DO CERTIFICATIONS NECESSARILY EQUATE TO UPSKILLING IN ORGANIZATIONS?

Ever since the pandemic struck, there has been an increase in certification courses. According to a survey from Strada, almost 50% of the population believe that certifications will increase the likelihood of landing better jobs. In a survey conducted by Workcred to see how pandemic has affected the demand for certifications, the top reasons were supporting the view that the demand from employers and employees has increased. The focus has shifted to specialized certifications, micro certifications that focus on evaluating a set of specific skills and credentials in new fields or jobs.

 Individuals and employees are becoming more aware of the importance of certificates in their professional lives. Certifications, for example, can help people explore new professional paths by demonstrating that they have the necessary abilities to succeed in a new role. It can also help people advance by demonstrating continual learning without the cost and time required to get an additional degree. In fields such as information technology, supply chain management, health care, where changes constantly occur due to technology, certifications give an economical and extremely flexible avenue to earn valuable credentials.

 An applicant who has demonstrated perseverance and diligence in getting certified stays one step ahead of other candidates while hiring. Since "crawlers" or "spiders" examine a resume for specific keywords or phrases, applicants get an edge during hiring with such qualifications. For instance, if the candidate applies for process management, possessing a lean six sigma might put him/her in a better picture for the role. Suppose he holds certifications such as the project management professional (PMP), which is advanced. In that case, it will give an impression to the employer that the candidate is experienced in the field of project management and have passed a rigorous exam. Certifications can also betray if they are proudly mentioned on the resume but are expired and haven't shown any signs of retaining the knowledge using continuing professional education (CPE).

 While racking up many certifications can pave the way for career advancements, it can also bring about an opposite effect, as one can never have too much of a good thing. Many studies suggest that having too many certifications doesn't make one a strong technical leader until the knowledge gained is implemented in a real-world project or program. Although certification programs offer structured and integrated learning opportunities, it's important to remember that each has its viewpoint on the projects and is never neutral. To put it another way, certification providers look at the initiatives through their own eyes. As a result, limiting oneself to one particular certificate may lead to a skewed perspective.

 Vendors have a vested interest in their training and certification. No independent regulatory body can provide candidates with guidance and direction. What's worse, many internet corporations are now distributing their brand of e-certs in an attempt to capture a piece of the certification pie while depreciating many of the existing certification methods. For instance, certifications such as Microsoft's MCSD, MCP, MCT, etc., are offered without any controlling authority or standardized board by various vendors.

 According to the newest data from edX and the Linux Foundation, 72% of hiring managers stated they would be more likely to hire a candidate who held a certification, increasing 20% from the previous year's figures. Even better, 88% of managers stated they would be willing to pay to get their present personnel certified, a rate that has increased by 60% since 2018. Accordingly, Google cloud professionals, ISACA's risk-based certifications, PMP, CISA, and CISSP receive a better paycheck considering project management as a higher-paying stream.

 Following are the pitfalls that employees and employers should be wary of while dealing with certifications generally:-

• Determine the job objectives and seek out certifications that can help achieve them.
• Look for well-known vendors with a good consumer reputation and high student testing success rates.
• Rather than taking many courses for various credentials, a Targeting strategy is generally the best option. One may pursue certain niche certifications such as security, cloud management, AI, automation etc., or focus on a platform like AWS and Azure.