Professional certifications in general are continuing to grow in cultural relevance, as the number of new applicants and certifications across industries has increased steadily since 2009. While certifications have long been common in occupations requiring technical skill, and/or with high degrees of associated liability, more are emerging in professional services. Basic Human Resources certification options have been around for forty years but continue to grow in both HR specialty areas and scope of responsibility.
Today, HRCI offers certifications for early career HR employees up to senior global practitioners.Other types of certification options exist in the market as well and vary in their requirements to prepare and pass the certification, based on rigor, intended purpose, and the scope of content covered.
HRCI certification is a key indicator that an individual possesses knowledge of the most important best practices – not based on any single competency model, but rather on multiple competency models, current research, and ongoing input from over 1,100 business professionals working (and certified) in human resource management. The result is a certification that indicates the holder can manage what real HR professionals at various levels are expected to know and do on the job.
When it comes to applying best practices, knowledge alone isn’t enough – sensitive, creative and intuitive individuals need to tailor the application. The longitudinal Human Resource Competency Study conducted by University of Michigan and RBL Institute arrived at a similar conclusion when it identified strategic and tactical knowledge-based competencies, which it classified as “Enablers.” However, according to the study, the best HR professionals also exhibit three key competencies identified as “Core” attributes. These Core attributes speak to the importance of insight:
Strategic positioner:
Translates external and internal business contexts into practical HR solutions to achieve business goals.
Credible activist:
Earns trust and respect, and can motivate others.
Paradox navigator:
Manages and resolves workplace goals that can seem at odds.
HRCI certification requires individuals to demonstrate these harder-to-pinpoint indicators of character and conscience. In addition to knowledge-based evaluation, the certification exams require applicants to combine related elements and apply critical judgment. Applicants must pick the best response from among others that may also appear to be correct.
Adobe’s senior vice president of Global People and Places, Donna C. Morris, said in The Rise of HR: Wisdom from 73 Thought Leaders, “We have entered the next generation of HR. To help propel people and business forward in today’s competitive environment, the HR function requires increased discipline, agility, and constant adaptation.” As such, the HR Certification Institute is evolving certification to meet the ongoing business needs of HR professionals around the globe.
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Conclusion
Best practices in general have the most impact on business performance when they are embraced companywide, starting at the top, and adopted smartly and sensitively by expert individuals. Top Employers Institute provides certification that ensures leadership in HR best practice implementation. HRCI provides certification that helps companies identify individuals who have both the knowledge and critical judgment skills to apply the best practices. On their own, certifications are correlated with better business performance – companies with Top Employers certification, and companies that have more than five HRCI certificants, show better results than companies that don’t.
