SHRM certification in human resource management provides benefits to both professionals and employers, demonstrating mastery of the field and ongoing proficiency. Three certifications are offered globally, with a fourth for California-specific regulations. The comprehensive exam covers legal and strategic planning topics, and ongoing recertification ensures current knowledge. Employers benefit from validated skills and competence, while professionals gain meaningful jobs and good pay.
Certification in one of the competency areas identified by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides benefits to the human resources (HR) professionals who achieve it, as well as their employers. To earn one of the certifications, an HR professional must have hands-on experience working in HR and demonstrate mastery of many different topics within the field; continuing education provisions require that this domain be kept current. Earning and maintaining SHRM certification, therefore, helps an HR professional stay “on top of their game,” which can often result in job advancement, meaningful responsibilities, and good compensation.
Human resource management is a field, like some others, that is not offered as a separate degree program by most colleges or universities. This makes it difficult for a potential employer to assess a job applicant’s qualifications. The existence of credible certification programs from professional organizations such as SHRM can be of tremendous benefit to employers.
Three certifications are offered to all HR professionals: the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR). A fourth certification applies only to HR professionals in the State of California, USA, who have already achieved PHR or SPHR certification and are designated CA-PHR or CA-SPHR, as appropriate. California certification reflects mastery of California’s sometimes complex regulations regarding worker compensation and health and safety requirements.
The SHRM certification is awarded to HR professionals upon successful completion of a comprehensive exam, typically hundreds of questions over many hours. Eligibility to sit the exam is based on a combination of academic performance and practical experience. In addition, most candidates take special classes to prepare for the exams, which cover legal issues and topics such as workforce planning and employment, compensation, risk management, and strategic planning, among others.
The requirement to continue recertification is another benefit of SHRM certification. Candidates not only must demonstrate mastery of HR issues to earn their initial certification, but they must demonstrate ongoing proficiency to maintain it. This requirement that they stay current on developing trends and issues in the field benefits not only themselves but their employers as well.
HR professionals rely on the SHRM certification to assess and validate their merit in their chosen field and then stay abreast of current trends and issues. This level of continued dominance almost guarantees them meaningful jobs with significant responsibilities and good pay. Savvy employers, on the other hand, want to recruit HR professionals with proven skills and competence in the field and rely on the SHRM certification to attest to it.
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