Frequently Asked Questions
Of course we get a lot of questions about the Black Belt Recruiter certification program. We like getting the mail...keep it coming. But sometimes you want answers quicker than we can respond, so we've listed some of the most frequently asked questions along with their answers below. If you can find your answer here...great! ...if not, be sure to contact us and we'll get you an answer shortly.
What makes the Black Belt Recruiter certification valuable?
Although there have been other certifications for the recruiting industry, none of those certifications says "Expert" the way that a Black Belt certification does. In fact, unless you search the internet, you probably fall within the 97% of recruiters that don't know what the other recruiter certifications are and you wouldn't recognize them if you saw them in an everyday business setting. That's not meant to say anything bad about you...it's simply an indication of how obscurely promoted those other certifications are. When you interact with anyone displaying a Black Belt Recruiter certification, you know right away that you are working with an expert.
What makes the Black Belt Recruiter certification unique?
Most programs use certification as the justification to sell proprietary testing and training services. iPASS is committed to allowing you to select your training program(s) similar to how a student selects college courses. A goal of the Leadership Committee is to determine the type and amount of training that each belt level should represent. Once the Leadership Committee takes action, the Curriculum Committee then evaluates and approves courses that can be taken in order to complete that training. The Curriculum Committee is charged with identifying and approving multiple training options that members can access to gain the recommended training. As such, we do our best to ensure that these approved courses come from a wide range of providers. This process underscores our belief that certification is a different process than training/testing. Certification is a verification process provided by iPASS as an independent third party organization. During the certification process, we verify that each candidate has the minimum experience required to qualify for the designation that they have applied for. We also require a commitment to perform future job duties in accordance with our Code of Ethics.
What kind of training do you provide?
None. We provide certification, not training. We strongly believe that training should be kept separate from certification. Those programs that provide training as part of their program do so at the risk of their own integrity being called into question. When they do that, outsiders have a legitimate right to ask whether they are really concerned with certification or if their real interest is in selling training courses. While we do review and certify outside training programs, we don't actually perform (or provide) any training. You must contact those outside third party programs in order to get the training (though we do require these programs to offer our members a discount as part of our training certification process and endorsement).
Do all training programs qualify?
No.
Approved courses and course providers are carefully selected to by the
Curriculum Committee to meet the standards set forth by the Leadership
Committee. For example, if the Leadership
Committee determines
that a Green Belt Recruiter should have
some qualified training in Sourcing, then the Curriculum Committee
begins evaluating
different courses in Sourcing. Once approved, those Sourcing
courses will receive a Green Belt (or higher) training certification,
i.e., "
Green Belt Recruiter Approved".
Why do Black Belt Recruiters need experience?
Recruiting is as much "art" as it is "science". With the wide variety of recruiting training that many companies offer their employees, it is apparent that the worthy recruiter is evaluated by how well, and how long, they are engaged in the recruiting "career". Since traditional training comes in an assortment of ways, it can only be a part of the equation. It takes practice gained from on-the-job experience to convert any/all training into "skill". A skilled recruiter is a successful recruiter. iPASS certification is only provided to those recruiters demonstrating the proper combination of experience and training that is likely to lead to success.
