I came across an article recently not about the value of an ethical hacking certification, but rather the connotations that the word "ethical hacker" may hold. In other words, does "hacker" worry misinformed, potential employers? Has anyone ever come across a situation where they had to justify or defend their certification or the fact that they were training in hacking?  I've often wondered how an outsider may view the certification or practice, whether it be positive or negative.

Any thoughts or opinions?

  My feeling and experience has been that certifications are great to have but not the end all. It’s more like icing on the cake. Unfortunately, I see too many IT people put way too much importance on getting their certifications and then rest on them. They get certified and then send out their resume and hope to get hired.  Certifications alone don’t get you the job 90% of the time.  I was getting a lot of work before I ever had any credentials just because I was lucky enough to work off referrals.  If you are trying to get work and the people you are perusing know a former client of yours and that client really raves about you, that kind of thing is priceless in the business world. 

  I would say I find myself explaining what a CEH is and am always very careful to explain the Ethical part of very clearly. The term hacker is negative with the most people so you do have to explain the concept of what a CEH ia all about.  If you do explain it and do a good job, then I would say it’s a big plus. The thing to remember in corporate America is everyone is always trying to cover their arse.  If you turn out to be bad, then the people that hired you are partly to blame. Giving them a list of certifications   gives them a little protection because they can always show the powers that be that you had all the right credentials as opposed to just hiring a guy off the street.

I think with most large companies the HR department filters thought the resume piles and if they see the word "Hacker" they will drop that resume. There is just too much bad press on the term Hacker so I feel it's best to list it as CEH (Security Engineer). Once you get past the HR group the technical people will know what the cert is and respect it. I have done a lot of interviewing lately and the HR folks send us a lot of resumes of people how have no skills and I find out later that they dropped candidates that where a lot more qualified but had other things missing. Networking is the best way to find a job and if you have your CEH flaunt it but understand non-technical people will not have a clue.

Slimjim100

From the CNDA FAQ....
 
7. I am deciding between attending a training on CEH or CNDA. Which one should I go for?

You should take the CEH training unless you work for an US government department and they approve you to take the CNDA course instead of CEH.

8. Can I obtain CNDA certification?

No. The CNDA certification is awarded only to employees who work for United States Government and Military Agencies

sha