Putting old certifications on a resume?

hurricane1091

Not 'old' per say, but let's use some examples...


If you have the CCENT and get the CCNA, is there any point in listing the CCENT?

Or, if you got the MCSE is there any point in listing the MCSA?

My opinion is no, but I'm open to suggestions. If you have a CCNA you're obviously a CCENT (unless you took the all in one exam, but you know everything from the CCENT) and if you have the MCSE, we already know you have the MCSA. Just curious on this one.

cyberguypr

I say keep them there if they are relevant to the position you are going for. It will help you get through the infamous resume scanners. For example, if the position calls for an MCSA and you put down your MCSE thinking it supersedes it, the scanner may not pick it up and send you to the reject pile. Also, if the resume is being manually reviewed by an HR drone oblivious to all things IT, he/she will not find MCSA listed and will send you to the reject pile.

BradleyHU

No, i would leave the less relevant ones off...

olaHalo

Go ahead and pad your resume with old certifications just to get passed HR/scanners etc
But do not include certifications that you no longer remember or ones that on no related to the position

PurpleIT

Count me in with the group that says to keep them on (within reason) in order to get search hits and past the clueless HR folks who are just looking to match initials.

I may tailor the list when I apply for a specific job, but when posting to Dice or such I make sure they are all on there. I think the Cisco certs are a prime example of why this is needed. Does the average person know that a CCNP means you have a CCNA? Does a search engine? If I have a CCNP and someone is searching for CCNA, since that is the minimum level needed for a given position, I may not even get considered even though I have the greater qualification.

That said, I don't think there is any need for Server+ or MCP level certs being listed if you are MCITP or MCSE since IMO their is a much greater gap between those than CCNA & CCNP.

ccie14023

I have CCIE's and technically I have a CCNA and CCNP as well. I never put those on LinkedIn because I start getting calls for low level jobs. But also because I've reached a point where I just don't care that I have a CCNA. But if I had a CCNP I probably wouldn't put CCNA because it is implied. At your level it is probably best to put both, as people mentioned, so you can get hits on all certifications.

Two things come to mind though: First, if you have an expired cert, never put it on a resume. It's one thing if it hangs around in LinkedIn for a while if you are planning to re-certify, but never print it out and hand it to someone. I used to catch people on that all the time and it was an immediate fail.

Second, some people accumulate a lot of certs and list this massive alphabet soup behind their name. It's often a bad sign to me when someone has fifty certs after their name because either they are faking some or they just spend all their time studying for tests. If you have a number of certs, only put the relevant ones on the resume.

N2IT

First identify the role and what they are looking for. Align your resume accordingly this includes certifications. Quality over Quantity is my motto. With that said to each their own, it's YOUR preference. I usually keep it to the rule of 3. Pick the 3 best certifications that synch up with the job and go with that. Project Management for instance only get my PM certifications, unless they ask for ITIL or something else then I'll list those.

techfiend

I wouldn't put CCENT if you have CCNA. The former is first part of the CCNA so it would be like listing 801 before passing 802. I'd keep others that are relevant to the positions you are applying for. I don't think A+, MTA and other entry level certifications have any reason to be on a resume of someone applying for a mid-level or high-level position.

GarudaMin

It depends, but I would say keep it on resume if the cert has not expired yet.
We know that after CCENT is CCNA. So it implies that you don't need to put CCENT on resume since CCNA is the next level cert. However, if we are to look the same way: after CISSP it's either ISSAP, ISSEP, or ISSMP. So it implies that if you have one of the advanced one, you don't need to put CISSP since it's the next level cert. But outside of people who know that ISSAP/ISSEP/ISSMP means one already has CISSP, the rest of the world doesn't.
It's better to put it.

hurricane1091

This is all interesting.

yeah yeah

One thing to keep in mind, who is the first set of eyes reviewing the resume? Is it the hiring manager, or HR? 99% it's HR. Will they know the certification route to obtain a CCIE? They may only be looking for a CCNA or CCNP. Not to say that the job may be beneath you, or below your expectations...but requirements need to start somewhere. Same with security certs. I have a CISSP-ISSEP, but I also have a Sec+. If I leave the Sec+ off, and the job has that as the minimum...my resume will be thrown out.

Mitechniq

I say:

1. Include the specific certification they are looking for, even if you have a higher level certification.
2. Include incremental certifications if you are trying to show upward training and longevity.
I think (2008 Security +), (2010 SSCP), (2012 CISSP) looks better on a resume then just placing (2012 CISSP).
3. There is never an end all solution to resumes. I think I have about 10 different resumes that are tailored to recruiters, HR's, Employment Websites, Government, and Military.