IT Certification Research
Results from an Online Survey for PrometricFebruary 2013
www.prometric.com
Research Background & Objectives
Prometric surveyed approximately 400 IT professionals, influencers and decision-makers to
communicate the value IT training and certification provides both individuals and organizations.
The research objectives included:
• Measure the importance of certification in the hiring process, and its impact on IT employee job
satisfaction, confidence, productivity, etc.
• Prioritize the key success factors or desired outcomes from training and/or certification. Does
certification strengthen the ability of employees/the organization to deliver better in these areas?
• Understand the relationship between training, certification and on-the-job-experience when it comes
to hiring decisions and meeting IT needs. What role do they play in hiring decisions?
• Perform sub-group analysis for all metrics (above) to understand key drivers. These include
analysis by:
– Certification stakeholders: IT professionals, IT decision-makers and HR/hiring/recruiters.
– Certified vs. uncertified IT professionals to measure “lift”, if any, from certification.
Research Methodology
An online survey was conducted January 29 through February 5, 2013 among IT
Certification stakeholders:
• Respondents were screened and qualified for the survey using this criteria:
– IT Professionals: IT Support, IT Technician, Network or Computer System Administrator, Network
Architect or Engineer, Software or Applications Engineer
– Decision-makers: Business Owner/President, CTO, CIO, COO that supports IT, IT VP/Director, IT
Manager; have role in decision-making and purchase of IT training or certification for
staff members
– HR/Hiring Influencers: HR Manager or Associate, Hiring Manager, Recruiter, COO or Operations
Manager that supports HR
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• Soft quotas were applied to obtain a good mix of business size (number of IT users in organization)
• The survey averaged 10.5 minutes in length.
CertificationStakeholders Number of Completed Online Interviews
IT Professionals 212
Decision-makers 100
HR/HiringInfluencers 100
TOTAL 412
Executive Summary
• Certification leads to higher job satisfaction among IT professionals and greater confidence in their
ability to do their jobs compared to their uncertified peers.
• The perceived benefits of IT certification vary slightly by IT or decision-making level:
– IT professionals recognize the benefits of IT certification primarily in terms of career enhance-
ment and the personal development of skills and knowledge to do their jobs better.
– IT decision-makers view certification as a path to employees’ skill development and as a
productivity tool, improving the reliability and efficiency of the IT environment, and ultimately
paying off for the organization as a whole (HR/Influencers have a similar view).
• Decision-makers and HR/Influencers indicate that certification
can help a job candidate get their foot in the door by landing an
interview or getting the attention of the head of the hiring
department.
• IT certification goes hand-in-hand with IT training and on-the-job
experience when it comes to developing the skill set to increase
productivity and making IT professionals more marketable. (see
also challenges).
2
Larger Organizations Are More Likely to Support Training and Certification in General
% Support Training
and Certification
1-10 IT Users
(n=34)
11-99 IT Users
(n=32)
100+ IT Users
(n=33)
Training and Certification is Largely De-Centralized and in Response to Employee Requests
How IT Training and Certification is Offered within the Organization
17%
22%
27%
17%
24%
Proactive/ Centralized
Reactive/ De-centralized
Response to a large strategic initiative
Regularly on a schedule
Ad hoc by department request
Ad hoc by employee request
Employee reimbursement
Note: All percentages have been rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Job Satisfaction Confidence in Implementing On-budget and On-time
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3
86% of certified IT professionals are satisfied with their job. IT professionals that hold one or more certifications have slightly higher job satisfaction than those that do not hold certifications.
IT Professionals’ Job Satisfaction
Certified IT professionals have greater confidence in their ability to implement IT systems on budget and on time.
IT Professionals’ Confidence in Implementing
On-budget and On-time
1% 2%1% 2%
7% 4%8%5%
16%12%
19%
51%36%52%
40%
35%40%
29% 27%
Very/Smwt dissatisfied
Very/Smwt dissatisfied
Neutral Neutral
Somewhat satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Very satisfied
Very satisfied
86
% S
atis
fied
wit
h Jo
b
76%
Con
fid
ent
81%
Sat
isfi
ed w
ith
Job
67%
Con
fid
ent
Certified(n=112)
Certified(n=112)
Not Certified(n=90)
Not Certified(n=90)
3%
Note: All percentages have been rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Key Benefits of Certification Vary by Level
While IT professionals look to certification for career enhancement and developing their skill
set, IT decision-makers and hiring influencers look to the long-term productivity and
benefits that certification provides to the overall organization.
