Why Should You Hire Someone with an FPAP?

Why Hire a Certified FPAP?

As a finance team leader, you understand the challenge of finding skilled professionals. You’re not alone; 71% of finance and accounting leaders report skills gaps on their teams, with FP&A presenting particular challenges. As a result, companies must invest more in skills development and technology to upskill new hires. In the meantime, you need capable professionals on your team now.

CFI’s Financial Planning & Analysis Professional (FPAP™) certification offers a faster path for employers to find qualified talent for roles in FP&A. In the FPAP program, candidates develop hands-on skills in core FP&A competencies through rigorous training and testing. 

What Makes the FPAP Certification Different?

Hiring an FPAP-certified individual means gaining an analyst with verified capabilities that let them contribute to your team right away. The FPAP program develops five core capabilities that distinguish high-performing FP&A talent:

• Strategic Alignment: Connecting financial data to business goals, enabling smarter decisions across strategy, operations, and execution.
• Strong Fundamentals: Bringing a solid command of accounting, financial statements, and variance analysis.
• Forecasting & Modeling: Building dynamic 3-statement models to forecast revenue, cash flow, and headcount.
• Data Storytelling: Developing narratives and transforming financial analysis into actionable insights using Excel and data visualization techniques.
• Executive Communication: Delivering clear insights and concise recommendations while confidently leading stakeholder conversations.

To earn an FPAP Certification, learners must pass a rigorous final exam that validates their ability to perform these tasks accurately and efficiently. Completing an FPAP certification also demonstrates initiative and commitment to continuous learning—qualities that drive long-term FP&A success.

What FPAP-Certified Professionals Add to Your FP&A Team

The comprehensive training that FPAP-certified professionals receive prepares them to add value across multiple dimensions of modern FP&A work.

Ready to Handle Core FP&A Workflows

With an FPAP graduate, you get an Excel master prepared to develop and maintain budgets and forecasts, financial models, dashboards, and data visualization for reports and presentations. This technical foundation enables them to work independently on assignments like modeling or managing dashboards and data visualization with minimal supervision.

Business Partnership Mindset

In addition to technical skills, the FPAP program emphasizes the cross-functional and strategic side of FP&A work. Certification-holders understand how financial data connects to operational decisions and business strategy. They’re prepared to collaborate with business stakeholders and think beyond the numbers to understand business implications. 

Fresh Perspective with Current Practices

Certified FPAP professionals bring knowledge of current FP&A methodologies, contemporary tools, and best practices. Combined with the energy and commitment demonstrated by pursuing certification, FPAP professionals offer fresh ideas that can enhance existing processes while respecting established workflows.

These capabilities combine to strengthen your FP&A team’s analytical depth, technical capacity, and business partnership effectiveness. FPAP graduates represent talent ready to contribute meaningfully while continuing to grow within your organization.

Why CFI?

Corporate Finance Institute (CFI) is the global leader in finance education, trusted by over 2 million professionals and organizations worldwide. Our certification programs offer a clear pathway to develop job-relevant skills and establish professional credibility. 

In 2025, Business Insider and Yahoo Finance recognized CFI as a top provider of professional finance certifications. Our alumni work at bulge-bracket investment banks, Fortune 500 companies, and top-tier private equity firms, including Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Deloitte, Amazon, Salesforce, and more.

For more information about CFI, explore our About page and learner reviews!

Final Word on FPAP Certification

Hiring someone with an FPAP certification is a smart choice for managers who want to immediately enhance their FP&A team’s capabilities. Look for FPAP-certified professionals on platforms like LinkedIn and in resumes to ensure you’re hiring professionals ready to add value from day one. Ultimately, this means less upfront training and more immediate impact, allowing your team to focus more on strategic priorities.

Looking for team training? Explore CFI for Teams, a flexible and efficient learning solution to equip your team with the role-specific skills they need to reach their full potential.

Additional Resources

FPAP vs. FMVA: Which Certification is Right for You?

How to Move From Accounting to FP&A: Your Career Transition Roadmap

Overcoming Communication Barriers: A Guide for Finance Professionals

See all FP&A resources

See all Career resources