Critical Technical Certifications to Look for in Your Next Hire

Technical certifications are a quick way to gauge whether a candidate has the skills you need. When your new hire is up to snuff on the latest technical knowledge, you can skip some of the training and get right to work. So, these days, what certifications should you be looking for? Today on the blog we’re featuring some of the most important designations for today’s job market.

Cloud Certifications

When it comes to cloud services, it may seem like the field keeps growing. With the continued need for cloud computing in every organization, there are myriad certifications specifically tailored to your specific platform.

Amazon Web Services is the most significant player in the cloud computing market, and their certifications guarantee an elite level of experience. Whether your company is designing an app or has an extensive remote workforce, AWS certifications ensure your candidate has the skills for the job.

The AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification is a great baseline for all cloud computing employees. If your company utilizes the AWS platform, any candidate should have this level certification or higher.

Other AWS certifications focus on professional and specialty skills with more years of experience, like Security or Databases.

While the previous certifications are necessary for technical positions, the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification only signifies general cloud knowledge and AWS terminology. According to the AWS exam site, this would be a good certificate for someone on the sales team or strategy side of the business but not for someone in a highly technical role.

As the second most popular cloud platform, your IT department may utilize Azure over AWS. The certification you’re looking for depends on the role you’re filling. Microsoft offers options for developers, administrators, data scientists, or consultants. CIO lists the Azure Solutions Architect as one of the most in-demand certificates, and it begets one of the higher salaries in the cloud industry.

Like the AWS certifications, Azure offers a “Fundamentals” certification for those employees who need a general understanding of cloud computing products.

The Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification comes in as Forbes’ top-paying IT certification year after year. If your salary budget is on the lower end, you may want to avoid candidates with this certification since they’ll be expecting a higher pay rate than others.

However, if your company uses GSuite and other Google products for their operations, Google does offer other certifications for these niche products. Here’s what you can expect from a candidate with a Google certification:

• Associate Cloud Engineer: This candidate will have at least six months experience building on Google Cloud, and should be able to deploy, monitor, and manage cloud solutions.
• All Professional-level Certifications carry a recommended three or more years of experience with over one year on Google Cloud specifically. Whether you need a machine learning engineer, cloud developer, or network engineer, Google Certifications ensure the candidate has the skills for the job.

Networking: CCIE Certifications

For building the telecommunication network in your office, CCIE remains the standard for the industry. When you hire a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, you’ll have an expert in unified communications, data center infrastructure, routing and switching, security, and more.

These CCIE Certifications take significant effort, and many candidates do not complete the courses. Cisco designs them with expert-level engineers in mind, and those CCIEs typically become industry thought leaders.

Security: CISSP

The CISSP is more than taking a test and exam. This certification requires endorsements, ethics standards, and years of experience. In the CISSP process, if a candidate passes the exam but does not have the required experience, they receive an Associate-level certification and then earn the final certification after several years of industry work.

Some companies require their security directors, analysts, and even their CISO to earn the Certified Information Systems Security Professional designation.

Put them to the test

Whether you’re looking for cloud, networking, or security solutions, any candidate should be able to show their work in an interview. “Test” them with potential scenarios to see how they respond and if they work well under pressure. By asking these situational questions, you’ll get a sense of their thought process and approach to daily problems beyond the certification on paper.

If you’re looking for an IT professional but are not sure where to start, we’re your IT hiring experts. Simply tell us about your ideal candidate, and we’ll get right to work finding the perfect fit for your needs. Connect with us today to get started.