SHRM Certification is a credentialing process that allows human resource professionals and recent college graduates to be measured against peers for their knowledge and commitment to the profession. The Society for Human Resources Management, an international career organization managed and supported human resource professionals, offers the SHRM certification. The SHRM certificate is regarded as an official acknowledgement of the human resource professional within this network.
After successfully completing the rigorous evaluation and exam process, human resource professionals or recent graduates of an approved human resource degree program may obtain the SHRM certification demonstrating their knowledge and experience in human resource work. The SHRM lays out the rules and objectives to be met. Each year, the guidelines are updated to reflect changes in employment practices and laws in order to meet the needs of the future of human capital management.
The Society for Human Resources Management has established a set of certification levels in addition to providing the SHRM certification guidelines. The certification levels are determined two factors: years of experience working in human resources and the ability to pass a difficult exam. The SHRM has three levels: PHR (Professional in Human Resources), SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources), and GPHR (Graduate Professional in Human Resources) (Global Professional in Human Resources). PHR-CA or SPHR-CA, a designation required for the state of California in the United States, was recently added as a fourth category.
The Society for Human Resource Management has partnered with an outside testing company, HRCI or Human Resource Certification Institute, to provide the SHRM certification evaluation and administer the tests. This test is usually only offered twice a year, once in the summer (May-June) and then again in the winter (December–January). This allows recent human resource graduates and working professionals to study for the SHRM certification exam well ahead of time.
Before taking the SHRM certification exam, candidates must complete months of in-depth HR training and studies. To keep this credential, the HR professional must work in human resources for at least two years after passing the test. Throughout the remainder of this certification honor, earning CEUs (continued educational credits) is required to maintain the certification.
While other human resource certification programs are available from a variety of human resource organizations and schools, none is more prestigious than the SHRM certification. Within the human resource community, having the PHR, SPHR, GPHR, or CA designation carries a lot of weight. Employers and HR organizations frequently require or prefer the SHRM certificate designation.