Don’t Let A Credential Keep You From a Tech Career

By The Team at MAXX

As more hiring companies lean on AI screening tools to sort through resumes, the lack of a credential can become a barrier to landing that first interview. However, it’s not just the credential that gets you through the interview process. Most hiring managers look beyond credentials and want to see examples of applied experience.

According to Inc.com and Techrepublic.com, Google and many of the top companies are changing their hiring criteria, even going so far as to create their own certification programs. Google claims the programs “equip participants with the essential skills they need to get a job,” with “no degree or prior experience required to take the courses.”

TechRepublic points out that “while a company like Google doesn’t disregard academics, its strategy revolves more around creating paths for nontraditional candidates.”

At MAXX Potential, we go beyond the resume and help apprentices achieve their tech aspirations by providing the industry experience, training, and mentoring required to ace that second interview. We pair MAXX Apprentices with MAXX Mentors and customers who need smart and eager team members, meaning MAXX Apprentices work on projects that make a difference in the world and to our customers.

A Few Things to Consider Before Seeking an Information Technology Credential

While IT credentials can strengthen your resume and knowledge base, they take time and money. Most certifications will require months of work on top of your daily life responsibilities. The benefits of credentials are many, and at the same time, experience is just as and maybe more crucial to developing a strong resume.

As career paths become more and more choose-your-own adventure when it comes to deciding on experience and credentials, employees have more options to choose a path that best fits their unique talents, interests, and abilities.

Specializations

When you know what tech role you want to fill, this can orient your decisions around possible certifications. Some fields require more specific knowledge, and specializations will outfit you with the appropriate information. While certifications are available for many areas of IT, some areas require specific certifications, and they are more relevant for security and infrastructure-related roles like:

Cybersecurity
Networking
Cloud computing
Data

Job Relevance

Some jobs prioritize experience over credentials and certifications. Meanwhile, other jobs require that all job candidates are up to date and certified in specific standards. For example, a technology security position may require specific certifications to even qualify while a software engineering manager may be more interested in your repository than the list of courses you’ve completed.

Certification Reimbursement

Some jobs reimburse employees for meeting their education requirements by going through a certification program. This benefits the company and you. Certification reimbursement can remove the financial barrier. If your company offers a reimbursement program, go for it.

Career Pivots

Not all certifications are created equal, and experience in the target tech area will give you a working understanding of the role you desire to fill. While it might make sense to gain a credential for a role you hope to occupy, on-the-job experience can often take you further. Choose your credentials wisely.