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4
IT Professionals IT DMs HR/Hiring
Career Enhancement
• More marketable
• Candidate for promotion
• Map career path/growth
• Earn more money
Skills & Knowledge
• Keeps skills current
• Apply knowledge to job
• Exposure to new products
• Indicator of skills/knowledge
• Troubleshoot problems without
help of outside support
Skills & Knowledge
• Keeps skills current
• Apply knowledge to job
• Staff exposed to new products
• Troubleshoot problems without
help of outside support
• Indicator of skills/knowledge
Productivity
• Helps staff do their job better
• Faster implementation
• Reliability/Efficiency of IT
environment
• Reduce network down time
• Staff value/productivity
ROI/Organization benefits
• Demonstrates competency
to clients
• Makes staff more valuable
to org
Skills & Knowledge
• Apply knowledge to job
• Keeps skills current
• Troubleshoot problems without
help of outside support
• Indicator of skills/knowledge
• Staff exposed to new products
Productivity
• Helps staff do their job better
• Staff value/productivity
• Reduce network down time
• Faster implementation
• Reliability/Efficiency of IT
environment
ROI/Organization benefits
• Makes staff more valuable
to org
• Long-term savings
• Demonstrates competency
to clients
Top perceived benefits by audience
are shown
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5
IT Professionals: Perceived Benefits
IT professionals perceive certification to primarily deliver on career enhancement and developing their skill set.
Career Enhancement
Skills & Knowledge
Productivity
ROI/OrganizationBenefits
Makes you more marketable
Keeps skills/knowledge current
Helps you do your job better
Demonstrates competency to clients
5=Excellent 4 3
Makes you a more attractive candidate for promotion
Provides knowledge that can be applied directly on the job
Increases value/productivity of staff
Provides long-term savings for the organization
Helps you map your professional growth and career path
Exposes you to new products and functionality
Improves reliability and efficiency of the IT environment
Helps you earn more money
Meaningful indication of job skills and knowledge
Speeds implementation of new IT projects
Helps troubleshoot problems without help of outside technical support
Helps reduce network downtime
12%
13%
11%
13%
43%
38%
31%
37%
28%
30%
33%
29%
83%
81%
76%
80%
13%
14%
11%
7%
10%
9%
10%
11%
10%
8%
11%
8%
35%
36%
29%
24%
34%
39%
29%
33%
35%
25%
33%
25%
30%
31%
37%
40%
31%
32%
36%
31%
29%
36%
33%
35%
78%
81%
78%
70%
76%
80%
75%
76%
74%
70%
76%
67%
Rank ordered by top 2 box score (‘5-4’ rating on a 5-point Excellent-Poor scale)
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6
IT Decision-makers: Perceived Benefits
IT decision-makers perceive certification as a way to strengthen staff’s skill and knowledge and increase productivity within the IT organization.
Skills & knowledge
Productivity
ROI/OrganizationBenefits
Employee CareerEnhancement
Keeps skills/knowledge current
Helps your staff do their job better
Demonstrates competency to clients
Makes staff more attractive for promotion within the organization
5=Excellent 4 3
Provides knowledge that can be applied directly on the job
Speeds implementation of new IT projects
Makes your staff more valuable to the organization
Helps map your staff’s professional growth and career path
Exposes your staff to new products and functionality
Improves reliability and efficiency of the IT environment
Provides long-term savings for the organization
Puts staff into consideration for pay raise
Helps staff troubleshoot problems with- out help of outside technical support
Helps reduce network downtime
Meaningful indication of job skills and knowledge
Increases value/productivity of staff
11%
14%
17%
7%
53%
36%
37%
34%
24%
37%
31%
43%
88%
87%
85%
84%
12%
10%
12%
6%
20%
15%
9%
8%
11%
10%
11%
11%
46%
40%
35%
31%
37%
33%
25%
25%
39%
37%
38%
32%
31%
34%
39%
44%
33%
36%
46%
38%
36%
33%
35%
44%
89%
84%
86%
81%
90%
84%
80%
71%
86%
80%
84%
87%
Rank ordered by top 2 box score (‘5-4’ rating on a 5-point Excellent-Poor scale)
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7
HR/Hiring Influencers: Perceived Benefits
HR/hiring influencers view certification as a barometer of an IT employee’s skills and knowledge, as well as increasing IT productivity and providing benefits to the overall organization (ROI).
