What is the "wanker qualification" in your industry?
Posted by Scarred_fish@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 66 comments
We were talking about this today when deciding on interviewees.
A few of them highlighted NEBOSH on their CVs. It's a bullshit qualifocation pushed by "trainers" that stands for "National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health".
This is an immediate throw it in the bin in the construction industry, as anyone who has even applied knows what a load of bollocks it is. Yes, feel bad for the poor people they have fleeced, and it is scarily common, but it's the ultimate red flag for a construction employer.
Does your industry have an equivolent?
BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit
The mobility that a NEBOSH qualification offers in health and safety management across hard and soft services or to professionals in a role with health and safety responsibility is being quite unfairly downplayed by you here.
Health and safety inspectors aren’t generally liked in the construction industry anyway, so it makes sense that you wouldn’t be particularly enamoured by the academic pathway to that career choice… but, with that said, NEBOSH isn’t exclusively for the construction industry, either…
I’m a company director, but I am operating from a facilities management angle as opposed to a construction one, so the difference in opinion is probably understandable… The other half is a housing director for a large local authority… We too have discussed the value of applicants who display having undertaken a NEBOSH qualification… Common sense is not actually that common and this is a pretty fool-proof demonstration that a candidate can dot the I’s, cross the T’s and read the room where needed.
The qualification holds a decent balance of entry accessibility and ability to lead to job mobility… I am not convinced you spotted that red flag correctly or that it’s particularly fair to assume all candidates who took the time to take a qualification are wankers, but I am optimistic that similar attitudes are on the decline in your industry.
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
I was referring to it as a "wanker qualification", not saying anyone who has it is a wanker!
It's because it means nothing. There is no assesment, no exam, it's just an attendance certificate.
BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit
You’re a bit overzealous with your exclamation marks aren’t you?!
As already stated above, this is a case of agreeing to disagree…
Hopefully you’re nearing retirement because I do believe your general outlook is probably a bit out of date and likely to become tricky for you to navigate in the next few years, but it’s not the end of the world and I’m sure this post and all its subsequent comments aren’t about to bring down any of the organisations mentioned.
Have a great day ✌🏽
Mr-Incy@reddit
I wouldn't call anyone who has taken time to further educate themselves to try and improve their chances a 'wanker', even if the qualification isn't what I think worthwhile.
I would call people who look down on others in that way a 'wanker'.
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
I was saying it is a "wanker qualification", as in it means nothing. You "achieve" it by spending a couple of weeks trying not to fall asleep while watching endless 1970s health and safety videos, after which you get a poorly printed "Certificate".
Plenty of very talented people have been through it, it's just a joke compared to actual qualifications that involve college/university time, exams, on site assesments etc. Those are what matter.
electact@reddit
Are you saying that an otherwise qualified candidate would have their CV thrown in the bin for having an additional qualification that you consider useless? That seems like an incredibly dumb hiring practice.
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
Hilariously, they also have the same qualification.
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
That's how you find out how meaningless it is. 2 weeks of trying not to fall asleep while sitting through a bunch of 1970s Health and Safety videos we have all seen a thousand times just to get a poorly printed "Certificate" that means nothing.
Nice little paid holiday though so there is that.
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
Well as someone with a NEBOSH I’m laughing at your post. You’re probably a scaffolder or an office boy
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Senior engineering management 37 years.
I have sat through the utter bollocks that is NEBOSH.
If you value your career, never mention it.
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
My qualifications got me headhunted. Sorry it hasn’t done that for you
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
I would really worry about any company who thought NEBOSH was a qualification!
But good for you if it got you in the door, just be wary :)
VictoryAppropriate68@reddit
NEBOSH got my partner a 10k pay rise just for completing it. I think it’s clear who has the ‘wanker’ qualification 🤣
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Haha that's fantastic! 2 weeks paid holiday and a 10k rise is great. I would be very wary of a company basing pay on something like that though.
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
Senior engineering management. Is that Lego or are you still on Duplo?
