Professional Certification Benefits

The rapid evolution of technology and the growing influence of AI in the workplace have intensified competition for top talent. Organizations are under increasing pressure to rethink their hiring strategies, and skills-based hiring is gaining significant momentum. Yet many companies remain anchored to outdated degree requirements when sourcing candidates — a practice that not only limits their talent pool but actively undermines their ability to compete. A recent study by the Burning Glass Institute highlights the scale of this missed opportunity: workers with non-degree credentials represent 58% of the workforce, yet they are routinely overlooked and systematically screened out during the hiring process. The same study points to a growing number of forward-thinking firms that are doing things differently. Companies like LinkedIn, Nordic Global, and Procore Technologies consistently incorporate credentials into their job postings and hiring decisions — linking specific certifications to business-critical skills. HubSpot, for instance, prioritizes Inbound Marketing certification, while Infosys values AWS Architect credentials. This approach allows them to hire with greater precision and access talent their competitors miss. The benefits extend well beyond organizational performance. Credential-based hiring creates meaningful economic opportunity, particularly for historically underrepresented groups. Research shows that women gain an average of $1,600 in annual wages through credentialing, while men see gains of $916 — making it a powerful tool for companies committed to advancing equity in hiring. The bottom line is straightforward: in an era where technical skills can become obsolete in months, companies need smarter, more dynamic ways to assess capability. Organizations that develop “credential fluency” — the ability to identify, validate, and hire based on quality credentials — will consistently access talent that others overlook.

As Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at Merit America, Katie Rakusin has built a hiring process focused on what candidates can do, not only where they went to college. From structured interviews to performance-based assessments, she’s leading the charge in competency-based hiring and seeing stronger, more diverse hires as a result.   Katie shares what she's seeing inside the hiring process: how ATS tools actually work (and what they don’t do), how organizations can reduce bias before the interview even starts, and why application questions might matter more than your resume.   We talk about: → What competency-based hiring looks like from the inside → How anonymous applications and structured interviews change outcomes → Why traditional degree requirements are outdated (and often harmful) → What candidates are getting wrong in applications and how to fix it → How AI tools are helping and hurting job seekers in today’s market   Katie also shares her own career journey from teacher to recruiting leader and offers clear, honest advice for professionals trying to pivot or advance without checking every traditional box.   📺 Watch or Listen 🎧 👉 https://lnkd.in/gaGNpzAX   Here are two things we dug into that every job seeker needs to hear: 🧠 Application questions aren’t filler, they’re your first impression Merit America reads application questions before resumes. If you’re skipping them or using generic, AI-written blurbs, you’re missing a real opportunity to show why you’re a match.   ⚠️ AI can help but it can also get you rejected Using AI to prep? Great. Using it to apply for you? Risky. If you’re not double-checking dropdowns, customizing responses, or editing for your voice, you might get disqualified without knowing why.   #JobSearchTips #SkillsBasedHiring #CompetencyBasedHiring

Most large employers have announced some version of skills-based hiring. The Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School looked at what actually changed. 11,300 roles at large U.S. firms before and after degree requirements were removed. Fewer than 1 in 700 hires reflected it. That gap is usually framed as an employer implementation problem. It is not only that. Many institutions are building credentials faster than employers can read them. A digital badge in "professional communication" or a microcredential in "data literacy" asks the employer to do interpretive work the degree never required. When that work is hard, most hiring managers default to what they already understand. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, created an earnings-based accountability test for postsecondary programs, often described as a "Do No Harm" earnings standard. Programs whose graduates' median earnings fall below those of a typical high school graduate, and that fail this test in multiple years, risk losing access to Direct Loans. Beginning in 2027, the Department of Education will start using program-level earnings calculations to flag programs that may lose eligibility as soon as 2028. Credential readability is no longer just a market problem. It is a funding deadline. Three questions every credential in your portfolio should answer without the employer having to look anything up: - What the person learned to do — capability, not just subject area - How it was assessed — rigor visible from the outside - Who else recognizes it — embedded in a framework, not standing alone Most institutional credentials fail at least one of these. Many fail all three. The institutions that close that gap before the first earnings flags arrive will be in a different position than the ones that don't. https://lnkd.in/g_ru83bC

