Certifications show your commitment to a profession and the ambition to continuously thrive. HR certifications do the same for HR professionals. In addition to that, earning certification results in more tangible benefits like salary growth and promotions. According to a PayScale report, certified professionals earn significantly more than non-certified counterparts.
Why are certifications important?
Most HR professionals in the industry possess a bachelor’s or graduate degree. Armed with a certification professionals can advance in their careers. Certifications also act as a means for fresh graduates to enter the industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certifications increase your value substantially.
Human resources is increasingly becoming a strategic business function. It aids business decisions and directly impacts the growth of a business. Each HR function – compensation and benefits, learning & development, employee relations, and talent acquisition binds directly to the growth strategy of a business. Earning credentials specific to your role and experience expands your knowledge and prepares you with the skills to take on more challenging roles.
Additionally, an HR certification will highlight your expertise and make you stand out as a specialist in your function. Thereby, increasing your chances of promotion or getting the job that you have been eyeing.
What certifications can you take?
A broad spectrum of online HR courses and certifications are available for HR practitioners. Some cover multiple areas of HR, while a few certify your expertise in specific functions. The following certifications lead the way in their respective HR function.
- Talent Management Practitioner (TMP): This is an ideal certification for talent acquisition specialists looking to progress in talent management. The increasing focus of organizations on talent management makes this an ideal certification fresh graduates and professionals with little experience to jump-start and advance their careers, respectively.
In addition to TMP, Talent Management Institute, the certification body that awards TMP, also offers STMP (Senior Talent Management Practitioner) and GTML (Global Talent Management Leader) for senior HR professionals to push their career forward into organization leaders and global leadership positions.
- Certified Compensation Professional (CCP):If you’re a compensation and benefits professional, CCP will be a suitable certification. This certification is awarded by World at Work, the world’s leading certification body in the total rewards category. This certification demonstrates your ability to integrate compensation with business strategy. It also shows your capability to create and administer basic and variable pay programs, incentives plan, and effectively communicate compensation information.
In addition to CCP, World at Work offers GRP (Global Remuneration Professional) for HR professionals looking to reach a leadership position. This certification demonstrates your understanding of building and administering global remuneration programs.
- Certified Benefits Professional (CBP): World at Work offers this certification for HR benefits professionals. This is the world’s leading credential for benefits professionals in the total rewards category. CBP demonstrates your ability to craft and administer employee benefits programs to positively impact a business.
- Associate Professional in Training and Development (APTD): Association for Talent Development (ATD) offers this certification. This certification showcases your expertise in building and delivering large scale learning and development programs. For senior L&D professionals, CPTD is a more commensurate certification.
- Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter (CDR): Leading organizations are increasingly focusing on improving diversity and inclusion across their teams. This course and certification program equips recruiters with skills and tactics to continually improve their diversity and inclusion. This certification is offered by ADP.
- Professional in Human Resources (PHR): This is a recommended certification for HR Generalists. PHR demonstrates your skills in employee relations, learning and development, talent acquisition, and knowledge of employee and labor laws. This certification is offered by HRCI. SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) and GPHR (Global Professional Human Resources) are certifications for mid-level and senior-level HR professionals who are looking to reach higher rungs of the corporate hierarchy.
