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High competition among job candidates in the IT industry means that to get hired, you need to make your CV more attractive. One way to do this is by obtaining relevant certifications that validate your skills. What are the benefits of having them? Which certifications can you get for free? The answers to these and other questions can be found in this article.
What are the benefits of having a certificate?
Obtaining certifications in the IT industry is a popular solution chosen not only by beginner programmers but also by experienced specialists. Of course, the quality of the certificates they earn varies significantly, because juniors often opt for free certifications, while specialists strive for development by completing valuable and elite courses or training programs. It should be emphasized here, however, that even free certification can be valuable. What do free certificates offer? First and foremost, they provide credible confirmation of your skills, which in turn allows you to count on better IT job offers. As a result, you can also expect better earnings or greater development opportunities, because when an employer sees that an employee wants to keep learning, they may decide to send them to an attractive training program, which will allow them to acquire further competencies. What is worth remembering when it comes to IT certifications? Above all, that from an employer’s perspective, the most attractive certificates are those that relate to the duties performed in a given job position. It is also important that they were obtained relatively recently, as the IT industry evolves very quickly. Consequently, knowledge acquired several years ago may prove to be of little use in relation to the technologies currently in use.
What can you get certified in?
Anyone who would like to work in the IT industry should be aware that employers value practical skills and experience much more than the knowledge gained during university studies. Moreover, you can work in IT without a degree in the field, and many people start their careers after completing a bootcamp or specialized training. Upon completion, the participant receives a certificate that confirms their skills. When starting a career in the industry, it is worth earning a few such certificates to enrich your CV and, consequently, increase your chances of finding employment. You can use free online courses with certificates for this purpose, which may cover not only programming skills in specific languages (e.g., a free JavaScript certificate) but also help you acquire and confirm various soft skills. Free certificates can confirm team leadership skills or project management, which can be particularly useful for experienced IT professionals. What else can you and should you get a certificate in? Well, besides knowledge of a specific technology or having certain soft skills, such a document can also confirm foreign language proficiency or even speed reading skills.
How important are certificates during recruitment?
The number of certificates available in the IT industry leads many people to downplay their importance. In reality, however, they play a very important role in the recruitment process, regardless of whether the recruitment is for a junior position or for a senior specialist with extensive experience. In both cases, certificates confirm the competencies held by the job candidate, who has gained additional skills through course participation. This is especially important for those starting out in the IT industry, as they generally cannot boast practical experience. In many recruitment processes, the number of candidates without experience and with a similar level of skills (e.g., after graduating from the same university) is very high, which makes selecting and subsequently hiring a person with the right potential quite difficult. The aforementioned certificates make this easier because by listing them in your CV, you can not only make it more attractive but also grab the recruiter’s attention, signaling that you are committed to development. How important are free certificates when applying for senior positions? They are also significant in this situation, although it is worth noting that having certificates confirming soft skills or fluent foreign language proficiency may be more important here than qualifications related to a specific technology. Knowledge of the technology is confirmed by the specialist’s existing experience, and through developing their competencies and certifications, they have a chance for promotion to a higher position, such as a team manager.
Which certificates can you get for free?
Free IT certificates are not just an opportunity to add an interesting entry to your CV, but also access to structured and verified knowledge. Therefore, the popularity of searching for the phrase “free certificates where to get” on the Internet should come as no surprise. Those interested should be aware that such courses are conducted both in-person and online, and information about them is available on the websites of certification bodies. What certificates can you get for free? Well, it is worth knowing that this can be a free PHP certificate or a free MySQL certificate, but also certificates in cybersecurity, data analysis, or computer networking. Examples of the best free IT certificates in 2023 include:
- CompTIA Security+;
- Google Cloud Data Engineer Certification;
- NIST – Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Foundation;
- Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate;
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals;
- CompTIA Cloud+ Basic;
- Data Analytics.
In summary, it should be stated that free IT certificates are a way to confirm your competencies and, consequently, increase your chances of obtaining attractive employment. The advantage here is not only the lack of costs but also the great variety of certificates, which allows you to develop in different directions.