Eaidsisreal@reddit
Stickle bricks?
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
Fuzzy felt
your_swindon_lot@reddit
Not my field at all, but, if someone has proactively gone out, learnt, upskilled and got the qualification as they thought it would help them progress you discard that completely? You’d rather take the ones that didn’t do that?!
(This is a genuine question… trying to understand the logic)
Willing_Parsley_2182@reddit
To be fair, I’m in software engineering and see this.
If someone has 5 cloud certificates and a Python accolade by some institution… they tend to highly correlate with people with no real world experience or very shallow systems understanding. It doesn’t necessarily mean that, but the mere fact they’re credentialing does suggests that they value looking good on paper less than the product they’re building in the team.
Obviously, that’s not for every applicant and it’s only a rough generalisation. However, I can see the argument that certain qualifications may give a negative view from the outset.
I don’t know anything about health and safety though.
your_swindon_lot@reddit
Oh totally - your profession is closer to mine. For example, if someone has Power BI PL-300 vs someone who has real world experience, I’d take the latter. But I wouldn’t automatically discard the former based on that qualification itself (which Op is saying he/she would do).
RBisoldandtired@reddit
They sound more like a “used to be a proper country, BOSH!” type.
VictoryAppropriate68@reddit
Pls advise what company you work for so I can ensure I NEVER use them….
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Scottish Govt.
Antique-Amoeba1218@reddit
Nebosh is a professional qualification you undergo in order to work as a health and saftey professional.
Its a fairly well respected qualification.
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Oh god it is worrying people may think like this.
I am a senior engineer, who has endured the NEBOSH "qualification" trying to find decent employees.
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
You're saying it's a qualification you have yourself, but judge other people for putting on their CV?
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Absolutely!
Because we (several of us were put forward for the "course" - all with engineering degrees) found out what a total sham it is!
It's the equivalent of putting "and a general qualification from Temu" on your CV.
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
You were put forward for this, presumably, by the company you work for?
Wouldn't be a benefit to hire someone you know already this, since you would know that you're not going to lose them for a fortnight if your company decides to also put them forward for the course?
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
A selection of us senior engineers attended both the 7 day and full (at the time back in 2018) course. Partly as an evaluation and partly to ensure in the event it became an industry standard, we were covered.
Oh boy!
What a scam!
Unbelievable that almost 10 years down the line, there are still people getting scammed both ways.
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
Sounds more like a box ticking excercise for employers than a scam.
Mad that you'd dump a CV in the bin for having a qualification that you also have, that required you to take a week or so out of work to obtain purely because you felt it waste of time. Especially when by your own admission, your employer literally paid you and gave you time off work to take it
It's wild that you're admitting that, but holding it against other people who have ticked that same box to also meet the requirements of their employer.
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
It’s your attitude that makes people not want to work for you. Welcome to the modern working world.
Antique-Amoeba1218@reddit
Senior in age and cognitive abilities perhaps.
Get off your phone and get back to digging the trench before somone with GCSE'S notices.
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Phone??
You need to get off tiktok or wherever you saw this lol.
Master-Trick2850@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1e0krby/comment/lcngu1u/
Its funny because he's complaining aboht the lack of workers, and here he is sabotaging recruits
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
He likes the flavoured church windows
Antique-Amoeba1218@reddit
Probably enjoys the extra lead since he is all against people trying to look out for the health of workers.
Sea-Still5427@reddit
Not so much my industry but if someone puts Certificate in NLP or Personal Performance Coaching on the CV, it usually means they did a free weekend taster course that was supposed to make them sign up for a diploma course.
NotoriousP_U_G@reddit
Not a qualification, but, I have hired hundreds of senior people of the last 10 years, engineers, developers, VPs, departmental leadership and if I see ‘Word, Excel and PowerPoint proficient’ on a CV I will discount it.
At a junior level it is okay, at a mid level it is a bit questionable, at a senior level it is a given
JuanitaMerkin@reddit
Then why do senior roles often have this asinine requirement on the role criteria?