Degrees haven’t lost value. They’ve lost leverage. Demonstrated skill is what employers trust now. A degree today? It's just one consideration, among many. 81% of employers report using some form of skills‑based hiring (up from 56% in 2022), and 95% believe it is the dominant recruitment trend of the future. (TestGorilla) This is why I'm coaching clients to obsessively track and document the impact of their work. If you're interviewing, you know that employers are demanding:  ➙ Project requests (often unpaid)  ➙ Technical testing  ➙ Work samples  ➙ Certifications  ➙ Portfolios Why? Employers report that these are more predictive of job performance than education alone. They are noting reduced mis‑hire rates, turnover, and cost‑to‑hire (Forbes). One of the most common questions I get from clients right now, especially if they're unemployed, is whether they should go back to school because the job market is so bad. My answer, in most of these cases, is probably not unless you'll come out with a specific and in-demand skillset. No, you didn't waste your time and money on that degree. It still opens doors (your alumni network remains one of the most powerful tools in your job hunting toolbox). Still, as the skills trend becomes the norm, the people who are struggling are the ones who aren't prepared to demonstrate what they can do. Be prepared, and you have an advantage. Here are the steps I'm coaching my clients to take right now: 1️⃣ Study for technical assessments ↳ Critical for programming/software languages and business tools. ↳ These tests often come before your first interview. 2️⃣ Collect your work samples now ↳ Writing samples, presentation decks, dashboards, marketing assets, etc. ↳ "Confidentiality" won't get you a pass. Anonymize your work if needed. 3️⃣ Measure your impact ↳ It's not enough to say you "increased" sales or "decreased" errors. ↳ Know how many, how much, how often, and with what impact. 4️⃣ Get the certificate ↳ If new hires in your field require a certificate, get it. ↳ Make the investment in yourself if your employer won't. 5️⃣ Build your portfolio ↳ Portfolios aren't just for creatives anymore. ↳ Buy your domain name and build a site that highlights your work. These aren't just "nice-to-haves" anymore. This is what your competition is doing. If you want to stop guessing what employers care about, I share weekly guidance on how to prepare, prove skill, and stand out in today’s hiring market: https://lnkd.in/e3JN95HF ♻️ Repost to help others with skills-based recruiting 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more career strategies 🎉You've got this and I've got you!🎉

Most CVs today come stacked with certifications. From Agile to AI, cloud to quality, there’s a badge for everything. And somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that collecting these is proof of skill, capability, and readiness. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: many can pass an exam. Few can handle ambiguity, influence change, and lead through complexity. In my 25+ years across testing, AI, agile transformations, and high-stakes delivery, I admit I’ve hired people who looked great on paper but folded under real world pressure. I’ve also met quiet doers, no flashy credentials, just razor sharp thinking and relentless ownership. If I had to bet a mission critical delivery on someone, I know who I’d pick. We need to stop treating certifications like they’re currency and start evaluating what truly moves the needle: - Can this person connect the dots across teams, tech, and timelines? - Do they understand context or just memorize best practices? - Can they challenge assumptions without being arrogant? - Do they know when to follow a process and when to break it, intelligently? A certification might tell you someone memorized and passed the exam. Competence tells you they understand. However, contribution shows they care. If you’re building teams for resilience, not just compliance, hire for clarity of thought, judgment under pressure, and the humility to keep learning. Because in the real world, outcomes don’t care about what’s printed on your certificate. #softwaretesting #softwareengineering #qualityleadership #hiring #deliverymatters #brijeshsays

The hiring manager eliminated 5 qualified candidates because they didn't have their CSP. The person they hired? They quit after 6 months because they couldn't handle the plant culture. I've seen this happen too many times. Companies obsess over the Certified Safety Professional credential like it's a guarantee of success. Don't get me wrong - the CSP is valuable. It shows commitment and technical knowledge. But making it the deciding factor? That's where we get it wrong. Here's why the CSP shouldn't be your primary hiring criterion: 1️⃣ It tests knowledge, not leadership ability The CSP exam covers regulations and theory beautifully. But it doesn't measure: → How someone handles a hostile supervisor during a safety meeting → If they can influence behavior change in a resistant culture → Whether they can build trust with skeptical workers ❌ "They know OSHA 1926 backwards" ✅ "They reduced incidents by 40% by changing how toolbox talks were delivered" Real safety leadership happens in conversations, not textbooks. 2️⃣ Experience beats certification every time I've worked with a maintenance supervisor without a CSP that identified a near-miss pattern that the CSP manager missed for months. This led to equipment modification that prevented potential injuries. I've worked with CSPs who couldn't connect with frontline workers. I've also seen plant technicians without degrees become the most influential safety voices on site because they spoke the workers' language. The difference? One group studied safety. The other lived it. ❌ Filtering resumes by credentials first ✅ Looking at results achieved and problems solved 3️⃣ You can develop the CSP after hiring - and should Smart companies invest in their people's growth. The CSP requires 4+ years of experience anyway. Why not hire for potential and cultural fit, then support the certification journey? Benefits of this approach: → Hire for cultural fit and proven results first → Build massive loyalty through growth investment → Support CSP pursuit as career development investment → Get someone who understands YOUR specific workplace challenges Results speak louder than credentials. What matters most when you're hiring for safety roles? ♻️ Repost if you've seen credentials trump capability 🔔 Follow Ulises Vargas for more safety leadership insights

