As a recruiter, will you recognise the Ministry of Testing Software Testing Essentials Certificate (STEC)?
- Yes
- No
- What is STEC?
0
voters
Community commentary welcome!
(Learn about STEC )
3 Likes
Side quest - Is there a recruiter friendly info pack available on the content/coverage?
2 Likes
I’d probably get this MoT certificate at some point because I want to explore what else is out there (not because it gives me any advantage when searching for a job, as it won’t).
There are already software-related degrees, and RST, BBST, ISTQB, etc… and most of the time they don’t seem to matter for senior/lead testing positions.
They are good for beginners and juniors to show their desire to learn and develop in this role.
2 Likes
I’m not a recruiter but wondering if this is a post on LinkedIn. I’d be curious to see what the results were.
4 Likes
I think and that’s my point of view but in Belgium not many people know what Ministry of Testing is. When I hosted the MoT Meetup in Belgium for the first time we had 53 attendees and none knew what Ministry of Testing was except for the people that I regularly talk too.
Shame on them of course! 
But I’m wondering if it’s known outside of the UK?
I didn’t follow the STEC, would love to do it at some point to review it (perhaps write a blog about it or article to compare it to ISTQB). But if I saw it on a resume, I at least know what it is and what it contains and it would give the interviewee a +point for knowing MoT, and I’ll ask about it.
But the HR department of my clients only looks at “istqb” unfortunately ;(
I totally agree with @ipstefan for a senior/lead role it doesn’t matter, only for beginners and then they quickly refer to istqb because that’s the only thing they know due to not looking further?
So that’s why I currently voted No ;(
Isn’t it funny people go to a MoT Meetup and don’t know much about MoT? 
1 Like
Exactly! They don’t even quickly google it lol
1 Like
I have so many thoughts though. I never finished college and I went to college to become a Special Education Teacher. I don’t have a background in computer science. So, much of my experience, I have to prove (and I forget most of what I can do which is why I write - but I digress).
But, I know education is important. I’m curious if…
- Recruiters understand what is valuable as far as resources when it comes to testing
- What makes a good tester
- How recruiters keep up to date as far as testing trends
I have no idea. And, maybe this is just more rainbow vomit than anything. Just thinking out loud I guess.
2 Likes
I would not—and this goes for any certification. I’m going to probe your ability to think critically and actually test in the interview process, so I don’t put any weight on whether you list any certs on your resume.
2 Likes
Personally, I find it super interesting that a certification board (ISTQB) has the ability to change people’s thinking on the value of education and certification to an extent that people easily dismiss other efforts to create change.
I’m not offended in any kind of way, I totally expect this response for the next 10 years at least (hopefully that’s an exaggeration, lol?) I and team MoT are here and optimistic and up for the challenge.
And just so it’s clear, we’re not trying to be a certification body, we just believe people need to see what we offer as a (much) better alternative. I’ve never been more excited about where we are going, and it’s not just about certifications, it’s about the MoTaverse as a whole.
3 Likes
For the record, I’m sure anything from MoT is going to be way better than an archaic edifice of illusion like ISTQB—but since I feel I can pretty easily assess someone’s testing acumen in an interview with some simple open-ended questions and actual testing exercises, I’m inclined to trust that more. If they’re a continuous, curious learner, that will be obvious whether they got a certificate along the way or not.
2 Likes
I’ll take rainbow vomit! 
The reality is no one in team MoT believes 
certification is the answer. It’s one part of the overall picture.
But saying that, STEC really feels super special, it’s such a modern voice and perspective of the community. Combine it with other certs, community certification (free!), participation, MoT profiles, contributions (articles, 404s, talks, etc), badges, then it becomes something accessible to all and truly a diverse way to learn.
I don’t expect everyone to notice this all now, but as we like to say within MoT: it’s happening!
Of course, we still have a way to go and it’s a huge ongoing challenging to get people to see this, but these are the many pieces we are connecting together to enable “education”.
PS. I’m a person who lacks any kind of qualification too 
(apart from the MoT Foundation in Test Automation…and soon to be STEC qualified, lol).
4 Likes
Market has been dominated by ISTQB since many years, infact I’m also ISTQB certified but what I believe is that healthy competition is always necessary in the market to improve the quality. I’m not sure out of MoT and ISTQB who will dominate, but it won’t be easy path for STEC to become substitute because the problem lies in adaptability.
Recruiters are easily convinced that ISTQB has industry standard stuffs, even though it covers basics of software testing and not beyond that, so when STEC is there in the market it all depends how recruiters react to it.
And lastly if I’m the recruiter then I obviously I will accept it, if it offers all the things we are looking in the candidates testing skill.
1 Like
While evaluating candidates, I personally don’t focus on any certifications.
In my view, they don’t reflect a tester’s ability. What truly matters is the knowledge, skills, and experience a tester brings to the role. While certifications can demonstrate learning, they don’t guarantee expertise. I haven’t reviewed the STEC syllabus yet, but the course itself may provide a good understanding of testing principles and concepts. However, obtaining the certification may not be necessary to gain that knowledge.
1 Like
Needing to have a conversation with every tester to determine whether they are curious is not efficient nor practical.
Hence, MoT credibility, via certs, community certs, contributions, badges, community engagement, etc will become a very useful way to find the active and curious learners.
It’s also important to recognise that people learn and work in many different ways, and for some people sharing what they know through a conversation is not always a level playing field. I’m definitely a written word and taking action kind of person and feel my verbal words don’t accurately reflect my capabilities.
1 Like
Curious as to how you know it won’t give you an advantage when searching for a job? Or do you mean when applying for a job.
@rosie question: is it already possible to fully obtain the STEC certificate?
I’m going to rewrite the vacanies for some my clients and I was thinking of putting it on there together with AU-CPAT to replace ISTQB (or at least one of them) to spread the word 
, but it needs to be obtainable of course 
Not yet, “in a few weeks” it will be.
I certainly hope to see these coming up:
MoT-FCTA
MoT-ICTA
MoT-ACTA
MoT-STEC
But maybe saying “Ministry of Testing Certification” would be enough for now?
But equally as important, IMHO(!), are things like “MoT Professional Member” and a link to their MoT Profile. It’s a must have!
Just check out Ady’s awesome profile, how could employers not love that?
2 Likes