NotoriousP_U_G@reddit
It depends on what you mean by senior, but I would be shocked to see a posting for a VP that explicitly states Office proficiency.
If you reach a VP level, it is like putting ‘able to use a mouse’ on your CV
RBisoldandtired@reddit
I’d be shocked to see a VP proficient in any of them as well.
NotoriousP_U_G@reddit
At a VP level, if you aren’t great with them, you have people to great at them for you
RBisoldandtired@reddit
That was my joke lol
Thin_Pin2863@reddit
Depends how senior you're talking; sadly I have worked alongside many directors who wouldn't know where the "any" key was on a computer.
NotoriousP_U_G@reddit
Thing is, if they are applying for a role, their Office skills aren’t going to be tested. Calling out the ability to use Office, demonstrates they are too junior for a decently seriously role.
It is like putting down the ability to use a mouse
electact@reddit
Is it a given? I've worked with plenty of people in senior positions that couldn't even write an email by themselves, let alone use Office competently.
NotoriousP_U_G@reddit
At a senior or VP level, you shouldn’t be spending your time crafting emails or writing docs anyways, it becomes an unnecessary skill
TwoPlyDreams@reddit
Really? I’ve watched a VP present from screenshots of unknown provenance pasted into Excel.
NotoriousP_U_G@reddit
Sounds like a shit hire, or, someone that has been in a role for decades
TheDawiWhisperer@reddit
PRINCE 2
Nothing good comes from project management in IT!
Suratwala@reddit
I oversee the finances for our ITD.
Almost every IT project I have seen is either overspent or ridiculously late. And the root cause is always the client 😂😂😂
OkTechnician4610@reddit
Agree on this the project mgrs in the place I work r all prince & a waste of time. I have it too but hate project managing.
Affectionate_Wine77@reddit
You sound bitter and ill informed - im guessing you failed your NEBOSH general certificate!
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
On the contrary. I sat through the entire week of total bollocks that a 12 year old with no knowlegde at all could pass so know how utterly irrelevant it is!
Easy weeks wages though!
Affectionate_Wine77@reddit
The general is a two week course - perhaps it's you who are utterly irrelevant
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
Yes, the managers course is 10 days.
It is extremely obvious that you haven't actually been on the course if you think its relevant!
Affectionate_Wine77@reddit
Wow, every time you reply it gets worse!! There's no such thing as the 'manager's course, it's just the general certificate.
I suspect you've managed to confuse NEBOSH and CITB however that might be giving you too much credit.
Scarred_fish@reddit (OP)
The very fact you don't know the 7 NEBOSH levels is all we need to know.
So many people think its this fictional "NEBOSH General " and thats it lol
OkTechnician4610@reddit
Itil in it industry every one & their uncle has basic level & have no idea on how it’s meant to work.
Suratwala@reddit
PRINCE 2 Takes 1 week to do the course and then you’re suddenly an expert 😂😂😂
George_Salt@reddit
Which NEBOSH qualification?
I mean, you're being a bit of a wanker to slag off an awarding body thinking it's the qualification. As an awarding body they cover everything from attendance awards to Masters degrees.
bishibashi@reddit
I always used to like working with people who’d done PMP. Couldn’t care less about the certificate, I just like pimp jokes.
ResplendentBear@reddit
I don't think they're a wanker, and I don't exactly look down on it, but... as someone who's done a lot of graduate recruitment, people who get a Masters after their degree for no obvious reason are just wasting time and money imho.
Getting a Masters when you're into your career or because it's an entry level requirement is completely different.
dw_80@reddit
Personal one rather than it being widespread across the industry i work in. But if the candidate has been to public school I immediately assume they’re a confident bullshitter. I’ve hired a couple of them against my better judgement and that rule has turned out to be right.
JuanitaMerkin@reddit
In education, schools often send people to get the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) or the one for senior leadership if they want to kick the can down the road over actually promoting them.
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