Looking for ways to up-grade your credentials without leaving your office? It's possible to increase your salary by up to 30% without leaving your current employer. By "certifying" your skills you can negotiate promotions and higher wages.

Most people think of career tests as a way to match their personality and skills with specific career tracks. These are personality tests and aptitude tests and they're very useful for career starters and mid-career switchers.

But there are other career tests - in fact 100s of them - that you should use to certify your qualifications and skills as you progress through your career. Certification tests are different than any other career tests because they qualify you for promotions and wages. These are the tests that will literally "grow" your career!

The best on-line certification site I've found is called Brainbench (gotta love that name!). Take a FREE online Brainbench Skills Test.

There are three problems with most certification tests that you must solve before you agree to shell out your hard-earned money and precious time to earn the certification:

Lost time. If you have to book off work to take off-site education courses you may well lose income too. Depending on the credential you're after, you may need a two-week block, three months of weekends, or some other time commitment that stretches your resources.

Credibility. Mail-order degrees are not the way to go if you want to hang on to your hard-won certification. The credibility of your certificate speaks to your personal credibility. Be sure your employer or examining board will recognize your new credential before your sign up for any certification program. In fact, get your employer's authorization in writing!

Track-record. Be sure your certificate program has a track-record of success. Ask "how many people who take your certification are in fact certified after they take the final exam?" If the answer is less than 50% walk away. Furthermore, be sure they've been in the certification business for at least 5 years. Less than that means you're part of their learning curve!

There are dozens of certification groups you might consider, but I've found only one that solves all three problems above: Brainbench.

First, you can take their certification tests and certification prep tests on-line at the office, or at home. You can work at your own pace, in your own space. There's no down time, and no lost income.

Second, they're the only ISO 9001 certified online skills testing and certification service in the world. They also offer an employer sign-on module for supervisors to inspect the program - and your performance. That way, supervisors can accept the certification validity before you begin the program and when you complete it.

Third, they certify over 10,000 people every day all over the world. Their certifications are recognized by industry leaders like EDS, Ernst & Young, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, IBM, and Dell. To date, they've administered over 4.5 million certification tests in more than 100 countries. Now that's a track record!

What kind of certifications does Brainbench offer? Over 300 from Information Technology to Finance, Health Care, Computer Software, Languages and Communication (and much more).

One of the great things about Brainbench is that they offer about 30 tests for free. You can try them on and get to know them.

I've said it before: Take a FREE online Brainbench Skills Test.

By the way, Brainbench is so well respected that you may be able to convince your employer to pay all or part of your certification costs. Some employers can deduct this expense as part of their employee professional development investment. If they do, that's one problem you don't have to solve!