As human resources teams evolve and HR managers take on increasingly important roles, the pressure to stand out continues to grow. A Human Resources Management degree provides a solid foundation, but as you move forward in your career, an industry recognized certification can give you a competitive advantage.
This article examines five of the top HR certifications to complement your degree, the growing importance of HR, and how you can make yourself indispensable to employers.
Why HR Matters
Once a department focused on hiring and record keeping, human resources has become an integral part of the corporate structure and a driving force in shaping company culture and strategy. Among the primary responsibilities of today’s HR managers are:
- Aligning people with business strategy: It’s not about finding warm bodies. Today’s HR managers are hiring with organizational goals in mind and must know the exact strengths and weaknesses of job candidates in order to place them in roles that align with long-term strategy and company culture.
- Recruitment with retention in mind: HR managers not only put the right people in place, but they also ensure those people are going to stay and help grow the company. Retention impacts everything from employee morale to brand reputation and, notably, recruiting costs. Knowing how to boost retention is a critical asset you can bring to the role.
- Culture and engagement: As an HR manager, you can take a lead role in developing your company culture. To succeed, you’ll have to show employers that your engagement strategies are realistic and sustainable, ideally with more than one strategic approach in your toolbox.
- Compliance and risk management: Labor laws change, and it falls on HR managers to monitor and adapt to those changes in order to protect both the company and its employees. A successful HR manager will stay on top of regulations, embracing new tools and strategic approaches to their role.
Why HR Certifications Matter
It’s not just new regulations and tools like artificial intelligence that are impacting the HR landscape. It’s also the needs and desires of employees. Generational shifts in the workplace can affect everything from company culture to the bottom line. Here’s why HR certifications can give managers a competitive advantage.
- Lifelong learning unlocked: If you’re expected to lead your organization through constant change, you better walk the walk and talk the talk. A certification proves to employees you’re adapting to industry trends while forming new strategies yourself.
- Competence and career mobility: When vying for promotions or positions with a new company, an industry recognized certification shows you’re serious about HR. This has the potential to change your career trajectory and elevate you into more important roles.
- Show the boss your leadership capabilities: Employers place high expectations on HR managers, and if you want your HR department to be part of the larger conversation, a certification will demonstrate you’re the right person to make it happen.
- Enhance your visibility: The HR community is close-knit, with multiple organizations linking executives, directors, managers, and specialists throughout the industry. Your certification may open doors to new conversations, new ideas, new knowledge, and new professional contacts.
What’s the Difference Between My Bachelor’s Degree and Certification?
When you’re in pursuit of a sustainable, fulfilling career, it’s important to know the value of your credentials. Think of your degree as a foundation, something that will open doors and give you expert-level knowledge of your field. A certificate, notably a specialized certificate such as the aforementioned Artificial Intelligence for HR credential, can be a valuable add-on that increases one or several skillsets.
BA In Human Resources Management
- Purpose: Provide a broad foundation in HR and business strategy, with an emphasis on HR functions, labor relations, legal compliance, and workplace ethics.
- Time Commitment: 4-year degree program
- Lifespan: Permanent
Human Resources Certificate
- Purpose: Enhance knowledge and skills in a specific area (e.g. artificial intelligence), update your understanding of labor laws and HR strategies at the national and international level.
- Time Commitment: Varies with certification. Often consists of timed online exams and multiple learning modules.
- Lifespan: Many HR certifications have limited lifespans, but you can get recertified.
Top 5 HR Certifications to Pair with an HR Degree
- SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) & SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP): The SHRM Certified and SHRM Senior Certified professional certificates, offered by the Society for Human Resource Management, are among the most coveted and globally recognized certificates in the HR sector.
- What You’ll Learn: The SHRM-CP is geared toward early career HR professionals whose duties “tend to be specialized versus general.” The SHRM-SCP certification is for SHRM-CP holders who have had the credential for three years and is for professionals whose work is strategic in nature. SHRM-SCP will help you compete at the managerial and executive level, as you develop company-wide strategies for success.
- How Is It Structured?: Both the online SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams consist of 134 knowledge, field-test, and situational-based questions.
- How Long Does It Last?: Both certifications are valid for three years.
- Professional In Human Resources (PHR®):Offered by the HR Certification Institute, (HRCI) the PHR® certification is open to professionals with two years of professional HR experience and a bachelor’s degree.
- What You’ll Learn: The online PHR® immerses you in the areas of HR Information Management, Employee and Labor Relations, Employee Engagement, Business Management, Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, and Total Rewards (compensation and benefits).
- How Is It Structured?: The exam consists of 90 scored questions and 25 pretest questions.
- How Long Does It Last?: Three years.
- Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR): The Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) certification examines HR and its impact around the world, so you know what skills and strategies are needed to compete within multinational organizations. The certificate is offered by the HRCI.
- What You’ll Learn: The certificate is available to professionals with a minimum of three years of HR experience and a bachelor’s degree. It covers topics that include Global Talent Management, Workplace Culture, Strategic Global Resources, Global Mobility, Total Rewards, and Risk Management and Compliance.
- How Is It Structured?: The online GPHR exam has 100 scored questions plus 25 pretest questions.
- How Long Does It Last?: Three years.
- Artificial Intelligence for HR: Often, HR managers will need to increase their skillset in a specific area, and currently few areas are of greater importance than artificial intelligence. The Academy to Innovate HR offers an accredited certification in this fast-changing field.
- What You’ll Learn. Keeping up with AI is a challenge, and this certification will enhance your knowledge of generative AI tools and show you how to apply them to HR tasks and decision-making.
- How Is It Structured? The certification consists of 11 learning modules and eight hands-on projects.
- How Long Does It Last? No expiration.
- Certified Staffing Professional (CSP): The American Staffing Association has long offered the Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) certification that focuses heavily on U.S. employment and labor law.
- What You’ll Learn. The CSP offers essential training for HR managers that deal with contracts, focusing on state and federal regulations, risk management, and ethical HR-related questions.
- How Is It Structured? The certification consists of 100 true-or-false and multiple-choice questions.
- How Long Does It Last? 3 years.
Summary: Top HR Certifications to Pair with Your HR Management Degree
Human resources is a high-impact sector, with HR managers responsible for everything from shaping company culture to improving retention. To stay competitive, you can pair your HR management degree with a coveted certification such as the SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR®, GPHR, Artificial Intelligence for HR, and CSP. Each comes with its own area of focus and recertification timeline, but all provide the up-to-date skills you’ll need to stay relevant, agile, and more valuable to potential employers.