HR Certification: It Really Is All About You

Isn’t it time to take care of your career?  As HR professionals, we spend our professional lives focused on needs of the people in our organizations.  Are we providing the right training and development? Are we compensating them properly?  Are we evaluating them fairly and effectively?  Are the benefits meeting their needs?  The list goes on and on as we strive to make the work relationship between employee and employer a win-win proposition.

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Who makes sure that your career development is on track?  Perhaps you have a mentor or a good manager who coaches you, provides growth opportunity and offers advice.  If so, congratulations!  If not, there is no better advocate for your professional growth and development than you.  In either case, ultimately the responsibility to obtain the education, skills, knowledge, and experience to continue your career success is up to you.

Wouldn’t 2012 be a good year to focus on your development?  HR certification is a great step in this direction.  Getting certified is a way for you to take charge of your career.  It shows your peers, managers, and future employers that you have attained the knowledge and skills needed to provided excellence in HR administration, management, and planning.

What is Certification?   The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) states on its website that “HR certification is a career-long commitment that shows your peers, your employees and your organization that you have mastered the core HR principles and that you are dedicated to staying current in your profession.”  The emphasis here is career-long commitment.  Taking the course and passing the exam is just the beginning.  The requirement for professional experience and continuing education is what makes the PHR/SPHR credential a career-long advantage to you and your employer.

What are the requirements?  There are both educational requirements and experience requirements in order to sit for the exam.  They are as follows:

PHR Eligibility

1 year of HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher

2 years of HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree

4 years of HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree

SPHR Eligibility

4 years of HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher

5 years of HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree

7 years of HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree

What is the difference between PHR and SPHR?   HRCI gives the following guidelines to help you decide which credential is the best fit for you.

The PHR certification is designed for the HR professional who:

• focuses on program implementation
• has a tactical/logistical orientation
• is accountable to another HR professional within the rganization
• typically has two to four years of professional work experience in all HR disciplines, but whose experience lacks the breadth and depth of a more senior-level HR practitioner
• has not yet had progressive and increasingly complicated HR work experience
• has responsibilities that focus on the HR  department rather than on the whole organization

The SPHR certification is designed for the HR professional who

• designs and plans, rather than implements, HR policy
• focuses on the “big picture”
• has ultimate accountability in the HR department
• typically has six to eight years of progressive and increasingly complicated HR experience
• has breadth and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines
• uses judgment gained with time and knowledge application
• understands the business beyond the HR function and influences the overall organization

Consider your current role and select the credential that will benefit you most right now.  If you have been focused in one area of HR and need more exposure to other areas, the PHR will provide you with a strong base of knowledge that is practical and useful as you broaden your scope of responsibility.  If you are already a strong HR generalist with experience implementing or managing most areas of HR, you may find the SPHR credential more beneficial.  One thing to remember is that you should have the ability to practice what you learn.  The SPHR has a heavy focus on strategy.  If you are not in a position to practice and implement HR strategy, you may not get the benefits you need from the SPHR credential.  In addition, the continuing education requirements are different for the two credentials in that a portion of the recertifying activities for the SPHR must be designated as “strategic” activities.  Remember, you can always attain the PHR credential to start and then as your career advances and you move to a more senior level, take the SPHR exam.

Why should I get certified?  What are the benefits?  An HR certification like any other professional credential signifies that you are engaged, knowledgeable, current, and experienced in your chosen profession.  When you meet an RN or a CPA you immediately understand what they do, what they know, and how you can rely on them.  Isn’t that how you want people to see you?  Over 115,000 HR professionals are now certified with the number growing every day.  Seeing PHR/SPHR as a requirement in job postings is now the norm.  The credential makes you more marketable to future employers while at the same time showing your current employer that you are serious about your profession.

For your employer it also makes economic sense to assist you with your certification efforts.  Companies spend over 70% of their revenue on human resource-related expenses.  Having a proven, qualified HR staff is a great way to make sure that the company uses these resources in the most effective and beneficial way.  In an HR Certification Institute survey of top business leaders

• 50% said that recruiters consider a job candidate’s certification status when they decide whom to interview, and hire for HR positions
• 48% said that their company believes that HR-certified professionals give them a competitive edge
• 50% said that certified HR professionals show better motivation, HR knowledge, and performance than non-certified HR      professionals do

Isn’t 2012 the year you take care of your career development and professional growth?  Find out more about the certification process, the exam, and keeping your certification current at www.hrci.org.

Good Luck with your career in 2012!