I'm currently still rather far from obtaining my Bachelor's degree, but I'm in a unique situation where I will be able to take some courses where I could obtain certifications at no cost to me (other than time). I'm very interested in setting my foot in the eLearning industry. I was wondering from an employer's perspective what type of certifications are valueable or helpful to push one's resume in front of others?
Some of the certifications I could get:
Microsoft Office Specialist on Mircrosoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)
PMP
CompTIA certifications.
Any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated.
That's a bit of a tricky question because the response truly depends on the company, their need, how long a role has been open, and what skillset you have to offer. I can see from your profile page that you have an online portfolio that looks professional with some good eLearning pieces included. That is a huge plus. Because eLearning produces a finished product that can be shared and examined as a representation of your abilities and approach, this is a necessity when trying to get a foot in the door.
As far as a BA is concerned, you'll probably find very few people who have a degree in a field directly related to eLearning. I know of plenty of people with degrees in foreign language, music, arts and humanities who are wonderful eLearning designers and developers. One thing that could be important to potential employers would be that you are actively working towards a degree. Even certifications speak positively as they show you are a committed lifelong learner.
All that being said, the larger the company to which you are applying, the more formal their application process. At some large companies I've been a part of, there are recruiting departments who work with managers to open roles, then screen candidates before the hiring manager ever sees them. In situations like these, if a BA is required for the role and you don't have one, your resume probably won't make it anywhere because you won't meet the minimum requirements - even if you have the skills and passion to be a valuable contribution to the organization. If you are looking at smaller companies where the hiring manager is the one who receives the resumes, certifications, portfolio pieces, and other background can carry a bit more weight as they might be willing to mentally swap a degree requirement for a certification or experience.
My experience has been the same as Steve's. It's also been my experience that hiring managers that don't have an ID background themselves rely more on degrees and certifications.
There's no doubt that I would notice relevant certifications and that could help get an interview. BUT it's the portfolio that gets the job. I certainly can't speak for everyone out there but if you give me a person with every cert out there but no portfolio and someone with no degree and no certifications but a great portfolio, the portfolio wins out every time. And when I say"portfolio" it doesn't even have to be a website. Dropbox links or even zipped files are fine. I want to see what you can do and certifications don't show me that.
All that being said, certifications can also be a great learning opportunity for you. Of the certs you listed anything project management is going to be beneficial for you. Beyond that, unless time just isn't a factor for you it would be better spent creating and refining demos.
Thanks for the information and advice. I really appreciate it. I was aware that there wasn't going to be one right answer, but your information did clear up the fog a bit.
3 Replies
That's a bit of a tricky question because the response truly depends on the company, their need, how long a role has been open, and what skillset you have to offer. I can see from your profile page that you have an online portfolio that looks professional with some good eLearning pieces included. That is a huge plus. Because eLearning produces a finished product that can be shared and examined as a representation of your abilities and approach, this is a necessity when trying to get a foot in the door.
As far as a BA is concerned, you'll probably find very few people who have a degree in a field directly related to eLearning. I know of plenty of people with degrees in foreign language, music, arts and humanities who are wonderful eLearning designers and developers. One thing that could be important to potential employers would be that you are actively working towards a degree. Even certifications speak positively as they show you are a committed lifelong learner.
All that being said, the larger the company to which you are applying, the more formal their application process. At some large companies I've been a part of, there are recruiting departments who work with managers to open roles, then screen candidates before the hiring manager ever sees them. In situations like these, if a BA is required for the role and you don't have one, your resume probably won't make it anywhere because you won't meet the minimum requirements - even if you have the skills and passion to be a valuable contribution to the organization. If you are looking at smaller companies where the hiring manager is the one who receives the resumes, certifications, portfolio pieces, and other background can carry a bit more weight as they might be willing to mentally swap a degree requirement for a certification or experience.
My experience has been the same as Steve's. It's also been my experience that hiring managers that don't have an ID background themselves rely more on degrees and certifications.
There's no doubt that I would notice relevant certifications and that could help get an interview. BUT it's the portfolio that gets the job. I certainly can't speak for everyone out there but if you give me a person with every cert out there but no portfolio and someone with no degree and no certifications but a great portfolio, the portfolio wins out every time. And when I say"portfolio" it doesn't even have to be a website. Dropbox links or even zipped files are fine. I want to see what you can do and certifications don't show me that.
All that being said, certifications can also be a great learning opportunity for you. Of the certs you listed anything project management is going to be beneficial for you. Beyond that, unless time just isn't a factor for you it would be better spent creating and refining demos.
Steve and Natalia -
Thanks for the information and advice. I really appreciate it. I was aware that there wasn't going to be one right answer, but your information did clear up the fog a bit.
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