“We have to move beyond the idea that a skills-based job description is enough—there needs to be validation, assessment, and a clear pathway for job seekers to prove their abilities.” -Jason Tyszko This episode of Psych Tech @ Work, offers some real truth to power as I sit down with Jason Tyszko, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, to discuss what it takes to make skills-based hiring a reality Note that the basics include some concepts that you have probably never heard of. Here is a short preview of the three essential pillars---Listen to the episode for the whole ball of wax! 1. Interoperable Skills Data To make skills-based hiring a reality, we need standardized, structured, and widely accepted skills data that flows seamlessly across education providers, employers, and workforce systems. Without interoperability, skills data remains fragmented, making it difficult for employers to assess candidates meaningfully. 2. Employer Engagement and Adoption Employers must align job descriptions, hiring processes, and internal mobility pathways around skills rather than degrees or traditional credentials. 3. Technology Infrastructure and Ecosystem Readiness AI, job-matching platforms, and hiring tools must be built to recognize and evaluate skills accurately, rather than simply filtering candidates based on outdated proxies like job titles or degrees. These pillars support and enable five critical but often overlooked elements that are essential to making skills-based hiring work:   1. Learning and Employment Records (LERs) & The LER Resume Standard What it is: LERs are digital, verifiable records of a person’s skills, training, certifications, and work experience. Instead of relying on traditional resumes or self-reported skills, LERs allow employers to see a structured, validated record of a candidate’s capabilities. 2. Durable Skills What it is: Unlike technical skills (which can quickly become outdated), durable skills are long-lasting, transferable skills like critical thinking, adaptability, leadership, and collaboration. 3. The Interoperability Layer What it is: A technical framework that allows skills data from different platforms to connect and work together—like an API that helps job boards, HR systems, and learning platforms “speak the same language.” 4. Employer-Led Recognition What it is: A system where workers’ skills are validated by their employers and colleagues, not just through certifications or formal education. This could involve peer endorsements, manager assessments, or internal training validations. 5. Skills Wallets What it is: A digital, user-controlled repository where individuals can store, manage, and share verified records of their skills, credentials, and learning experiences. If you’re in talent strategy, workforce development, or HR technology, this episode provides a realistic roadmap for making skills-first hiring work.

The 2-Page Gov’t Resume IS NOT THE BIGGEST CHANGE COMING IN THE FEDERAL MERIT HIRING PLAN I see a lot of discussions on this platform, both positive and negative, about the NEW 2-page limit on federal resumes outlined in the Merit Hiring Plan. BUT what no one seems to be talking about is the incorporation of mandatory Skill and competency-based assessments. The Chance to Compete Act which is a component of the new Federal Merit Hiring Plan requires agencies to “incorporate skills-based and competency-based technical assessments” into the Federal hiring process. Specifically, agencies must maximally adopt the use of technical assessments and phase out the use of occupational questionnaires (or self-assessments). To ensure that Federal jobs are filled based on merit and competence—that is otherwise subject to competitive hiring processes must include at least one technical or alternative assessment before issuance of the certificate. Agencies will continue to include in their job announcements which assessments they will be using for each position. Agencies must inform applicants on how they will be assessed and identify the methodology to determine the number of applicants to be referred for selection. Agencies are additionally strongly encouraged to use at least two assessments throughout the hiring process to ensure a multi-hurdle process that produces a rigorously ranked and validated certificate. Agencies are encouraged to use a USA Hire assessment that currently offers validated, skills-based assessments for 135 job series (65% of positions posted on USAJOBS). As part of this Merit Hiring Plan, agencies will immediately phase out the use of self-assessments (e.g., occupational questionnaires) for rating or ranking. SO………The guidance given by agencies is to allow for 3-hours for lower-level roles/grades to as much as 5-hours to complete the assessment. I have taken about 10 lately to get a feel for them and on average it has taken me between 2 ½  and 3 ½ hours each.  The answers are weighted and will result in an overall score. Agencies will most likely utilize a cut score such as “70” or “80”, ect. And it will result in a PASS or FAIL. Then any applicant that receives that cut score or better will be referred. With that said, once you have an assessment score it will be good for 1-year and will automatically be applied for that specific Occupational Series/Grade that you apply for going forward. (Ex: GS-0201-13 Human Resources). Here is the interesting part, there is currently a multitude of occupational series, geographic locations and personnel specific DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITIES that allow an agency to hire for a position without an announcement, ranking or rating, application of preferences and the administration of an assessment. NOW MORE THAN EVER, YOUR NETWORK MATTERS. IF I CAN’T FIND YOU, I CAN’T HIRE YOU

