At times, I’m asked for my opinion as it relates to certification exams and the necessity in completing them.

I’m a proponent of them. They validate your expertise and they provide proof that you carry an advertised skill set.

They aren’t an end all, be all, method of displaying your skill set, but they are another tool to evaluate an employee, a potential employee, or the ability of a company to demonstrate requirements to complete a contract.

I’ve not hired an employee because they may or may not carry a certification, but they are used in my grading criteria. As a CTO at an Oracle Platinum Partner (Collier IT) we have many requirements placed upon us by Oracle to prove to them that we carry specific skill sets. One of Oracle’s many grading criteria include certifications and specializations that are assigned to both the company and its employees.

So yes, if the skill sets between candidates are close, certifications will assist in my hiring one over another.

We have a number of Engineers and Senior Sales Account Managers that carry a similar certification Résumé as do company management and ownership.