Skills & knowledge
Productivity
ROI/Organization Benefits
Employee CareerEnhancement
Provides knowledge that can be applied directly on the job
Helps your staff do their job better
Makes your staff more valuable to the organization
Helps map your staff’s professional growth and career path
5=Excellent 4 3
Keeps skills/knowledge current
Increases value/productivityof staff
Provides long-term savings for the organization
Makes staff more attractive for promotion within the organization
Helps staff troubleshoot problems with- out help of outside technical support
Helps reduce network downtime
Demonstrates competency to clients
Puts staff into consideration for pay raise
Meaningful indication of job skills and knowledge
Improves reliability and efficiencyof the IT environment
Exposes your staff to new products and functionality
Speeds implementation ofnew IT projects
25%
15%
10%
13%
42%
44%
41%
33%
15%
21%
28%
33%
82%
80%
79%
79%
22%
12%
20%
11%
20%
23%
18%
7%
13%
14%
16%
13%
44%
45%
29%
29%
39%
32%
30%
25%
44%
39%
41%
38%
16%
24%
28%
33%
19%
20%
29%
37%
26%
28%
22%
25%
82%
81%
77%
73%
78%
75%
77%
69%
83%
81%
79%
76%
Rank ordered by top 2 box score (‘5-4’ rating on a 5-point Excellent-Poor scale)
IT Certification and Hiring
IT certification is an important qualification in the hiring process and can make a
difference in scoring an initial interview.
of IT decision-makers
would set up an interview
or put the person with IT
certification into consider-
ation for an interview
+ 18% interview
+ 67% consideration
of HR/hiring influencers
would set up an interview or
put the person with IT
certification into consideration
for an interview
+ 15% fwd to dept head
+ 26% interview
+ 33% consideration
of HR/hiring influencers say
IT certifications are ‘very or
somewhat important’ in the
hiring process
+ 36% say “very important”
of HR/hiring influencers say
IT certifications are ‘very or
somewhat confident’in the
ability of job candidates with
IT certifications to meet the
responsibilities of the position
+ 14% say “very confident”
of IT decision-makers say
IT certifications are ‘very or
somewhat important’ in the
hiring process
+ 29% say “very important”
of IT decision-makers say
they are ‘very or somewhat
confident’ in the ability of job
candidates with IT certifica-
tions to meet the responsibili-
ties of the position
+ 11% say “very confident”
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8
IT Decision-Makers HR/Hiring Influencers
85% 74%
68%
61%
69%
61%
IT Certification is Important in the Hiring Process because...
“It is a way to prove qualification.” – HR/Hiring Influencer
“ It shows that the candidate has the desire and ability to advance personal knowledge and to stay current with industry advances.” – IT Decision-Maker
“It got me a 10K bump over others when I was hired.” – IT Professional
“We need people ready to work, this shows effort to better themselves and familiarity with work;” – HR/Hiring Influencer
“IT certifications receive additional points when scoring the applicant.” – IT Professional
“Certification shows an aptitude for a specific program.” – HR/Hiring Influencer
“Because it takes money and work to get certified, which shows the candidate has initiative and worked for the certification.” – IT Professional
“Without it, there is no way to be sure of training and experience.” – IT Decision-Maker
Importance of Certification in the Hiring Process
Certification is an important factor, but not the only one, in the hiring process.
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10
IT Decision-makers (n=100) IT Decision-makers (n=100)
Measuring Effectiveness of Certification
Improved job performance, using specific skills, and passing knowledge onto others are
the top measures of certification’s effectiveness; passing the exam alone is not an indicator
of success.
