The emergence of the recent 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 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.

Certifications and their governing bodies are slow to having significant impact in a field, unless there is driving force like 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