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Would an industry-approved certification be a viable replacement for on the spot technical interviews?

Somebody feel free to change my view - but I don't see why there can't be a standardized certification (could be broken up into specific areas of tech/comp sci/programming) that proves the applicant is competent in the industry standards, and just focus on the personal/soft skills/culture fit of the interview.

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I think this is a good idea and would speed up interviewing at companies since you would be able to focus on the match. It does rely on companies actually knowing what criteria they are looking for and to be upfront about it, which unfortunately, is not common.

The real problem is that very good candidates are often not motivated to get certs, since they likely don't need them. However with the added benefit of speeding up the interviewer process, I think more people would do it and it could then become a standard and not a negative signal.

Certs are worthless. Generally, the most terrible programmers out there are loaded down with certs.

Largely agreed about certs. But the actuarial exams aren't worthless. We may need to look to a new model.

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