As it all boils down to the matter of selecting the most suitable candidate to perform a certain job role, several aspects come to one’s mind, be it the candidate’s people skills, academic background, professional achievements, overall personality or their passion for the job. While all these attributes play a vital role in helping managers decide whether a candidate is suitable for a particular job or not, the value and significance of professional certifications for earning a decent job still remains debatable.
What Hiring Managers Think about IT Certifications
Professional IT certifications help to improve the decision-making abilities of individuals. This quality is something that business organizations look for when hiring professionals for their organization. Such professional certifications are equally popular between both freshers and experienced professionals, as these certifications help to improve their skills, strengthen their credibility, and update their portfolio. This is extremely beneficial for those professionals who have been working in the industry for quite some time and want to stay relevant during changing times.
Due to constant changes in technological trends, such professional programs and certifications have become as important as getting professional diplomas because of the profession-specific training according to different job roles. Also, to prepare new entrants to become part of an organization by passing through the recruitment process, workforce readiness platform to play a valuable role. Still, it is extremely important to realize the importance and value that these certifications and platforms hold for hiring managers and employers of leading business corporations.
When determining the value of these certifications, in particular, one needs to understand that not every employer is looking for the same skill set when hiring a potential candidate for their organization. Every company works differently and has different needs and requirements. These needs are based on the organization’s budget, resources and IT infrastructure. As a result of continuous development in the IT industry, there is still a lack of trained IT professionals. Therefore, more and more individuals try to acquire professional IT training to earn their dream job with better pay and benefits.
With so many professionals applying for the same job, it becomes quite challenging for employers to select the best candidate for their organization. Therefore, it is extremely important to have the right skill set and IT certifications like Linux Administrator certification so that you have a higher chance of getting selected. To make your CV catch the eye of your interviewer, it is better that you follow the following simple yet effective strategies.
Getting The Right Balance Between Skills And Certifications
When hiring a candidate, employers seek out individuals who have relevant training and certifications in the required field. Such training and certifications become more valuable if accompanied by some years of practical experience in the same field. There is no doubt about the fact that employers seek out such individuals who possess professional certifications and training. However, such certifications do not hold much significance if you don’t know how to employ this training in the practical world.
Therefore, it is safe to say that employers prefer such candidates who possess the right type of training, certification, skill set along with proven work experience in the relevant field. It is not possible to replace experience with IT certifications. Employers prefer such individuals who can understand the company’s IT infrastructure and can perform multiple tasks accordingly.
In case you are new and have just stepped into the IT industry and don’t have enough professional experience, there are several ways to fill this gap and gain professional experience and exposure, by working on different IT projects. Getting internships from different companies and software houses to upgrade your portfolio and get your skills validated in the industry can also help you get a good job.
Specialized Training And Certifications
Every business organization has a different IT infrastructure based on it’s budget and client needs and use different IT technologies, products and services accordingly. For example, if you are an experienced mid-level cloud specialist and apply at a company for a job which has a Microsoft or Amazon-based cloud infrastructure, the employer will automatically prefer candidates who have relevant training in Microsoft or Amazon-based cloud computing.
No matter how good or experienced you are in cloud operations, you won’t be able to stand out until you possess specialized training and certifications in the company’s required vendor or platform. Therefore, before applying for a job, it is extremely important to understand the job description and various skills required for the job.
Importance Of Getting A Degree
While the value of the degree over certifications is a hot topic among IT specialists, there is no doubt about the fact that IT certificates are extremely popular and in demand. However, the value and significance of degrees cannot be ignored either. There are many job positions that also require you to have a degree instead of just IT training and certifications. Therefore, there is no harm in getting a degree before taking a step in the IT world. Although getting a college degree requires a lot of time and investment, they can prove to be really beneficial in the long run. Academic degrees are quite in demand at various organizations and recruitment agencies for various job roles.
Pay Attention To Skills
When short-listing potential candidates, employers prefer applicants who have mentioned their skills and experience with clarity and in detail. Such CVs tend to stand out and have more chances to get short-listed.
Length Of Your Resume
There is no ideal length for a good resume. It basically depends on the type of job that you are applying for. The length of your CV often increases with the amount of experience that you have. If you are a beginner and applying for an entry-level job, then you may not have enough experience to show in your CV, and it would be a better idea to submit a single page CV as the employer would be more interested in looking into your qualification rather than your experience for an entry-level job position.
Similarly, if you are applying for a mid-level position, a multi-page resume may be more suitable for such a job position as the employer would be more interested to know about your previous job experiences. Since managers have to go through a lot of CVs, it is better to make your CV concise and well planned.
Personality Traits
While interviewing candidates, the greatest challenge for employers is to determine their personality and the way they interact and work with others and whether they can adjust to the company’s environment or not. Just like other skills and qualifications, it is not possible to judge these traits through a CV or a resume. Nowadays, many hiring companies prefer to take various personality assessments tests to understand the personality of the applicant.
Final Word
Being in the IT field demands an interest in lifelong learning. This includes not limited oneself to the latest gadgets and technologies but also learning the new standards and policies in IT recruitment. This will let you know what hiring managers are focusing on when hiring for the hottest IT jobs around.
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