Getting Certified and the Hiring Manager
Getting certified is more meaningful as a reflection of the experience, not the end product. Do you agree?
While some will quickly jump at this thought and agree, everyone should be conscious of the focal points.
The certification is the proof of attainment.
One person buys a car, either through a loan across many months or perhaps many months of saving their earnings. Another person just simply writes a check, easy money.
In both cases, a check (of sorts) is written, the final moments of the transaction happen with the validation of money as an exchange.
One person had a long time to think about the car, the car has a more significant value because the journey to attainment was different than just a quick transaction.
It’s true at the amusement park, the big coaster attracts attention. People are excited to share that they rode the “monster ride” yet the ability to say you rode it is not the experience. The experience exists in the ride.
A two-month road trip in an RV around parts of the U.S. sounds appealing to some, but the same spots could be visited faster via airplane. In either case, mission accomplished, yet the experience is much different.
Getting Certified
For the hiring manager, and for the job seeker, attainments mentioned on a piece of paper or cleverly highlighted on a digital record should not be proof of job competence. Job competence is likely better reflected through the journey of attainment.
When experiences and character matter, and most hiring managers will suggest that they do, the focus needs to be about the journey not the documented proof of the journey.
Being able to create an Excel spreadsheet is an accomplished skill. Likewise, welding, carpentry, and computer network management may be connected to skills attained.
Proof of skill attainment is not proof of character. It is not proof of workplace behaviors, integrity, or how a person performs under pressure. It is likely not proof of attendance, being punctual, or being willing to put in the extra effort.
Most of the things we enjoy are not about the proof that we did it. It is about the experience of doing it.
Getting certified and the proof of attainment is much less valuable than understanding the experience of attainment.
What you focus on, is what you’ll get. It is true for the hiring manager and it is true for the job seeker.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
