My Response:I'm evaluating part time certificate courses from top universities to spice up my resume. No job break, costs less, global brand on CV, alumni status, networking etc. Good idea?
I agree with the 'no job break + low cost' point. Not too sure of the others.
- The brand power works for their highly selective flagship programs, and not for every course they offer.
- Alumni status is on paper. You won't get the same love from the alumni of their flagship programs who fought hard for the same brand. They look at it as brand dilution.
- Extend that logic to networking benefits.
Here's an example. I get intrigued on receiving LinkedIn invites from folks whose profile summary has top global brands.
But one click on their profile reveals that it was a short certificate course that any Tom, Digvijay or Hari could've got by paying the fee.
Though there wasn't much at stake here (like a job offer), I still feel a little cheated.
Because they raised my hopes first with a mouth-watering teaser and then let me down.
I'd assume recruiters would have a similar reaction.
Playing the 'global brand alum' card to make a good first impression can backfire when they find out that the credential isn't what they initially expected it to be.