4 Reasons why companies ask for certified testers
Jul29
Last weekend I`ve read the newest book of James Bach with the title “Secrets of a Buccaneer scholar”. You can find a kind of summary in the blog of Pradeep Soundararajan. This book really fascinated me, but also created some thoughts about the contradiction between this view link link at education and the view companies (that need test professionals) have on certification.
Most of the time our customers are asking for a kind of test certification (for example TMap®), while Marcus’ book describes that knowledge is much more valuable than education, and skills are more valuable than certificates. Why is there a difference between those two views on knowledge and experience of testing?
“What are the reasons that companies ask for certifications?”
In this post I`ve tried to identify some reasons, please give me your comments at this. Maybe there are some more reasons.
Certification guaranties quality
When you read a lot of requests for people clients are asking for a test engineer or test coordinator with a kind of testing certificate. In their opinion certification is equal to qualified people. I think this is the first misunderstanding. That quality isn`t guaranteed lies in the principle certification.
If you have to do an exam for a certificate it is very easy to find some examples of questions on the internet. There are lists with question you can learn. Or some other people are just reading a book, they can recapitulate it from the short term memory at the exam and two weeks later they forget everything. A certification is not something like an insurance that gives you guaranties.
This mindset isn`t correct, but maybe companies have a lack of understanding around certification?
“How can we create another mindset by our customers to bring them on the right track?”
Certification guaranties the use of a specific approach
Companies assume that if somebody has a certificate for a specific approach he`ll be able to use it. This has a relation to the first reason I mentioned. If they are certified but just used their short term memory they don`t know how to execute this specific approach. Just learning something from a book isn`t the same as doing it as a second nature.
Besides that I’ve seen a lot of companies that tell me “we’re working with this approach!” If you asked the testers in the team what kind of approach they are using, they name the same approach. But if you ask them ”How are you using that specific approach?” They answer is “the book”, and if you ask your last question, “Why”? The answered friendly “to raise the computer monitor to avoid pain in the neck and shoulders”.
Certified people have knowledge
Some certificates have a kind of entry criteria, you should first have a specific period of experience before you can do the exam. I think this is useful because the tester has at least some experience. Okay you can question this experience, but they should have.
Clients are making a second assumption here. That certification is equal to knowledge. But there is a major problem here. Because those that have to make an exam are under pressure of their own company because if they are certified their income will raise or they can get a higher position. So they fake some years or months of experience, learn the right questions and theory and pass their exams.
Why are we not asking for qualified people? A way to measure the quality can be a difficult case that needs to be solved in the in the selection procedure.
“Companies should ask for qualified testers instead of certified testers”
Certification is the only way for companies to decide between different testers
Do companies have more opportunities to decide what kind of testers they need? Is there another measurement tool to identify if the tester has the correct skills, experience and knowledge of testing?
Maybe it`s time for something totally new. Let the test community decide what kind of testers are the best! Maybe we have to introduce a kind of a rating system like eBay has for their sellers. We can roll this out through the social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Or let the current testing companies manage a kind of an atlas for the test community.
“A crowd atlas combined with a rating system gives the possibility to make the right decision to hire test experts”
Are these things true? Hopefully for all those companies “No”. In my opinion we are on the right track. Therefore the reason is not because testers have to be certified, but they have the knowledge and motivation to be a good tester. But if you`ve read the blog of Pradeep Soundararajan, James Bach or the book Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar you’ll see that certification is not the correct approch in hiring qualified people. Experience and knowledge of testing is much more important.
“Aren’t these reasons applicable at every sort of certification?!”
P.S.: I have test certificates, and after writing this post I`m thinking “why do I have them?”.
July 31st, 2009 at 05:04
When we say “companies” or “organization”, we usually don’t refer to the building their address, their board but we refer to people.
So, I am taking your post as “Why people ask for certification?”
I am wondering why I asked for human testing skills. Ah! Because I learnt it and practice it. I know how to test someone for their skills. For those who don’t know how to test for human skills, they’d want to do tests that they know how to test.
Testing knowledge is very simple. Ask questions and expect a standard answer. The standard could be your TMap, or ISTQB, ISEB, CSTE, or whatever.
Finally we have to agree that most of us don’t know how to evaluate testers. So a problem is an opportunity for businessmen. So businessmen like Rex Black, Erik Van Veenedaal push for certification as THE way to go.
I spoke to people who run ISTQB and CSTE and asked them, “What do you feel about organizations mandating your certification?” to which their reply is, “We didn’t ask them to do so. It’s their choice. We don’t want to poke our nose into their business”.
How ignorant are they about skilled testers not being able to get jobs. Do these people really care about the craft?
They are great businessmen and weakest testers. They sell what sells. What usually sells faster is quick bad ideas that doesn’t require much of an effort.
During an interview with 10 Certified testers, I asked them, “Can you give me the exact definition of testing as per the certification you cleared?”
No answer.
That says it all. People are being slaves to certification. I am glad you are testing them.
July 31st, 2009 at 06:12
Hi Pradeep,
Thanks for your comment and view as this topic.
The people point of view in stead of companies is really a good one. The people is just a step deeper inside. Will think about that in the future, because people determine what happen.
The way certification works all over the world as you described is so poor. But if we see for exapmle the automobile industry they work also with certification and that works fine.
Maybe we don`t have the right certification at this moment? Or we have a job in which certification isn`t needed.
July 31st, 2009 at 07:27
Certification is not the real problem. It is the way people react to it. A certificate says nothing, it tells you know a bit about it. But you cannot find good testers by certification. I have a TMap and ISEB certificate, but that dowsn’t tell I’m a good tester. I hope I am!
I find Testing is a mindset. You like to find defects and tell the world about it. As Pradeep tells it, it’s a craft not a task.
August 1st, 2009 at 03:40
@ Ewald,
I have a TMap and ISEB certificate, but that dowsn’t tell I’m a good tester. I hope I am!
Cool. Now, for the world to know if you can test well and can be a very good tester, they’d need to see how you to test. I keep posting my testing demonstration videos at http://www.viddler.com/explore/testertested and other places. I would encourage that you people also do so. I encourage you to do so because you might be using your own techniques to find bugs that I and the world want to learn.
February 5th, 2012 at 23:25