CV with no certifications

Considering the usefulness of the certificate or its lack, it is worth noting that in some projects it is simply a requirement. Without it tester should not participate in the project, and definitelty, the results of his report are not valid from a legal perspective.

Well, then, that will come down to the contract for the project and what it specifies. I’ve had a discussion with my company about my lack of qualification - which I was up-front about when I applied for the job - and whilst they do think it might help in potential due diligence exercises with future clients to say “All our testers are ISTQB qualified”, it hasn’t happened yet. There are other ways of meeting this requirement - such as saying “All our testers hold ISTQB qualifications or equivalent” (my experience being the equivalent), or sending me on a recognised course which will actually add value to my work.

As long as the company is up-front about the status of its staff when bidding for the project contract, then the client can have no cause for complaint.

I agree completely and it would be great. Unfortunately, banking and financial reality often needs paper and stamp, and no ones care, if your experience is more useful. It all depends on the project and environment, in summary I think that it’s better to have a certificate than not.

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Different sectors and jurisdictions vary in their requirements. In my experience (in the UK), the majority of banks and other financial institutions look for financial sector experience of any sort as an initial entry qualification before they begin to look at professional qualifications.

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If tester certification is explicitly required by specific project, then it’s useful, but otherwise I don’t think it is necessary as long as you know your trade.

Whether it is required for CV will depend on interviewer and what the company is looking for. I’ve got my first tester job about a year ago with no certifications and zero previous testing experience, even tho company was looking for someone with experience. How I pulled it? I had 5+ years of experience in many other fields related to web development, design and administration. Turns out it was the right mix of skills since I’ve completed my test better than other candidates.

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