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HR Party of One is brought to you by BerniePortal. Are you seeking growth in your HR career?

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Do you possibly feel stuck and unsure how to progress? Well—let me help you out. And,

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at the end, I’ll even share with you what I’m currently doing to enhance my own career.

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In this episode, we’ll discuss: Why HR Certifications Matter;

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Great SHRM and HRCI Certifications; and Other important HR Certification and Continuing

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Education Resources.

Why HR Certifications Matter

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Why HR Certifications Matter The human resources industry is expected to

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grow 6% from 2022-2032, which is faster than the average for all occupations. While this

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is exciting for all HR professionals or those seeking a career in the industry, it also

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means more competition. Another consideration is that the HR industry

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is ever-evolving. With changes in employment law policies, AI in the workplace, IRS regulation

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updates, and more—it’s critical to stay in the loop, remain compliant, and be the

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best HR professional you can be for your organization.

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Luckily, HR certifications and continuing education courses are available to help you

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stay up-to-date and compliant with the continuously innovating world of HR. Depending on your

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industry, level of education, and experience, a certification can not only help you enhance

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your organization, but it could also help increase your pay.

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According to Payscale, the amount of pay increase varies depending on the type of credential,

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the industry in which you’re working, the work location, and the job level. At the very

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least, these accreditations add credibility to your HR expertise. They also show your

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employer that you are working hard to enhance your knowledge within the profession and to

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elevate your career. When it comes to the types of credentials,

Great SHRM and HRCI Certifications

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the top two are SHRM and HRCI certifications. Let me go over these in more detail.

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Great SHRM and HRCI Certifications Achieving these certifications usually requires

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a level of education and/or experience to qualify. Additionally, people usually have

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to take a standardized exam, which they can study for by using official preparation materials

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purchased through signing up for the exam. The cost of these certifications can add up,

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so it’s important to weigh the benefits of each certification and choose the one that

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best fits your professional goals. Let’s review some of the different certs from SHRM

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and HRCI:

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The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

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SHRM offers two certifications:

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SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP): This certification is designed for someone newer

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to HR whose work is operational in nature, such as implementing policies.

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SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP): This certification is designed for someone

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with at least 3 years of performing strategic HR or HR-related duties; or for someone who

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has held a SHRM-CP credential for at least 3 years and are either in a more strategic

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role or in the process of transitioning to one.

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For more information, you can visit SHRM’s website linked in the description.

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HR Certification Institute (HRCI) HRCI offers a wide array of certifications

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for HR professionals that fall into the categories of: knowledge, professional, and strategic

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certs. For the knowledge certifications, HRCI offers:

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Associate Professional in Human Resources®: This aPHR certification can help individuals

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fast-track their career growth. It’s designed for both those beginning their career and

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also for non-HR professionals working adjacently to HR or employer roles.

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For instance, all BerniePortal marketing team members earn their aPHR certification to add

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a layer of expertise and credibility to all the resources they create and writing material

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they provide.

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Associate Professional in Human Resources—International™: The aPHRI is similar to the normal aPHR, but

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is meant for HR managers based outside of the United States.

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Professional-based certifications are a step above the knowledge-based certifications,

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usually intended for intermediate HR professionals who seek to become an HR expert.

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Professional in Human Resources®: The PHR demonstrates technical and operational knowledge

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of HR management. Someone taking this exam should have experience implementing new programs.

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-Professional in Human Resources—California®: Because California has unique laws, regulations,

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and management practices for HR professionals, a separate certification was created for those

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seeking career growth in Cali.

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Professional in Human Resources — International™: This credential is similar to the PHR, though

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for international practitioners who demonstrate mastery of generally accepted technical and

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operational HR principles. Then, we get to the strategic HRCI certifications,

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for senior-level HR professionals. These include:

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Senior Professional in Human Resources®: This credential is designed for HR professionals

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with strategic and policy-making backgrounds. SPHR pros typically are accountable for HR

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department goals and for planning and executing business strategies and technology. They are

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leaders in the organization.

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Senior Professional in Human Resources—International™: The SPHRI is like the SPHR, but demonstrates

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senior-level HR leaders outside of the U.S.

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Global Professional in Human Resources: The GPHR certification is best for HR professionals

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whose responsibilities expand multinationally.

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So—while SHRM and HRCI certs are top-notch for HR professionals, it’s important to

Other Important HR Certification and Continuing Education Resources

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be aware of courses that can serve as recertification credits, or continuing education (CE) credits.

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Both SHRM and HRCI certs require recertification credits after a couple years in order to maintain

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the certification. There are plenty of free options online. Let’s review some:

Free CE Credits with BernieU

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Continuing Education Courses:

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BernieU: BerniePortal has its own continuing education courses that are pre-approved for

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HRCI and SHRM CE credits. Not to mention, our courses are completely free! We offer

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10 different courses, from HR Prep to Payroll Basics for Employers. They’re comprehensive,

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and can be taken by HR veterans or HR newbies. They only take an hour or two to complete.

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HR Foundations through LinkedIn Learning: this course can be taken by HR professionals

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of various levels. It covers everything from hiring to internal training to performance

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strategy and is approved by HRCI for recertification credits.

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Preparing to Manage HR through Coursera: This 4-week course is geared toward intermediate-level

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HR pros. It covers key topics of HR management, talent acquisitions, and employment laws.

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Completing this course results in a certification and continuing professional education credit.

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For more free CE credits, you can check out our blog on the top free courses to boost

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your HR career this year.

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Other than coursework, there are other ways to receive credits. You can attend webinars,

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for instance. Some webinars offer CE credits to attendees. Make sure to sign up for those

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email newsletters that offer webinars, and be on the lookout!

Weekdays With Bernie

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Another way to receive CE credits is to attend professional conferences. Now, I may be a

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little biased here, but our Weekdays with Bernie Conference is not only a GREAT way

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to earn CE credits, but it’s also hosted in Nashville, Tennessee! Who wouldn’t want

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the opportunity to travel to Nashville for a conference?! It lasts for 2-3 days and includes

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amazing speakers, interactive breakout sessions, networking opportunities with other HR professionals

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around the U.S., plus the chance to socialize with conference attendees during a night out

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on the town. You can also check out other conferences in your area or around the U.S,

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such as your local SHRM conference, HR Vision in New York, Workhuman in Austin, Texas, and

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more.

Final Thoughts

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So—depending on where you are in your HR career, there are ample opportunities to learn

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and continue to expand your HR expertise. From certifications to continuing ed courses

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to webinars and conferences, there are endless resources available for you to become the

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best HR pro you can be. Remember—your role is as strategic as you make it!

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That’s it for this episode! Subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notifications

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about our newest episodes, which are released every Tuesday and Thursday! As always, thanks

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for watching.