That is exactly what I am trying to tell you . In my experience , certifications presence or lack of have had very little bearing on the success of the employee . At the resume stage , those certifications might add to the balance of otherwise identical candidates but there are things I would value more . I would not pay someone more because they had a specific certification . I would pay more base if they were more senior and had a track record in the industry . To use your two examples I would look at sixsigma cert as a positive in that they ' d be able to speak to the technicalIT stakeholders involved in an opportunity . I have sales engineers that can go technical so this less valuable than your second example . Some type of finance program or experience in finance would be viewed more positively because at a certain level the decision is always made or supported by a financial model . Someone who can speak about ROI , hurdle rate , internal cost drivers , financial projections , etc . is going to be able to hold the attention of an executive longer . Understanding the world of finance also helps the rep structure deals that are better for our company which is important . I understood your title sales professional certifications to be asking about certifications specific to the sales world like sales methodology , negotiation , etc . vs . your further clarification outside of sales . I still stand by my initial response . Sales is a completely different animal than any other type of company division I ' ve worked in or managed .