Quick Addition To Your Resume - CSSGB

I thought I would mention that you can pick up a quick addition to your resume by taking the www.pmstudy.com - CSSGB - Cert. Six Sigma Green Belt title, for a modest expense.

I completed the course in 24 hours and with the Green Belt, you won't have to maintain it, or do PDUs, or examinations, in future years. If your company is involved in "efficiencies" theory, this might look good!

I'm continuing to look for other short-term, easily obtainable application titles to add to the list if anyone knows of any??

MP8

 

I had a discussion once regarding the online Six Sigma certifications with one guy who is running a Six Sigma consulting business. So he might be biased but this is roughly what he told me:

The problem with six sigma is, that there is no "institute" behind it like the PMI for the PMP. So in the Six Sigma industry their orientation is the American Society for Quality (http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/six-sigma/training/certification.html).

They have quite demanding standards (like three years three years of work experience in a six sigma related field for the green belt) and so on. There are others around on the internet who offer things like the black belt certification for just $199 (http://www.expertrating.com/certifications/sixsigma/sixsigma.asp).

I'm always up for some quick Resume pushers, but I stayed away from Six Sigma. Even if I get past the HR gatekeepers (since they probably have no clue about the details of the certification) I somehow have the feeling that with some $199 online black belt it's gonna be hard to compete against someone who worked already a lot in Six Sigma. But this is probably related to my lack of work experience in this field. If you can somehow spin this right based on your background it might work out

 

I share the same sentiment as you do, and that's why I would NEVER try to pass myself off as a "Blackbelt" in SS! I have the three years experience and this course satisfies my need to prepare for my PMP exam. The price was right to obtain a title that I see is required for some job descriptions. Therefore, obtaining a marginal title without claiming to be an "expert" works for me.

I would think you would have to have a few screws loose to claim to be a "Blackbelt" simply on the basis of a $ 199.00 qualification? As it is, my background works well with this title and so selling it won't be a problem.

I would love to hear from others who hold the title,

Thanks,
MP8

 

This is pretty good advice for black belt candidates BUT for the green belt, I think the original poster may be 'more' right. The green belt is the introductory level and candidates at this level are just supposed to 'know' the concepts. Black belts are the ones who have completed projects (usually).

So yes, this would work for green belt orientation but not the more supposedly experienced black belts. I don't think ASQ even requires a project for green belts. Just take the test and pass. I also don't think you see many job listings for green belts per se.

It's just a resume bump. No more, no less.

 

___________

As far as the Green Belt level having limited use on your resume is concerned:
A lot of job specs have the phrase, "six sigma a plus." That means that, while six sigma is not a requirement (and won't necessarily be a deal-breaker if you have most of the other skills/experience that the recruiter is looking for), it is definitely a plus. In such a case, even having a green belt (and not a black belt) could be enough to put you into consideration over someone else or, at the very least, improve your over chances. This is especially true if you have some other professional certification such as a CPA or PMP.

 

That was the sole purpose of obtaining this title, to differentiate my background from others. I have an ECornell Certificate in Leadership for the same reason. Numerous degrees are perhaps what they will notice first, but having obtained some short-term courses demonstrates the willingness to keep abreast with new theories and education. It took only two days to earn the CSSGB and it doesn't require ongoing maintenance. I'm glad I did it!

 

I completed the Six Sigma Green Belt last night. It took about half the time that it states (12 hours versus 24 hours) but I already covered a lot of the material from others studies. It was part project management (I have a Project+ Certification), part statistical analysis (I have been living these concepts in the NCU class I just finished - CRSH8963QN-B - Quantitative Methods), and a lttle 5S (which I had to do a presentation on during a national service meeting). There were 8 PowerPoint presentations totaling about 200 slides. There was a test at the end of each presentation and a three part test for the final. All open book of course.

Overall, it passed my litmus test, which is as follows: If I told my boss I completed the program and he/she takes it, would I be embarrassed? If the answer is yes, I think of it as a bad investment. If the answer is no, it is a good investment.

 

Do you think it would be better to certify through the The American Society for Quality (ASQ) or does it even matter? http://www.asq.org/index.html

I ask because their certification criteria is pretty steep.

 

I don't know. For Green Belts I don't think it matters.

 

For Green Belt those guys require a non-waivable 3 years experience, regarless of your education level...and they aren't the cheapest game in town either, not by a long shot. Do any schools certify in Six Sigma, I've seen certificate programs but I'm not sure they're "certifications" as these tend to be academic, like at Southwestern College which is a 5 course program (15 hours)