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Writer's pictureNancy Smith

Which One HRCI Certification Better for Your Career?

Updated: Nov 24, 2019

Overview of HRCI:

HRCI is proud to offer a series of certifications for each step of your HR career. Accreditation is a career-long involvement that shows dedication, honesty, and knowledge of the principles of human resources to your employers, clients, staff members, and professional peers nearby the globe. HRCI Certification demonstrates to the investment you have made in your HR career and exists a recognized place in the profession.

To become certified, you must meet the severe professional experience and educational qualifications before taking the exam. To remain certified, you must stay popular in the HR profession and recertify every three years. You present your certification by placing the credential after your name.


Gaining HRCI Certification Places You Special


Gives you a fully accredited credential:

  • All of our core products are certified and meet the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) specific standards.

Sanctions your expertise:

  • HRCI certification provides you with competency-based, professionally appropriate credentials that are highly rated in HR and business communities.

Compares you to an exclusive network of motivated HR experts around the globe:

  • Nearly 140,000 certified HR thought leaders work in more than 100 countries and territories.

Presents nearly 40 years of history:

  • Established in 1976, HRCI is the most significant HR certification organization in the world.

Receives recognition from your organization and peers:

  • Business leaders find HR certified professionals to be more self-motivated.


How Certification Varies from a Certificate Program?

Analyzed with certificate programs, the certification has three main advantages:

  • Needs a particular work experience, competency, and education

  • Requires recertification, which makes assured that you stay current in the HR profession through advancing education

  • Permits you to put the letters after your name

In other words, certification typically comprises of the three “E”s: Education, Experience, and Examination. All HRCI Certifications have earned program-wide accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).


Certification is key to progress in the HR management field, but how do you decide which one to attempt?

When you’re struggling hard to complete your online HR management degree, it’s challenging to think about taking on more work to pursue professional certification. But while it isn’t required for employment, HR certification can raise your standing among job applicants, putting you in the running for higher-level positions and possibly increasing your earning potential.


A certification signs to employers that you are devoted to your profession have mastered best practices and maintain both relevant and practical knowledge of your field.


Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI):

The Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) was established in 1975 and is the most prominent HR certification organization in the world. It has about 140,000 certified HR professionals operating in more than 100 countries and territories.


They are:


1) Associate Professional in HR (aPHR):


Is this Certification Right for Me?

HRCI’s Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) is the complete certification to help fast-track your career growth and provide you with the spirit to launch into the HR profession. The aPHR is the first-ever HR certification planned for professionals who are just starting their HR career journey and proves your knowledge of foundational Human Resources.

Am I Eligible?

  • To be eligible for the aPHR, you must have a high school diploma or global equivalent. No HR experience is needed since this is a knowledge-based credential.


2) Professional in HR (PHR):


Is this Certification Right for Me?

Improve your HR career by gaining the Professional in Human Resources(PHR) from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). The PHR shows your mastery of the technical and operational aspects of HR management, including U.S. laws and regulations. The PHR is for the HR professional who has experience with program implementation, has a tactical/logistical adjustment, is responsible to another HR professional in the organization, and has responsibilities that concentrate on the HR department sooner than the whole organization.


Am I Eligible?

To be suitable for the PHR you must meet one of the following conditions for education and experience:

  • Have a minimum one year of experience in a professional-level HR position + a Master’s degree or higher,

  • Have a minimum of two years of experience in a professional-level HR position + a Bachelor’s degree,

OR

  • Have a minimum of four years of experience in a professional-level HR position + a high school diploma.

3) Senior Professional in HR (SPHR):


Is this Certification Right for Me?

Showcase the HR leadership attention you deserve with the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). The SPHR proves your mastery of the strategic and policy-making aspects of HR management as practiced in the U.S. The credential is planned for big-picture thinkers responsible for preparing rather than performing HR policy. Organizations seek out SPHR professionals for their established accountability for HR department goals, extent, and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines, and understanding business issues beyond the HR function.

Am I Eligible?

To be fit for the SPHR, you must meet one of the following conditions for education and experience:

  • Have a minimum of four years of experience in a professional-level HR position + a Master’s degree or higher,

  • Have a minimum of five years of experience in a professional-level HR position + a Bachelor’s degree,

OR

  • Have a minimum of seven years of experience in a professional-level HR position + a high school diploma.

4) Global Professional in HR (GPHR):


Is this Certification Right for Me?

Let the market know you have the knowledge and skills required to handle HR challenges in a global marketplace. Gain the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). The GPHR shows your expertise in multinational HR responsibilities, including strategies of globalization development of HR policies and actions that support global organizational growth.

Am I Eligible?

To be qualified for the GPHR, you must meet one of the following conditions for education and experience:

  • Have a minimum of two years of experience in a global professional-level HR position + a Master’s degree or higher,

  • Have a minimum of three years of experience in a professional-level HR position (at least two in global HR) + a Bachelor’s degree,

OR

  • Have a minimum of four years of experience in a professional-level HR position (at least two in global HR) + a high school diploma.


Note: Global HR experience is represented as having direct, cross-border HR responsibilities for two or more countries or regions


There is also a concentrated certificate for the state of California, which has many rules than the rest of the United States.


The HRCI exams are challenging, with a right rate of about 60 percent for first-time test takers. Although an HR degree is not needed to take the HRCI exams, the tests are experience and knowledge-based, and a strong educational background in HR can boost your exam performance, according to HRCI’s website.

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