Certifications and other forms of professional credentialing are the Jekyll and Hyde of the interior design world.

By some accounts, these designations demonstrate a designer's professional knowledge and achievement, and they help designers to stand out in the marketplace from their less-qualified competitors. Others say they are essentially worthless because consumers don't know what they represent — and for the most part don't care.

Although they may appear to be contradictory, it may be that both perspectives are valid and, in fact, complementary.

Some years ago while conducting a proprietary membership survey for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), we asked members if they valued their ASID appellation and other professional designers. More than 9 in 10 answered "yes" — not a surprising result, since they were members, but a solid confirmation of the value of the appellation.

We then asked them if their clients valued their ASID appellation and other professional designations, and nearly the same proportion of respondents answered "no." In addition, many submitted comments such as "my clients never ask me about it" or "clients never mention it." This was a disheartening and puzzling finding. What could account for this apparent discrepancy?

As it turns out, this state of affairs is not unique to the interior design industry. Across professional services industries — from real estate agents to financial planners to stock analysts and many others — this conundrum persists. Professional organizations tout the value of certifications and other professional designations, and practitioners question whether they provide substantial value or market advantage. Is one side more right than the other?

For the most part, both professional organizations and their members agree that credentialing and certifications, when conducted with rigor, have intrinsic value for the professional. These programs set the bar for professional standards and require individuals to demonstrate mastery of a common body of knowledge for their profession.

Some organizations have conducted studies that show holding a recognized professional credential can give an individual an advantage in hiring, promotion and compensation, as well as provide assurance of their competency to potential clients. Design Success University's annual fee surveys have found a strong correlation between top-earning interior designers and membership in a professional association.

And what about those clients? While professional credentials often are not top-of-mind with clients, they do factor into clients' decisions of whom they want to work with. In a recent survey of remodeler customers conducted by the National Association of Homeowners (NAHB), professional designations did not appear among the top attributes customers said they would consider in hiring a particular contractor. Reputation for quality received the highest response.

However, when asked specifically how they regard contractors with specialized designations, three-quarters or more of respondents said they believed contractors with specialized designations provided better and more reliable service, as well as better quality work and craftsmanship. Moreover, 83 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that contractors with specialized designations are more professional and credible.

Surveys of homeowners regarding the use of home decoration and design services show similar findings: Professional designations do influence consumers' hiring decisions.

What the NAHB survey results show is that for many clients a professional credential is simply a "threshold" criterion. You don't get in the door without one, but that alone will not get you the job. The client is most interested in the result, not your path to professionalism. Hence, your credentials are not going to be top-of-mind and may never enter into your conversations with the client.

Yet those credentials do inspire confidence and cast you in a more favorable light. Many independent sources of information about choosing or hiring an interior designer advise consumers to seek those with professional credentials. That may limit their choices from the start.

By the time the client is ready to meet with you, he/she may have long forgotten the name of your professional organization or what your designation stands for. But like a good cover letter on a job application, it will already have done its work of making you stand out from the crowd.