ASQ certification is an added bonus. I would be amazed if someone off the street or with only a Green Belt level of knowledge could pass the test.
It would be nice to get some sort of a standardization in Six Sigma. There are a lot of BB out there. It is growing rapidly. Many of those Black Belts are not qualified, but have only gone through short courses. This diminishes the value of Black Belt certification.
Six Sigma Recruiters I have talked to see ASQ certification as a bonus. It is preferible to be certified by your company as well as the ASQ certification. Although it is rarely a necessity it can only help. There is little way to tell if the knowledge learned can be applied on the job, however, it is a helpful indicator.
There is no guarantee that a graduate from an Ivy league school will be successful, but it is also a great indicator. My vote is to obtain ASQ certification in addition to your company certification. Hopefully someday we can standardize the certification such as accounting has done with the CPA or Finance with the CFA.
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