[Sigia-l] certifications

[Eric Scheid]

On 5/12/02 12:03 PM, "Listera" <listera at rcn.com> wrote:

>> Clients that have been burned badly before have also asked
>> me this question.
> 
> Again, clients that rely on certificates should be burned...in hell. :-)

The point is: they got burned when they *didn't* rely on certificates.

> A manager (with hiring authority) ought to be able to correctly parse an
> applicants resume, work, interview, samples, claims, etc. They ought to be
> able to ask the right questions and probe the critical areas. An entry in a
> resume that notes a five-letter acronym is just such a lame way to judge an
> applicant.

The question of certificates depends also on whether they are being used as
a substitute for everything you expect, or whether it is being used in
*addition* to everything else. One good sign of a professional is that they
have a commitment to career development, and not simply playing bandwagon
buzzword bingo.

A list of certificates also comes in handy when evaluating prospective
employees for the simple reason they are an excellent starting point for
probing questions ... "I see you have a Cert. in IA from Wichita Community
College -- what did they teach there which you feel is relevant to this
position you are applying for?" ... or ... "How much did that certificate
course cover thesaurus design? Oh, only 4 hours, do you think that's
enough?"

Though they may exist, there are probably very few recruiters that rely
*only* on certificates when evaluating prospects.

e.