HRCI vs SHRM Certification

The emergence of the SHRM certification has created a lot of discussion in the human resource field. I advise human resource professionals that certification should never take the place of higher education. Your undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral work should take precedence over certification.  The next logical step after completing your education is getting certified in the HR field. While the SHRM certification is a credential with some value, in my opinion the HRCI certification remains the gold standard in our field.

We have seen an increase in human resource certification (S/PHR) being a ‘plus’ 10 years ago in job postings to being required in today’s market. HRCI has been the institution to administer human resource certification for decades.  While I have seen a minor shift from HRCI to SHRM certification preference, I do not see it being the preferred certification anytime in the future.

It is important to remember why any certification in any field is important. One of the significant elements of certification is the requirement to accomplish a certain number of continuity education credit hours during a designated time period on a regular basis. This requirement ensures that professionals are staying abreast of current trends and developments in the industry and continuing the process of life long learning in order to strengthen their competencies.

Certifications and their governing bodies are slow to having significant impact in a field, unless there is driving force such as lack of credibility, validity, or reliability to foster change. HRCI has a great reputation and a long history of excellence in the field. HRCI certification is here to stay for as long as I can see into the future.

Dr. Turpin