| May 2006 |
| Are IT certifications on the wane in today's workplace? |
| By Wes Simonds |
Historically, job candidates in the IT sector have seen certifications as a powerful means of advancing their careers. Because certification was perceived as proof of technical knowledge in a key area, it could help job seekers distinguish themselves in multiple ways.
In the nineties, certifications added glamour to a technical resume, improved the odds of landing an interview, and in the case of someone trying to climb a corporate ladder, acted a focused differentiator to stand out from in-house competition.
In today's new-millennium economy, however, IT certifications are increasingly seen as losing their luster. Nathan Saunders, Senior Manager of Information Systems at Vitalstream, Inc., said recently that in his experience, an interview performance outweighs the paper merits of a resume.
"While certifications are always a good thing to see from a candidate, proof of knowledge is normally something we require a demonstration of during the interview process. Just because a candidate passed the certification requirements does not necessarily prove anything other than they knew how to pass the tests."
Another factor he considers important: the value of certifications in a dynamic IT environment in which company needs change as quickly as technological availability. Vitalstream, which specializes in content hosting, data management, and streamed Flash and Windows Media video content, has an unusual set of needs, said Saunders. Database management certifications such as the MSCDBA, and network certifications in general -- particularly Cisco certifications -- are perceived as directly relevant to Vitalstream's business.
Sincerity of interest also counts. "I also like to see certifications in multiple fields, or multiple certifications in one field," said Saunders. "It helps weed out the wannabes and get right to the people who are really interested in the subject matter. Anything beyond a single cert, [that would tend to show] a genuine progression of skills, would impress me."
Saunders was reluctant to characterize certifications as essential to being hired at Vitalstream, though.
"A lack of certification would not stop a candidate for consideration if they had sufficient experience and skills that could be proven in any other way," he said. "Real-world expertise will always trump theoretical expertise on paper. Obviously someone who has certifications as well as a long relevant work history is ideal."
Perry Reed, Quality Assurance Manager for the Home Shopping Network (HSN), had similar opinions on the relative importance of paper skills vs. work skills.
"A certification might make me more likely to look deeper at a resume, but the work experience will make me bring a person in for an interview," he said.
Reed suggests that in his case, some of that skepticism about certifications is due to the nature of the work performed by his team. "Of course, [quality assurance] skills in testing systems and developed code, and documenting related errors, are hard to demonstrate with any kind of standardized test because that requires extreme familiarity with large amounts of information. There is simply no substitute for the real world and hands-on experience in this area."
What certifications, if any, apply? "In my job," he said, "the only certs that are really applicable are the Mercury tools certs, like LoadRunner or QuickTest Professional. I do look for those... but even there I don't put a lot of stock in them."
Reed, in fact, is still more skeptical than Saunders, relying almost entirely on his personal assessment of a job candidate as drawn from an in-person interview.
"None of the information on a resume means nearly as much as a face-to-face conversation," he said.
But Anthony Milazzo, IT Customer Support Analyst at the New York University School of Medicine, said his certifications have definitely enhanced his career progress.
"I have A+, CNA, MCSA, and MCSDT," he said, "and I think certification is a great way for an experienced tech to boost his\her career and get a little learning in as well along the way."
However, Milazzo acknowledged that there's no comparison between actual paid experience and paper qualifications. "[Certifications help] any tech move ahead, but you have to have the skills to back them up as well. Certifications also do help you get... that interview, but then? If you don't know what you're talking about? Nothing's going to save you. Certs complement a resume... but don't think they can make it alone."
He also agrees with Reed and Saunders that the evolution of powerful global search engines has made it easy for would-be techs to cheat their way into undeserved certifications -- and has devalued the market for those who earned them legitimately.
"Certifications alone don't cut the mustard anymore," he said. "I think [managers] have gotten wise to people with certs who have little else to offer. The days are gone that someone could get a [high-paying, high-prestige] job based on certs alone."
Wes Simonds is a veteran freelance journalist and marketing copywriter specializing in the tech sector.
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