[TriLUG] Cert Question

[Matt Pusateri]

On Sep 12, 2013, at 11:11 AM, Z-man <czdrummer at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks all - my question comes from not only a hiring process stance but
> also from the simple, "xyz cert is worth while."  When I post a position
> requesting a Linux advanced person, is it worth stating they need to have a
> cert to back it up?  Or if requested, should it be used as a criteria for
> setting up interviews?  See once they are being interviewed, I will ask the
> necessary "geek" questions to sift out any posers but I just want to cut
> down on interview time and was kinda hoping that a certification (if good)
> would help.
> 

It really depends on how much value you put on certifications.  I recently worked with a guy that had a Cisco CCNA, a MCSE, and a VMware VCP.  Yet he couldn't troubleshoot anything b/c he didn't have logic skills.  He also didn't understand  DNS, how DNS is registered in a Domain name, and what an authoritative server is.  Or what a VLAN was and how to use them.  How he got his CCNA I don't know.  Bottom like is that even with the certifications that make you demonstrate a working knowledge, there will always be people who are book smart.  I've run into more than my fair share of certified people who have less than acceptable skill sets.  There are a lot of good admins/engineers out there, who don't have certifications. Making them a requirement or discounting them due to lack of certifications is a mistake in my opinion.  I'd rather see people evaluated on their experience and skills, both of which you should be able to tell from their resume and a short preliminary phone interview.

Certifications will get you past the first level of HR and onto the hiring manager, and may be a good idea if you don't have tons of experience. If you have experience and a good resume, I think you can get away from not having a certification.    But I'm more of a if I have to have this certification to get this job, it's probably not the company I want to work for sort of guy…   That being said, I probably eventually will get some certifications, but it's more about getting past HR as some point than proving my knowledge.

Matt P.