topic Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms in Career Discussions

Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

david-shearer — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 18:24:16 GMT

I frequently hear people refer to a Certificate Program as a Certification Program and vice versa. These are simply not synonymous terms. It's far easier to bring a Certificate Program to market than a Certification Program from development and maintenance perspectives and considering ISO/IEC 17024 requirements.

But don't take it from me, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence does a nice job of comparing and contrasting Certificate versus Certification. Please see the table below and the attached PDF.

Regards,

David Shearer

CEO, (ISC)2

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

Gunner — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:40:45 GMT

I see this happen all the time. I get resume's listing CISSP, PMP, etc... but when I don't see their "member number" I immediately assume certificate and not certification. I call and ask if they've actually taken the exam by ISC(2), PMI, Microsoft, etc... and that is when I'm told "I took a boot camp, a course, etc... and I earned a certificate...". At that point I just say thank you and I will not interview them. I've lost trust, simple as that. If they list their certification number I do validate it. It is NOT synonymous to me either.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

Omie — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 23:39:37 GMT

This is good to know. I've always assumed that listing CISSP, etc. on the resume implied that the certification had been earned.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

ABlackburn — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 15:42:06 GMT

I took my CISSP exam last November and have all my endorsements and am a fully certified CISSP, I have a Certification Number but I have NEVER put this number on my CV.

I protect this number and it is unique to me, if I'm asked for it, from a legitimate agency, I will give it, but ir isn't something I publicize.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

david-shearer — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 15:51:38 GMT

Congratulations and thanks for being a member of (ISC)2!

I recommend you use you (ISC)2 digital badge if asked for membership/certification validation from a legitimate agency. To learn more, take a look at: https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/Digital-Badges

Regards,

David Shearer

CEO, (ISC)2

dshearer@isc2.org

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

Gunner — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 15:54:14 GMT

I understand what you are saying but from the hiring side, expect someone to contact you to provide it for verification. Too many lie about their certifications. They've expired; not kept active, yet they report that they are certified. They must be validated.

As for the legitimate agency I would assume that if someone asked you for you certification number that you must have applied for a position with that agency and would be expecting to be asked to provide proof. For us who are honest about it, it's not an issue. For those actually doing the hiring, you need to validate.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

Gunner — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:05:22 GMT

David,

Excellent point and there are other vendors that provide this great service as well. My concern that I wanted to point out to others is that a lot of people "think" this way (Subject of Post). Some honestly believe there is no difference. Then there are others who do know the difference and lie about their certifications. For those on the hiring side, like myself, it's always best to validate. I've found so many people exaggerating about their certifications, degrees, etc... it's truly sad. For those of us who put in all the hard work in accomplishing these milestones, it's tough to swallow seeing others try and claim something they never earned.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

CISOScott — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:06:18 GMT

I always assumed that if they listed it by name that they held the certification and not just went to a bootcamp and got a certificate, I guess I will have to follow up more in depth in the future. I agree. If I found out that an applicant has stated that they hold the certification but merely only have a certificate of attendance and do not actually hold the certification, I would not hire them either. That is a huge misrepresentation and I hope it is only a small minority that do that.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

ABlackburn — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:09:04 GMT

I agree that people claiming the Certification should be verified. I do have my Acclaim digital badge;

https://www.youracclaim.com/badges/9ce81f3b-bbf8-4b17-95ce-45004d5839b6/public_url

And that doesn't have my Cert. number on it, so that is a solution.

If I apply for a job, and they contact me for validation, I can supply it, either my Certifcate number or my Acclaim badge.

If we all did this the value of the Certification would be upheld and strengthened.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

Gunner — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:16:03 GMT

Totally agree! We need to protect what we've earned.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

carpet_pants — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 17:00:26 GMT

Some organisations already do this; its worth establishing a process with HR for when a new employee starts to request copies of all their certificates. If they have lied on the CV this could invalidate there employment. However, I do agree that following up with the individual you are considering hiring will speed up the process and prevent having to go back to market....

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

dhouser — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 04:43:59 GMT

When you find someone using an (ISC)2 certification service mark (CISSP, ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP, CSSLP, etc) please inform (ISC)2. That's an ethics violation, and the (ISC)2 protects the value of members' credentials by ensuring that non-members don't abuse our brand.

It's a mandate of the Code of Ethics Canon 4 to protect the profession, and uncloaking a pretender is one way we can help ensure the value of our membership and distinction of certifications.

Just my $.02.

-ddh

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

emb021 — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 19:54:27 GMT

Excellent post.

One thing I am seeing, usually from those entering the infosec field, is not understanding how certifications operate. I see shock and dismay from folks who, usually after getting their Sec+, that they now have to maintain said cert with annual fees and CPEs. Some even said they may not maintain them. Others seem to think that having to pay an annual maintenance fee is some kind of 'scam'. They don't seem to understand that in the work of professional certifications/licensing, that you need to maintain these with ongoing training and fees. I have to do this with my ISC2, ISACA, and GIAC certs, and even with my life insurance license.

Maybe the certifying groups need to do some education of folks to help them better understand this and what they get for their fees.

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

CraginS — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:16:13 GMT

@david-shearer wrote:

I recommend you use you (ISC)2 digital badge if asked for membership/certification validation from a legitimate agency. To learn more, take a look at: https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/Digital-Badges

David,

I fully agree with your post on clarifying certificates versus certifications.

As for the recommendation for using the Acclaim badge, do we have any testimonials that any employers are paying attention to the badge?

Note the lack of response to the thread at

? Utility of Acclaim Certification Badges ?

Best regards,

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

sergeling — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 02:06:23 GMT

I agree that certificate does not equal certification. They are just not the same! I've seen good number of resume that listed out their "certification". When I question them during interview and found out it's just "certificate of completion" either from some training course, boot camp, or online education platform such as edx, the interview usually didn't go well after that. Lying on the resume just isn't the way. It's just a trick to bait HR thinking it's a prospective candidate and pass the initial screening.

As for listing out my credential, I think the acclaim badge on linkedin should suffice for initial screening (since the linkedin link is listed on resume). Or I'd listed out "CISSP since 2018", that means I received CISSP in 2018 and it's still current/active.

Another thing I see on resume, and this is a question for everyone in the community: How do you feel if candidate listed out a certification name and indicate "expected date"? For example, I've seen candidate listed " CISSP - expected December 2018". In my experience, it just means the candidate plan to take exam in December 2018. If the candidate passed the exam, submit endorsement and waiting for confirmation, I'm not sure if they are allowed to put "CISSP - expected..."

Re: Certificate and Certification are NOT Synonymous Terms

SamanthaO_isc2 — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:57:18 GMT

As an organization, we do not recommend adding an expected date of obtaining a certification to a resume. We suggest only adding the certification to your resume, social profiles or signature once you have fully obtained the certification (in regards to (ISC)², this means once you have successfully passed the endorsement process). We suggest that instead of this, that you bring it up during the interview process to let HR/the hiring manager know in person that you are studying for the test and expect to take it on a certain date, or that you have provisionally passed and are awaiting your endorsement to be finalized.