 PM
From: James Thompson
Subject: What's One Lesson You've Learned from Getting Certified?

@Jamie - After stepping away for a day and circling back on this topic, I realize I answered the question from a perspective of "certification for an organization" vs. personnel or training certification from Exemplar Global. 

Regarding certification as an individual, my ONE lesson to pass along is to put "resourcefulness" ahead of credentials. Like a certified organization, your credentials are only as good as your application of your competencies. To be, it has been extremely beneficial to go through training and certification while also organizing my files, capturing key links (i.e., online resources, associations, social media accounts to follow, etc.), and indexing my files in Dropbox or Google Drive. While you're going through training and certification, it is beneficial to build a digital locker of sorts so you can reference your competency assets when the time comes to actually put them to use.

Stay organized, take good notes (now you can use AI to assist with that), and be a good Secretary. Your future self will thank you. 

------------------------------
All the best,
James

--

James R. Thompson
COO/CIO & Technical Leader
Concentric Global | Office: 843.608.0127
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-07-2025 02:21 PM
From: James Thompson
Subject: What's One Lesson You've Learned from Getting Certified?

Great question, Jamie! One of the biggest lessons I've learned through certification work is that it's not about the certificate, it's about the discipline you build into your business.

The first time I went through a certification audit, I thought preparation was mostly about making sure the documents were in order and the procedures were written correctly. What surprised me was how much the auditor cared about whether the people in the organization could actually demonstrate understanding and consistency. It taught me quickly that checklists and binders aren't enough-you need alignment, clarity, and daily practice for the system to hold up.

Another lesson: don't treat certification as an add-on to the business plan. When you integrate the management system into your strategy, it becomes a living framework that helps leaders make better decisions, allocate resources more effectively, and identify risks earlier. That's when certification stops being a compliance task and starts being a value driver.

If I had one piece of advice for someone starting out, it would be: don't aim for "perfect" on day one. Aim for transparency, document what you actually do, and commit to improving the system as you go. We use a 1-5 maturity scale. That mindset makes audits and improvement initiatives far less stressful and ensures the certification effort pays dividends long after the certificate is framed on the wall.

------------------------------
All the best,
James

--

James R. Thompson
COO/CIO & Technical Leader
Concentric Global | Office: 843.608.0127

Jamie

Since we are addressing advice to those seeking certification, I think it best to recount my earliest experience with auditors, something that shaped how I approach both auditing and how I conduct my day-to-day tasks.  Many years ago, during the first audit I experienced, I met an auditor that was attentive, interested in our business and our people, and explained his methods at every step of the process.  Being a first audit, it was tense.  His approach not only made it easier, but it allowed me the opportunity to relax and focus on the process, what we would take away from it as much as whether we would pass. I was still new to management, still learning how to build and support a team, naturally the experience left a mark.

The second auditor arrived for our continuation audit.  He was focused on himself, interested in ensuring that we knew how important he was, how extensive his qualifications were, and how dependent we were on him.  Needless to say, it was a very tense audit.  We learned nothing of value and came through it feeling like the whole process was a scam.  

Soon after, I reached out to our first auditor for some advice on correcting items found during the second audit. He again approached the situation with a focus on us, not himself, and on learning about our experience with the most recent auditor, even advised us on how to give feedback to LRQA, our certification body at the time.  

This experience shaped me forever after.  Now, when I am addressing someone regarding performance, or if I am auditing a task, I reflect on how I felt, how the difference in the approaches made for drastic changes in my responses.  Understanding the situation is not about me, it is about honest reflection and constructive feedback for those being evaluated, it is about letting them know where they succeed, and instead of showing them failures opening up their understanding to an opportunity for improvement and development.  In short, if you want to be a great auditor, audit for the benefit of those affected.  Use it as an opportunity to build others up.  Be honest, only through honest evaluation can improvements be made, but do it with care and concern for the future of those involved in the process.  

------------------------------
Steven Kimbell
------------------------------

My biggest piece of advice is be prepared for an audit with a template in which to take notes.  So much information will be shared and there is not enough time to document everything, so learn to pick the the most relevant thread and follow that thread with thorough notes.  If notes are not thorough enough you will risk having to request the same information again from the auditee, which can lead to frustration and delays.

------------------------------
Nanda Filkin
QA Scientist
Arete Biosciences
------------------------------

This is really a great topic, it's a few different ways to answer this subject regarding certificates, rather it's a certification regarding personal and career growth or getting prepared for an external recertification for an organization. My experience with both has coincide very well, I've been very fortunate. Getting ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor certified and ISO 31000:2018 Risk Manager Guideline certified has allowed me to be very strong and valuable to my company in the quality department. The ISO Clauses and sub-clauses should be the foundational structure for any company's QMS or IMS whether that company is certified or not. It provides direction and guidance and the size of the company nor, the type of industry doesn't matter.

As far as personal growth, with enough auditing experience and years of structuring, maintaining, and sustaining a competitive quality management system or IMS. That could definitely put someone in the consultant and entrepreneurial space for servicing companies that could use risk mitigation plans and external QMS/ Department audit preparation for certification and re-certification. The beauty of getting certified is that the material from the corriculum can still be the guide and like James said, AI as well.

Great Conversation

Best Regards,

------------------------------
Jason Loring
Sn. Quality Electronics Engineer
Foxconn
------------------------------

For me, the greatest lesson I learned was the value of auditing for free.

I reached out to many ISO 9001 Lead Auditors within about 250 miles early on and offered to be a team member for free if they were willing to allow me to get the audit experience.  This was very valuable because I not only got the audit experience, but I witnessed different auditor styles.  Not all auditors audit the same way.  Not only did I obtain the experience, I developed my own Lead Auditor style.

If you are new to this, you need to audit a lot in order to become proficient.  This strategy worked out well for me!  

BK

------------------------------
Billie King
Supplier Quality Engineer
UAF
------------------------------