Training company Global Knowledge has published an article about the most in-demand certifications, based on a small poll of recruitment managers from IT staffing firm Technisource. The poll contains some known information, with some interesting new nuggets.

Microsoft and Cisco are the vendor certifications most sought after, which is no surprise.

One bit of information less well-known is that many employers like job candidates to hold security certifications in addition to other credentials. The reason, according to the article, is that in the current economy businesses aren't hiring at previous levels, so the IT people will often have to wear multiple hats. Since security is becoming more important than ever, job-seekers should have some experience in that realm, even if their main duties don't involve security. One executive is quoted as saying that "a candidate's security skills could be a deciding factor for employers, even if the skill isn't in the job description."

Another interesting tidbit from the story is that help desk certifications are growing in importance. Many entry-level certifications, like Microsoft's MCP, are seen as help desk types of credentials, but it appears that specific help desk certs are starting to emerge.

The website channelinsider has a list of the top 10 certification vendors for resellers.

The article says that solution providers who have certified employees make more money and have better relationships with customers, among other benefits. That's something to think about if you provide IT services as your core business.

The top three vendors in this list aren't a big surprise:

1. Microsoft
2. Cisco
3. Oracle

Of Microsoft, channelinsider says:

"...No one can top this vendor’s market power and value of its certifications ... By far, enterprises and midmarket companies give Microsoft certifications their highest rating."

One thing I found very interesting about the survey is that virtualization vendors take three spots in the Top 10. That speaks volumes about the growing popularity of this exploding technology.

There's an interesting article over at InformIT that discusses Cisco certifications in-depth with two prominent credential-holders.

They have many wise things to say about Cisco certs, and certs in general, but a couple of comments stood out to me. The interviewer asked about the value of certs plus experience. Here's what they said:

"You shouldn't expect a certification to be much more than an interview-getter in terms of employment prospects. I'd rather see people treat certifications as a motivator to increase their knowledge than as a check mark on a resume. The certification might increase your chances of getting an interview; after that you need to rely on your knowledge and experience to impress the interview panel.

[Second speaker]Yes, certs can get you an interview but you still have to prove yourself. There are too many cheat sites available for an employer to assume that your certification means you actually know the technologies. Also, having a certification means that you're someone who goes the extra mile to improve themselves; that you take responsibility for your own knowledge and your own career."

This conforms to what I've always believed about certifications: They can be a foot in the interview door, and definitely speak to a candidate's desire to improve and learn. But they're most effective when combined with experience.

Sun, which was recently acquired by Oracle, is moving away from multiple-choice tests for its Java Programmer certification, and moving toward performance-based testing. In other words, you'll actually need to know ho to write code to pass the exam.

As CertCities reported, it's called the "Sun Java Programmer Plus" certification, and the beta exam is being released on July 22. It runs until July 31, and test participants will get to take the exam for free.

The new test will specifically test coding ability, rather than question-answering ability. "During the exam, you will be required to code solutions for typical programming problems rather than answering multiple choice questions," writes Sun.

Sun believes so firmly in this new testing methodology that it's retiring the previous Java Programmer certifications. The company didn't give a firm date, but said it would provide at least 90 days notice to credential holders.

This is an interesting move by Sun, and one of which I'm in favor. You should be required to demonstrate your ability to write code if you're a programmer. It should also increase the value of the certification; potential employers will know that did more than fill in circles to get this certification -- you actually had to write code.