Comments on: Certification: No Guarantee of Competency – But it Can’t Hurt

By: Kelly Wanlass

Kelly Wanlass — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:12:21 +0000

I completely agree with what you wrote about how at this time, “IT professionals need every advantage they can get to compete for fewer jobs against more candidates.” While certificates don’t prove the applicants can apply the skills they’ve learned to pass the exams, though, ask them how they trained for the certification exam. If they’ve worked with the technologies specifically in past jobs or trained for their exams with online labs that gave them practical, hands-on experience (like those provided by TestOut – yes, my client), they can likely do the job.

By: Eric D. Brown

Eric D. Brown — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:33:37 +0000

When I’ve hired folks in the past, I’ve looked at certifications as part of my overall view of the candidate. If I’m hiring for a Database Administrator, a DBA certification helps me understand that this person has knowledge in the area…but it doesn’t help me determine their experience or skills in the area.

On the other hand, if I’m hiring for a Project Manager for a large enterprise implementation, a Project Management Certification like the PMP really doesn’t do much for me. The PMP certification tells me that the user has experience in the project management world and has passed a test…but it doesn’t tell me anything about that person’s real abilities.

By: Certification: No Guarantee of Competency – But it Can’t Hurt

Certification: No Guarantee of Competency – But it Can’t Hurt — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:28:55 +0000

[...] at CIOEssentials.com, Gene Delibero asks a few interesting questions in a post titled “Certification: No Guarantee of Competency – But it Can’t Hurt” on [...]

By: Gene De Libero

Gene De Libero — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:47:28 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Jeff. My point about having a cert when looking for a job was that sometimes, it can be the difference between getting an interview or not with some hiring managers. That said, I’m with you. Is the candidate going to have practical skills they can apply right away or will it be a theoretical approach, with the practical experience coming while they learn on the job?

I do remember one IT resource I worked with sometime back. He was already in place when I hired on as the CTO and SVP of Product Development. Very formal in the way he communicated; called everyone ‘sir’ and “ma’am”. I got a real kick out of that! Old school brain in a 25 year old body. He was a big fan of certifications and he had a number of them. But this guy worked his a## off and always delivered results.
Certifications for him were a hobby, a way to challenge himself.

I’m interested in results and the people who can deliver don’t need a certificate to prove it. They need to roll up their sleeves and show me.

By: Jeff Cox

Jeff Cox — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:49:55 +0000

This was a very interesting read. As a hiring manager, I had person after person come in with one certification after another. I am glad the candidates took the time to increase their skill set, however what is key, is can they apply the “book” knowledge they learned in class, or can they just regurgitate the material in order to pass the class. People with certifications that can not apply the material, will end up under performing and causing more issues instead of resolving issues.