For junior or nonconventional talent, certifications are “indicators of initiative and minimum competence, and they speed up decision-making,” Cristian-Ovidiu says. But as with other technology certifications, job candidates can’t expect the certifications to stand on their own when looking to get hired.
“From my perspective as someone who has evaluated technical talent, Java—and other—certifications signal commitment but tell only part of the story,” says Audian Paxson, principal technical strategist at Ironscales, a provider of a cloud email security platform.
“When I see certifications on a resume, my first thought isn’t ‘hired!’. It’s ‘okay, interesting, now show me how you’ve applied this,’” Paxson says. “Certs demonstrate that a candidate has invested in structured learning, but the real differentiator is evidence they can translate that knowledge into meaningful work.”
