If you are a mystery shopper, or hope to become one, you may have heard about mystery shopping certification. The Mystery Shopping Providers Association of North America provides such certification which the organization states simply lets potential clients know that you possess the basic skills needed to provide the shopping service. The basic skills test can be taken online and the fee is nominal. A more expensive certification is available and for that fee you get a certain amount of training and updated mystery shopping industry literature for the ever changing field.



Is certification necessary? No.

It might help you get a foot in the door if a company is hiring mystery shoppers and has had a bad experience with an unqualified shopper in the past. Other than that, certification won't get you any more shopping gigs than if you don't have it. On the other hand, being certified and part of an organization like the Mystery Shopping Providers Association might keep you posted on additional opportunities.

While it is always true that you should not have to pay to be a mystery shopper, certification is a little different. When you choose to get certified, you are not paying to get more mystery shopping gigs. Instead, you are paying to receive updated information about a job area that is changing as rapidly as the need for mystery shoppers is. In other words, you are paying for learning materials. And, since knowledge is power, that makes for a good case in favor of certification.

Please note, too, that not only does certification NOT guarantee you more jobs, it does not guarantee you more pay either. Maybe some day certification will raise the standard in the mystery shopping industry, but for right now, that's just not the case.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to get certified, it's basically your call. Weigh out the pros and cons of your particular situation. If you think you would benefit from the training that certification would offer but you don't want to put any money up front, wait until later.

Mystery shopping can be a fun and rewarding job. Many people are making additional income by being a mystery shopper part time. The job is one that is easily tailored to fit your work, school or family schedule. In most cases, you can take your family along as long as the assignment is family oriented.