For someone who enjoys working with people or handling their issues, a career in human resources is an excellent choice. It offers the chance to handle several responsibilities related to people, the most valuable organizational resource. Even within HR, in case someone is strictly not too fond of people interactions on a day-to-day basis, he/she can work on related responsibilities within HR such as policy-making, legalities, or benefits.
Here are the opportunities from a career in HR:
- Guiding the workplace culture of an organization
- Helping colleagues with their problems and other situations
- Using HR strategy to make a long-term business impact
What qualifications are needed for an HR career?
At the very least, an aspiring candidate requires an undergraduate degree in HR management or related disciplines. For HR leaders or other senior roles and responsibilities, a graduate degree as well as strong work experience become more important.
HR certifications in recent years have become a popular tool to boost credibility as an HR professional. These show that the person has the latest skills and know-how, along with a desire to learn and grow in the field.
What types of HR certifications are available?
Different certifications in HR are available as per what the candidate is looking for. Some of the top choices are given below:
For beginners
- Talent Management Practitioner (TMP): From the Talent Management Institute (TMI), TMP is a great way to prepare a candidate to become a modern practitioner in HR with great potential. It is meant for individuals who are nearing completion of their undergraduate degrees in HR or similar disciplines from premier business schools, HR institutions, or universities. Its credibility comes from its strong base on the globally tested TMI Universal Knowledge Framework (TMI-UKF™).
- Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR): Offered by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), aPHR is an HR certification meant for aspiring professionals at the beginner stage of their careers as well as those who are not in HR but manage people as part of their jobs. The aPHR exam gives nearly 40 percent weightage to HR operations, and is a great way to fast track career growth.
For career advancement
- Professional in Human Resources (PHR): From HRCI, PHR is a certification in HR for candidates who want to cement their position in the HR domain. A large part of the focus – 39 percent – is on employee and labor relations, substantiating its positioning as a key proof of having mastered legal, operational, and technical aspects of HR management. The best candidates would be those oriented logistically or tactically, along with experience in implementing programs and accountability to other HR professionals.
- SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP): Offered by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), SHRM-CP is targeted at candidates with at 0-4 years of experience and HR or non-HR degrees. These candidates should have worked on policy and strategy implementation, HR service delivery, operational HR, and point-of-contact roles.
- SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP): A good choice for HR leaders, SHRM-SCP – also from SHRM – is for those professionals with community influence and working on performance metric analysis and alignment of HR strategies with goals of the organization. Candidates typically have 3-7 years of work experience.
International certifications
- Global Talent Management Leader (GTML): From TMI, GTML is a testament to the candidate being well suited to high profile, challenging assignments and HR leader roles at the international level. It is for HR and Talent Management professionals at the mid-career stage and helps them get the skills on driving and optimizing business results through a multicultural Talent Management approach.
- Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR): Offered by HRCI, GPHR is a validation of the candidate having experience of HR at the multinational level. The three top areas of weightage are strategic global HR, global Talent Management, and global mobility, and clearing the exam is proof of skills in managing HR challenges in a global marketplace.