Certifications Got You in the Room. Positioning Gets You Hired. Why your next breakthrough isn’t about more certs—it’s about better alignment Let’s be real: You’ve got the certs. Maybe one. Maybe three. Maybe five. You’ve studied. You’ve passed the exams. You’ve added them to your résumé, your email signature, your LinkedIn headline. And yet—you’re still hearing silence after applications. Still not getting picked for interviews. Still feeling like you need to “do more” to be seen. Let me interrupt that spiral: Certifications got you qualified. But positioning gets you chosen. Let’s talk about it. 1. Certifications tell me what you know. Positioning tells me what you do with it. Certs without context = noise. If your résumé says: ↳ “Security+” ↳ “CGRC” ↳ “CCSK” But doesn’t explain how you used those tools or frameworks, you sound just like everyone else. Instead, say: ↳ “Used CGRC principles to create NIST 800-53 aligned controls for a mock audit” ↳ “Leveraged CCSK to design a cloud risk matrix for vendor onboarding” That’s proof, not just paper. 2. Certs are great—but they don’t replace a strategy You can keep collecting certs like Pokémon cards. But if you’re not clear on: ↳ The lane you want to own ↳ The problems you solve ↳ The frameworks you specialize in ↳ The value you bring to the business Then you’re not a candidate—you’re a confused competitor. 3. Hiring managers don’t want a certificate wall. They want a decision-maker. They’re asking: ↳ Can you communicate risk to leadership? ↳ Can you map real incidents to frameworks? ↳ Can you train non-technical staff? ↳ Can you contribute to cross-functional decisions? Your résumé should answer yes—clearly and immediately. Not with fluff. With evidence and framing. 4. Positioning = Packaging + Visibility + Relevance Want to go from résumé stack to shortlist? Here’s the visibility formula: ↳ Clean résumé with quantifiable results ↳ LinkedIn profile aligned with your voice and value ↳ Proof-of-work portfolio (Notion, Drive, GitHub) ↳ Content showing how you think, not just what you’ve studied This is what makes you magnetic in cyber—not another $400 cert. 5. The goal isn’t to impress. The goal is to align. Stop applying to everything. Stop chasing visibility through volume. Pick your lane. Build your brand. And position yourself as the answer to a real problem. That’s how offers come to you. Certifications are a foundation. But strategy is your elevation. Let’s package what you already know into visibility that actually gets you hired. Book a 1-on-1 session, via my Bio, so we can work together with strategy, style, and visibility. 🔔 Follow for more tech career insights! ♻️ Repost if this was helpful!

AI-generated resumes and fake credentials are everywhere now. Hiring managers are ignoring university names and focusing on Living Portfolios proof of work that can't be faked. I'm seeing this shift accelerate in Legal, VC Tech, and Defense. The four-year degree used to be the filter. Now it's just noise. Applied Evidence is the only resume currency that matters in 2026. Here's how to evaluate it: GitHub Contributions Not "Do they have a GitHub?" but "Have they contributed to projects that other developers actually use?" Look for merged pull requests, issues resolved, and community engagement. Recorded Video Case Studies Can they explain their decision-making process out loud? A 5-minute video walking through how they solved a problem tells you more than 10 pages of bullet points. On-Chain Skill Badges Verifiable credentials from platforms like Coursera, Udacity, or industry-specific certifications. These can't be faked, they're timestamped and tied to actual coursework completion. Portfolio Links Live projects, not screenshots. If they're a designer, show me the site. If they're a data analyst, show me the dashboard. If they're a legal engineer, show me the workflow automation they built. The Pedigree Filter assumed Harvard = competent. The Performance Filter says "Show me what you've built." Skills-first hiring reached 85% adoption. The degree checkbox is disappearing from job descriptions. Which means your candidate pool just expanded by 40% if you're willing to evaluate proof of work instead of pedigree. Are you still filtering by GPA, or are you ready to hire based on what people can actually do?