Nicholas TufaroCEO| Tufaro Information SystemsHudson, Fl, United States
I've recently met someone through my network who is a certified career coach. I'm considering engaging her services so that I can improve my chances for marketability. When I received and reviewed her marketing material, the closing line of her professional bio states the following:
" She is also a CPA and a Project Management Professional." I then immediately looked her up in the PMP Online Credential Registry and was not able to find her there. There could be a number of reasons for this, such as she is certified but under a married or maiden name. The other reason is that she is not aware of the meaning of the term "Project Management Professional".
My question is twofold;
(1) Is the term/phase "Project Management Professional" trademarked? I know that the acronym "PMP is.
(2) Can I conduct business with her for her career coaching services after I discuss and recommend that she remove the "Project Management Professional" from her marketing materials? I'm assuming that she isn't a PMP.
Thanks in advance,
Nick Saving Changes...
Sort By:
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
People can choose not to be listed on the registry. But then again, few people would use the full name rather than the simple acronym.
As far as I can tell PMI has two trademarks: on the PMP acronym and on Project Management Professional (PMP). You will notice that the latter includes the acronym.
Rather than presume the worse, why don't you ask her about it? It may be a maladroit choice of words to denote her past experience. Saving Changes...
Melissa SabileProduct Owner| Internet Network and EngineeringSacramento, Ca, United States
On my resume, I generally spell out "Project Management Professional" because there are a lot of people who don't know what the acronym refers to.
In regards to Question 2: I'd definitely follow up with her about it and verify whether or not she has the certification. What's the harm in asking? The real question is that if she doesn't have a PMP and declines your recommendation to remove the plug from her marketing materials, would you still WANT to seek out her services? Also, is she your only option?
...
1 reply by Nicholas Tufaro
Jun 13, 2019 10:27 PM
Nicholas Tufaro
...
Hi Melissa,
In answer to your last question, she is not my only option. What I have experienced here in the Tampa Bay area is that there is a large market for professional services of Career/Life Coaches, so I want to be certain that I am working with someone that is authentic.
By the way, on a LinkedIn profile you have add PMP to your last name and it will automatically insert the (r) after the PMP acronym.
Thanks again!
It is possible that she does not know that is a title, but she capitalized it as one. I could write I am a professional engineer for convenience but not a Professional Engineer. In both cases, who is an amateur PM or engineer?
If it's an honest mistake, I would make sure that she has good work experience. I would be suspect of the actual knowledge level of someone claiming to be an experienced professional in a field where they do not know their are credentials. Saving Changes...
Nicholas TufaroCEO| Tufaro Information SystemsHudson, Fl, United States
Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I will ask her in a friendly non-threatening way. Once I get her response, I'll then decide if I will engage her services. We've all worked very hard to attain that certification, so I want to engage business-wise in an ethical way. I would have no problem if her materials said "Project Manager", but I do question "Project Management Professional" on her materials.
Again, thank you all! Saving Changes...
Nicholas TufaroCEO| Tufaro Information SystemsHudson, Fl, United States
Jun 13, 2019 7:30 PM
Replying to Melissa Sabile
...
On my resume, I generally spell out "Project Management Professional" because there are a lot of people who don't know what the acronym refers to.
In regards to Question 2: I'd definitely follow up with her about it and verify whether or not she has the certification. What's the harm in asking? The real question is that if she doesn't have a PMP and declines your recommendation to remove the plug from her marketing materials, would you still WANT to seek out her services? Also, is she your only option?
Hi Melissa,
In answer to your last question, she is not my only option. What I have experienced here in the Tampa Bay area is that there is a large market for professional services of Career/Life Coaches, so I want to be certain that I am working with someone that is authentic.
By the way, on a LinkedIn profile you have add PMP to your last name and it will automatically insert the (r) after the PMP acronym.
Thanks again! Saving Changes...
"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious and immature."
