In one of the groups of LinkedIn I am following a discussion about certification. The question asked by Paul is:
“If certifications such as PMI’s PMP or OGC/APM’s PRINCE2 are REQUIRED as a precondition to getting a job interview, isn’t this a defacto license? And does this represent a restraint of free trade? If yes, what can or should be done about it? If no, why do you think this is a good thing? “
The question can be divided in several parts on which you can agree or disagree. Lets have a look:
- When asked for Prince2 certified project managers it does not always mean that it is REQUIRED. Applying for the job you can stress the experience you have and let the company decide if it meets the requirements. It can be that you’re a specialist on just the topic the need.
- If Prince2 is REQUIRED but you don’t have the certificate, it can also be part of the negotiation. If you have the drive and the right elevator pitch, it can make the difference.
- The restraint of free trade part is not applicable. Perhaps for this one company, but not for the market as a whole.
- Requiring certification can mean two things: the company has no clue what it is asking and just sticks to the defacto standard and hopes that they so meet their requirements or the company knows what it is talking about and requires the Prince2 certificate so everybody speaks the same language.
Overlooking the question and the answer I must say that I normally use the job description as a ’soll’ situation. The ideal situation. It is up to the applicant or account manager to understand what I’m looking for and to convince me.
The Prince2 certificate is then nice to have, but the right skills and experience is more a necessity then the certification. What do you think?
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