Job-hunters debate utility of 'sleeping certificates'
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Curious about that snoring sound coming from your desk drawer? It's probably just a "sleeping certificate" – a new meme entering the lexicon of young Chinese white-collar workers, one that refers to the certificates earned from short-term training programs that hold dubious significance in the professional world.
Some experts say it's necessary to "wake up" these certificates and make use of them to bolster one's job-hunting prospects. This month, with the peak season of job-hunting fast approaching, lots of job-hunters will open their drawers and dust off these credentials.
Wang is one of them. An editor of a website in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Wang developed an interest in the stock market and in 2009 earned a certificate in securities management after a month-long course.
After the Spring Festival and looking to change career tracks, Wang, armed with his certificate, turned to the securities industry to find a new job.
Some experts believe that activating one's sleeping certificates is good for assessing one's career goals and looking for part-time jobs.
Others, however, think the certificates won't necessarily come in handy for career development since most certificate holders lack relevant working experiences, which are more highlighted by employers.
Unless they're made use of right away, however, quite a few white-collar workers will leave their certificates in an unknown corner and forget them.
Lately, however, employers have put more stress on one's experiences and capabilities rather than certificates, according to Sun, a manager of a brand promotion firm in Guangdong Province. If applicants hold English interpretation certificates, for example, he will ask them to immediately interpret some materials.
"Some applicants will sell themselves on these certificates even if they have no real foundation and experiences in certain fields," Sun said.
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