Take Your HR Career to the Next Level with HR Certification

“In tough economic times, HR certification is a reliable asset.” This is the theme of the HR Certification Institute’s latest advertising campaign, and it’s certainly one that has a great deal of value for HR professionals. In today’s competitive market, “anything that differentiates you from the crowd and emphasizes your commitment to your profession is career critical,” according to Kent Johnson of a Minneapolis-based recruiting firm (CNN.com).

HR certification is not just a valuable asset for a job seeker’s resume, though. For an HR professional, having HR certification validates your experience in the field and knowledge of forward-thinking HR practices, policies and procedures that professionals are expected to know in order to perform their jobs effectively.

According to the HR Certification Institute, the benefits of achieving HR certification include:

• Increasing your professional confidence because you have validated that you know and can apply the core HR practices
• Setting yourself apart from your peers when applying for new professional opportunities
• Greater respect from the organization in which you work

If you are looking to earn HR certification, it is important to note that HRCI recently announced changes to their eligibility requirements that will begin in 2011. For more information, read the PR Newswire story. For more information on the benefits of HR certification, watch this video from the HR Certification Institute.

Benefits of Recertification through Continuing Education

If you’re already certified, you are required to earn 60 (sixty) credit hours every 3 years to maintain your certification. Most activities have a limit on the number of hours you can put towards recertification, including on-the-job experience, professional membership, etc. However, continuing education has no maximum to the number of hours that can be used toward recertification. This means that attending a few training courses to keep you up-to-date on the rapidly changing HR field is always a good idea. According to the HRCI, “Recertification demonstrates your continued dedication to stay up to date with the rapidly changing HR profession.”

All of ERC’s training events at the ERC Workplace Center have been approved by the HR certification Institute for recertification credit through the HR Certification Institute. Click here for ERC’s upcoming training and events.

Source: “Does Your Resume Need New Acronyms?,” Rachel Zupek, CNN.com.