QA Friday 2016-Jul-29

Where are your certifications? Do you have a degree? First of all, let me be clear, a certification, or a degree, or any other piece of paper, or even a bunch of letters after your name doesn’t prove anything. And it doesn’t matter who gave you those honors. I’ve personally witnessed people graduating with honors from top universities who lacked technical skills. And I’ve witnessed people with barely a high school education who could program better than me. Why are degrees, diplomas, and certifications so important then? I’ll tell you. They’re a guideline. In general, a person with a prestigious degree probably is better qualified than somebody without that same degree. But it’s not a rule. And it doesn’t apply to everybody. And there are ways that you can get around certificates. And, hey, if you do actually have a degree or technical diploma, or maybe you’re in the process of getting one, then great. Take what I’m about to explain and make it work for you too. I actually wrote a report several years ago that said something very similar to this. It’s a message that I’ve been spreading for years now. Hiring managers get swamped with unqualified candidates. HR departments can sometimes get thousands of applications for a single open job. There’s no way possible that anybody can sort through all the applications. So what most often happens is techniques are used to throw away applications. To get the list down to a smaller number. Something more manageable. Having the right certifications is one way to make it through this initial round. But it’s not the only way. And there’s no guarantee that your application will make it through even if you do meet all the stated requirements. Listen to the episode, or read the full transcript below, to hear about the technique you can use to help you get hired even if you lack the required degree or certificate. Transcript First of all, let me be clear, a certification, or a degree, or any other piece of paper, or even a bunch of letters after your name doesn’t prove anything. And it doesn’t matter who gave you those honors. I’ve personally witnessed people graduating with honors from top universities who lacked technical skills. And I’ve witnessed people with barely a high school education who could program better than me. Why are degrees, diplomas, and certifications so important then? I’ll tell you. They’re a guideline. In general, a person with a prestigious degree probably is better qualified than somebody without that same degree. But it’s not a rule. And it doesn’t apply to everybody. And there are ways that you can get around certificates. And, hey, if you do actually have a degree or technical diploma, or maybe you’re in the process of getting one, then great. Take what I’m about to explain and make it work for you too. I actually wrote a report several years ago that said something very similar to this. It’s a message that I’ve been spreading for years now. Hiring managers get swamped with unqualified candidates. HR departments can sometimes get thousands of applications for a single open job. There’s no way possible that anybody can sort through all the applications. So what most often happens is techniques are used to throw away applications. To get the list down to a smaller number. Something more manageable. Having the right certifications is one way to make it through this initial round. But it’s not the only way. And there’s no guarantee that your application will make it through even if you do meet all the stated requirements. Employers are first looking to avoid wasting time. They don’t want to spend hours on candidates that don’t have the skills needed. And if that means a few good candidates get tossed out along the way, then so be it. Many companies offer referral bonuses to employe