HRCI Certification
What is Certification?
To be effective in our jobs, Human Resource professionals must know how to deal effectively with all aspects of the HR field, including strategic planning, workforce planning, workplace safety, compensation and benefits, HR development, employee/labor relations, and emerging HR issues.
Certification is a way to demonstrate mastery of these aspects of the HR body of knowledge. There are two levels of certification, the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Both designations validate the holder’s mastery of the HR body of knowledge and show that he/she has accepted the challenge to stay informed of past, present, and future developments within the HR field.
The differences between the PHR and the SPHR designation is based on the functional area emphasizes as follows:
| Functional Area | PHR | SPHR |
| Strategic Management | 12% | 29% |
| Workforce Planning and Employment | 26% | 17% |
| Human Resource Development | 17% | 17% |
| Total Rewards | 16% | 12% |
| Employee and Labor Relations | 22% | 18% |
| Risk Management | 7% | 7% |
Why Certify?
A certification defines what an individual needs to know in order to be acknowledged as an expert in the field. Certification sets those with the credential apart from those without it. Certification becomes a public recognition of professional achievement. It can be a personal professional goal or an aid to career advancement.
HRCI
HRCI (Human Resource Certification Institute) is the governing body who administers the exams annually in May and December. Application and related fees must be submitted approximately eleven weeks prior to the examination date.
For more information about PHR/SPHR certification, visit: http://www.hrci.org
For more information about HRCI's Recertification visit: "Recertification"
