HR certification in the USA

A number of organisations provide certification that can increase credibility and career opportunities for newcomers and experienced HR practitioners. Certification is intended to demonstrate an understanding of human resource practices and their link to wider business issues. Certifications include:

Professional Human Resources (PHR)
Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR)
Certified Employee Benefits Specialist
Certified Benefits Professional (CBP)
Certified Compensation Professional (CCP)
Employee Assistance Professional
HR Generalist.

The PHR and SPHR are the most widely recognised. They are administered by the Professionals In Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and the Society for Human Resources (SHRM). The following eligibility criteria have been set:

PHR

Objective: certification for HR generalists at an operational or technical level.

Suitable for entry-level HR practitioners, students, recent college graduates with a human resource career in mind. Also useful for existing HR professionals who want to make sure of their basic HR competences. Certificated by the Human Resource Certification Institute.

Basic requirements:

- Two years full-time HR experience (2-4 years recommended) practitioner, educator, researcher, or consultant. Students or recent graduates without 2 years experience "must be within one year prior to or after the procurement of a bachelor or graduate degree. Upon passing the PHR exam, the candidate then has five years in which to fulfill the 2 years of HR exempt-level work experience and obtain the PHR certification.

Self-paced to examination.

SPHR

Objective: certification for HR practitioners with more extensive experience aimed at gaining strategic and policy level competences. Certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute.

Basic requirements, same as PHR but students and recent graduates may not apply. Also, applicants are recommended to have 6-8 years experience.

Self-paced to examination

Others

The International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans (IFEBP) provides the CEBS. It is made up of ten courses covering health and welfare, retirement, human resources, compensation and other relevant topics. This is also available from a number of universities.

The CCP and CBP are offered by the American Compensation Association (ACA) and are based on recognised 'bodies of knowledge' for the profession.

The Employee Assistance Certification Commission is responsible for the CEAP.

The SHRM also provides the HR Generalist Certificate as a series of seminars covering all the functional areas of HR. Credit units from this can be applied towards recertificating PHR/SPHR.

More articles in this section

• Introduction to HRM
• Managing People
• People management
• Professional managers
• The human factor
• Human Relations
• Management theory
• Development of the personnel specialism
• Management thinking
• From personnel to human resource management
• The new managerialism
• Defining human resource management
• Maps and models of HRM
• The Harvard map of human resource management
• Hard HRM
• Guest's Model of HRM
• Alternative HRM Models
• The Discourse of HRM