Improved job performance 66%
Used specific learned skills on a project 65%
Employee trains others within the organization 55%
Employee passes the certification exam 35%
Not sure 6%
say certification is important
when considering job
candidates for IT positions
+ Single most important 1%
+ Very important 38%
+ Somewhat important 40%
say certification makes them
confident a job candidate will
be able to meet the responsi-
bilities of the position
+ Very confident 11%
+ Somewhat confident 50%
Certification Certification
69% 61%
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11
Firmographics
IT Prof. IT DMs HR/Hiring
EmploymentEmployed full-time 77% 54% 65%Self-employed 13% 39% 28%Employed part-time 8% 5% 6%Recently retired 2% 2% 1%
External ConsultantYes 24% 38% 18%No 75% 61% 82%
Primary Dept. ServedOwner/President – 55% 2%Finance/Accounting 2% 9% 29%Human Resources – 8% 51%Information Technology 100% 59% 18%Learning & Development – 7% 39%Legal – 3% 11%Marketing 1% 8% 24%Operations – 13% 32%Prod. Development or R&D 3% 8% 7%Other – – 7%
Decision-making RolePrimary role – 51% –Secondary role – 31% –Influential or oversight role – 18% –
Professional TitleIT Help Desk/SupportSpec. 22% – –IT Technician 23% – –Network/Comp Sys. Admin. 17% – –Network Architect/Engineer 4% – –Software/Applica.Engineer 3% – –IT Manager – 80% –IT VP/Director – 9% –CTO – 9% –CIO – 2% –HR Mgror Associate – – 18%Hiring Mgror Associate – – 5%Recruiter/Headhunter – – 4%Operations Mgror COO – – 13%
2012 SalaryLess than $35,000 14% – –$35,000-$39,999 5% – –$40,000 -$49,999 7% – –$50,000 -$59,999 10% – –$60,000 -$69,999 7% – –$70,000 -$79,999 8% – –$80,000 -$99,999 12% – –$100,000 -$119,999 6% – –$120,000 or more 5% – –Rather not say 27% – –
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12
Firmographics
IT Prof. IT DMs HR/Hiring
# IT Employees in Org1 9% 27% 23%2 8% 15% 20%3-5 14% 16% 20%6-10 14% 11% 7%11-50 21% 11% 9%51-100 8% 8% 2%101+ 25% 9% 7%
IT Users Supported by Org1-19 25% 34% 38%20-99 32% 32% 28%100-249 20% 18% 19%250+ 23% 15% 13%
Total RevenueLess than $100,000 11% 14% 18%$100,000 -$249,999 2% 7% 13%$250,000-$499,999 2% 7% 13%$500,000 -$999,999 4% 9% 4%$1 million -$4,999,999 5% 12% 12%$5 million-$9,999,999 5% 9% 8%$10 million-$19,999,999 5% 3% 1%$20 million-$29,999,999 2% 2% 3%$30 million -$39,999,999 – 2% 2%$40 million -$49,999,999 1% 4% 2%$50 million -$74,999,999 2% 1% 2%$75 million -$99,999,999 2% 1% 2%$100 million or more 15% 8% 3%Not sure/Rather not say 43% 21% 25%
IndustryAgriculture – 1% 2%Business Consulting 1% 15% 7%Business/Personal Services 3% 4% 1%Charitable/Non-Profit 2% 2% 2%Construction and Design 1% 2% –Education 5% 4% 12%Engineering 4% 1% –Entertainment 1% 2% 1%Finance 5% 4% 4%Gov’t: Local 5% 3% 3%Gov’t: National/Federal 4% 2% 2%Gov’t: State-Province 4% 1% 2%Health Care 7% 3% 11%Insurance 5% 1% 2%Legal 2% 3% 1%Manufacturing 5% 5% 4%Personnel Services – 1% 2%Pharmaceuticals 1% 1% –Professional Services 4% 12% 2%Publishing/Printing 1% – 3%Real Estate – 4% 1%Retail/Wholesale 5% 11% 12%Service Provider 5% 4% 5%Technology 15% 8% 6%Telecommunications 4% – 2%
Transportation 1% 1% 3%Other 7% 4% 8%
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