Employer
Insights
We spoke to several IT hiring managers to understand the challenge of evaluating talent in a credential-saturated market. To take some of the risk out of hiring decisions, they said they lean first on evidence they trust when evaluating job applicants. That evidence includes verifiable experience, strong interview performances, and a handful of industry-backed certifications. They said they treat most short-term credentials as signals, but not proof, that job applicants may have gained certain levels of IT expertise.
What reliably instills them with confidence that an applicant can do the job is applied experience (internships or jobs in labs, for example) and the ability to describe their skills with clarity and poise—which indicates that they not only have the necessary technical expertise but also the ability to communicate with coworkers. When resumes are otherwise equal, the scales can tip in favor of applicants who have earned recognized credentials—but those credentials are the sparkle, not the stone.
Without those more reliable signals of both technical and durable skills, managers say one of the biggest challenges is translation: They struggle to understand the flood of new and less-well-known credentials and therefore need a more transparent insight into the design of these training programs and the content they cover.
When training providers and employers have the opportunity to co-create credential programs—aligning on things like the skills they expect participants to acquire, the value of expanding opportunities for members of populations that are underrepresented in the tech workforce, and the need to ensure that young people are prepared to navigate real-world workplaces—earning a credential is more likely to result in employment and career advancement.
This section offers a look at what employers actually need, gaps that limit the value of credentials in the recruiting and hiring process, and how better alignment on credentials leads to real opportunity.
Credentials Are a Signal, Not the Substance
The employers we spoke to say they see credentials as a nice-to-have, not a must-have. Hiring managers generally value real-world experience, formal degrees, and interview performance more highly than short-term credentials. A credential can open the door to a job opportunity—especially for people without a four-year degree—but it rarely gets someone an interview on its own.
“I prioritize work experience. . . . I’d even say that interview skills probably fit before credentials.”
— Director of Human Resources, Major Metro Building Department
Hands-On Experience Outweighs Credentials Earned Solely in the Classroom
Employers said they’re wary of credentials earned in courses that don’t include hands-on real-world training. Programs that include labs, simulations, or internships or other forms of work-based learned have more credibility in their eyes. Industry-backed certifications (like those offered by CompTIA, Microsoft, and Cisco) stand out, while self-paced, low-barrier programs (like LinkedIn Learning courses) are considered less valuable.
“[Credentials] don’t hold as much weight if you can get them within an hour.”
— IT Recruiter, Technology Talent Sourcing Company
When All Else Is Equal, Credentials Tip the Balance
When several job applicants are almost equally matched, credentials can break the tie—especially industry-recognized ones like the Project Management Institute’s PMP. But even then, employers say, they’re still an “add-on.” Think of a credential as the sparkle, not the diamond.
“Credentials ultimately can sway [a hiring manager] between one person getting a job or the other. [With similar resumes,] if someone has a PMP and the other doesn’t, [hiring managers] almost always interview the PMP person.”
— Specialized Recruiting Lead, Technology Talent Outsourcing
Skills That Stick: Durable Skills and Career Confidence
There’s strong demand for credentials that people earn through training programs that focus on building not only on tech skills but also durable or employability skills (sometimes known as soft skills)—especially the ability to communicate effectively with team members.
Employers said red flags go up during the interview process if job applicants struggle to articulate what they learned in training programs or how it applies to their work. They said credential programs could have more impact if they included durable skills training and career navigation guidance that helped participants understand how they should describe their new credential-backed skills.
“I pay a lot of attention, when I’m meeting [candidates] in person, to how confidently they’re able to talk about the skills they have.”
— CIO, Urban Community Health Center
Credential Confusion: Employers Want More Insight
With so many programs flooding the market, employers often struggle to determine whether certain training programs are valuable. They want easier ways to evaluate new offerings—especially those acquired in short-term or online-only programs. There’s a strong call for standardization of credential requirements and for transparency from providers about what content their curriculum covers and what type of instructional and evaluation methods they use. Some said they’re addressing that issue by adding skills-based questions to interviews.
“The more we know about some of the content that [providers are] teaching, the more we’re able to assess what skills [credential holders] will possess.”
— Software Development Manager, University Hospital System
Bridge-Building: When Providers Meet Employers, Opportunity Grows
When training providers actively engage with employers, they can develop programs that more effectively enable candidates to move from training to job. But employers said those relationships are rare. Stronger alignment—particularly on the importance of creating opportunities that are broadly accessible for people of all backgrounds and the need to help young people understand what will be expected of them in the workplace—could lead to the development of better credentials.
“[Training providers might] share information on what content they include in their programs. . . and then [get] feedback from hiring managers.”
— CIO, Municipal Government