| Exam
Guidelines
Purpose of Certification
Certification is an essential tool for maintaining high
professional standards. It shows that human resource
(HR) professionals have demonstrated mastery of the
HR body of knowledge and accepted the personal challenge
to stay abreast of new developments in the HR field.
To be effective in our positions, we must know how
to deal effectively with HR strategic planning, international
competition, management staffing, and family/social
issues that affect the workplace, employee rights, and
emerging HR issues.
What Certification Provides
- Recognition of professional achievement
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- Tools for career advancement
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- Increased self-confidence
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- A visual reminder of one’s professional
status through use of the designation on business
correspondence and display of certificate or
certification
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- A personal challenge to stay abreast of new
developments in the HR management field
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Choosing the Level of Certification
There are two levels of certification available: Professional
in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in
Human Resources (SPHR). Candidates interested in the
PHR exam should have two to four years of exempt-level
HR work experience.
The PHR exam consists of HR
generalist information at the operational/technical
aspects of HR. The SPHR examination is appropriate for
those with at least six years of exempt-level HR experience.
The SPHR exam focuses more on the strategic/policy issues
of the field.
Certification Eligibility
Requirements
Certifications are intended for professionals who have
a minimum of two years of exempt-level work experience
in the HR field. To be eligible for either examination,
candidates must demonstrate that:
- At least 51% of their daily activities are
within the HR function, and;
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- Those activities are at the exempt-level as
defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
and its amendments.
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In the HR management field,
exempt-level positions include:
- HR Practitioners – Those whose job duties
are normally found in the typical HR function.
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- HR Educators – Those whose principal
areas of instruction are in the HR field in
an accredited institution of higher learning.
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- HR Researchers – Those who research
activities are restricted primary to the HR
field.
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- HR consultants – Those whose consulting
activities are primarily in the HR field.
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The Examination
Both Examinations Explore
Candidates Knowledge of:
Strategic Management:
The processes and activities used to formulate HR
objectives, practices and policies to meet the short
and long-range organizational needs and opportunities,
to guide and lead the change process, and to evaluate
HRs contributions to organizational effectiveness.
Workforce Planning
and Employment: The
processes of planning, developing, implementing,
administering, and performing ongoing evaluation
of recruiting, hiring, orientation, and organizational
exit to ensure that the workforce will meet the
organization's goals and objectives.
Human Resource
Development: The processes
of ensuring that the skills, knowledge, abilities,
and performance of the workforce meet the current
and future organizational and individual needs through
developing, implementing, and evaluating activities
and programs addressing employee training and development,
change and performance management, and the unique
needs of particular employee groups.
Compensation and
Benefits: The processes
of analyzing, developing, implementing, administering,
and performing ongoing evaluation of a total compensation
and benefits system for all employee groups consistent
with HR management goals.
Employment and
Labor Relations: The
processes of analyzing, developing, implementing,
administering, and performing ongoing evaluation
of the workplace relationship between employer and
employee (including the collective bargaining process
and union relations), in order to maintain effective
relationships and working conditions that balance
the employer's needs with the employees' rights
in support of the organization's strategic objectives.
Occupational Health,
Safety, and Security:
The processes of analyzing, developing, implementing,
administering, and performing ongoing evaluation
of programs, practices, and services to promote
the physical and mental well-being of individuals
in the workplace, and to protect individuals and
the workplace from unsafe acts, unsafe working conditions,
and violence. |
Exam Information
and Costs
Dates
and Location
The four hour examinations, consisting of 225
multiple-choice questions, are held annually the
first Saturday in May, the first Saturday in December,
and during the SHRM
Annual Conference. You will find out where
the test will take place approximately 3 weeks
prior to the exam. Typically, it is held at Cincinnati
State.
Costs
For 2006 the PHR exam cost is $250 for SHRM members and $300 for non-SHRM members. The SPHR exam cost is $375 for
SHRM members and $425 for non-SHRM members. Student candidates could register for $120
(and pay the remaining balance upon completing the student graduation and work requirements).
We will post new dates
and cost information as it becomes available.
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