How Valuable Are HR Certifications in Career Growth? - 人資

How Valuable Are HR Certifications in Career Growth?

Q:
I aspire to be a vice president of human resources one day,
and wonder if I need a certification. How important is it in
pursuing my career goal?
—On a Mission, HR assistant, services, Topeka, Kansas


A:
To reach your goal, you'll need to be among the best, rising
through the HR rep, HR manager and HR director levels in an
organization. The HR discipline is filled with great VP examples
on both sides of this question—those who have certification and
those who don't. You've got to be progressive, business-savvy
and results-oriented, and you can do that without certification,
as many have.

So here's the bottom line: Certification is valuable to everyone,
but common sense dictates that the economic and career-path value
is greater for those who are early in their careers. If you are
at the HR manager level or below, and can make the time to pursue
certification, do it now. You'll differentiate yourself from the
herd, whether you plan on staying forever in your Fortune 500 HR
shop or intend to switch jobs and companies in the next couple of
years. Certification can be—and is—used as a "resume sorter" by
many companies when it comes time to hire their next HR manager,
HR director or vice president of HR.

Certification isn't required to get where you want to be. That
said, if a significant portion of companies use it to evaluate
candidate criteria, it makes sense to have it. The quicker you
gain the necessary experience at the rep, manager and director
level, the quicker you'll get to your goal of being a VP of HR.
Expand your pool of opportunity if you have the time and resources
to pursue certification. Good luck in your pursuit.

SOURCE: Kris Dunn, vice president of corporate human resources,
SourceMedical, Birmingham, Alabama, June 11, 2008.

LEARN MORE: Kris Dunn expands on certifications and their value
on Workforce.com and or his blog, the HR Capitalist.

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