I applied for a business analyst position which said, in part, "Certified scrum masters are preferred. If you do not have that certification we will work with you to achieve it within the first 3 months." So I applied even though I don't have a scrum master certification since the job description clearly states "preferred", not "required" or a synonym of "required". The job description even says they'll help you get the certification if you don't have one. I come to find out that I was rejected from this opportunity because I didn't have a scrum master certification. If you only want to hire certified scrum masters, that's perfectly fine and understandable, but don't lie to job applicants and tell them that the certification isn't a requirement for the job. This is very dishonest and a waste of people's time.