HRCP Blog

If anyone knows what looks good on a resume it’s a human resource manager. As evidenced by our brisk sales so far this quarter, many HR managers are trying to enhance their resumes by becoming certified. They understand what a tight labor market means for job seekers. You’ve got to find ways to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack. PHR and SPHR certification can do that.

Interestingly, some of the organizations that use our materials for their study groups have had lower enrollments this go around, but our sales to individuals using the HRCP Program for self-study are up dramatically. It appears that many HR professionals are looking for an economical way to prepare for the PHR and SPHR exams. The HRCP Program is comprehensive, up-to-date, and perhaps most important in these tough economic times, it is affordable.

And to make it even a little more affordable, we’re offering a discount for readers of the HRCP Blog. Order before April 15, 2009, and use the discount code BUILDRESUME for $30 off the price of the complete HRCP Program.

Two years ago today I began the HRCP blog. In my first blog entry, I mentioned that I have taken the HR certification exam five times. Soon it will be six. That’s right, I’ll be taking the SPHR exam again during the May-June 2009 test window. I’m among the tiny one-percent of certified HR professionals who choose to re-certify by examination every three years. It’s crazy, I know, but how better could I assess the adequacy of our materials in preparing people for the PHR and SPHR exams?

I haven’t started studying yet. I always say to myself, “This time I’m not going to study; I’ll just walk in there and see how it goes.” But ultimately I decide that I don’t want to take any chances. What if I didn’t pass? How embarrassing would that be? And now that I’ve mentioned it here, it increases the pressure by a factor of ten. Yep, I’ll study. And I’ll let you know how it’s going. I’ll share any ideas and insights that hit me along the way.

If you’re contemplating human resource certification, please come and join me in the journey.

We have a number of HR associations, employers’ associations, colleges, and universities who have adopted the HRCP Program for their PHR and SPHR exam preparation courses. We love to hear of their success.

Congratulations to the Capital Region Human Resource Association in Albany, New York: 25 of 27 participants in their HR certification prep course passed the exam during the December 2008-January 2009 test window. That’s a 93% pass rate!

Way to go!

Now that the December-January test window has closed, we’ve been hearing from many who used the Human Resource Certification Preparation Program to prepare for their PHR and SPHR exams, and we’ve been delighted by what we’ve heard. Here is a sampling of the comments we’ve received:

“The [HRCP] materials are great! Really aided in my prep and my ability to pass!”

“I was very hesitant to buy your system, given the fact that HRCP is not assumed to be as credible as the SHRM learning system. But I’m glad I did – you saved me tons of $$ and I passed the SPHR on my first try through self-study alone! All I did was read through the materials once, take 3.5 rounds of the practice exams, and run through the flashcards with my husband some evenings.”

“Just wanted to let you know that I just took the PHR exam yesterday and passed (!) the only study materials I used were your books and flashcards.”

This kind of feedback is very gratifying. Congrats to all those who passed the exams!

In April I wrote about proposed changes to the PHR and SPHR eligibility requirements. The HR Certification Institute announced today that those changes will take effect in 2011. Beginning with the May-June 2011 test window, the following eligibility requirements will apply:

For the PHR

• 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree
• 2 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
• 1 year of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher

For the SPHR

• 7 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree
• 5 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
• 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher

For the GPHR

• 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience (with 2 of the 4 being global HR experience) with less than a Bachelor’s degree
• 3 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience (with 2 of the 3 being global HR experience) with a Bachelor’s degree
• 2 years of demonstrated global exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher

In contemplating the reasons for the steady decline in HR certification exam pass rates, I’ve gone back to my analysis from a year ago. I think that my observations still hold. One or more of these must be true:

• The PHR and SPHR exams are getting more difficult.
• The cutoff for passing the PHR and SPHR exams is being set higher each year.
• People are going into the PHR and SPHR exams less prepared.
• Less-qualified individuals are taking the PHR and SPHR exams.

Whatever the reason for the falling pass rates, there is only one solution for those preparing to take the HR certification exams: Be better prepared.

More on that next time.

Today the HR Certification Institute announced the pass rates for the May-June 2008 PHR and SPHR exam window.

It’s not pretty.

I created the following graphic so you can get a visual picture of the direction the scores are headed.

Yeeesh. This is the lowest pass rate ever for the PHR exam and the lowest for the SPHR since 2002, when it was 53 percent.  Prior to the most recent administration of the exams, the average pass rate for the PHR exam was 64.8 percent, and for the SPHR exam it was 57.2 percent (using data since 2001).

Tune in next time for pass rate analysis and discussion of what this means for those now preparing for the PHR or SPHR exams.

Apparently, I brought back more than memories from the SHRM conference in Chicago. I also returned with a nasty case of pneumonia. My advice: don’t get pneumonia. And if you do get it, at least get it at a sensible time. NOT in the middle of summer vacation.

While I have had to back off my usual activities the past several weeks, I’m aware that many people are suffering from another kind of slowdown, an economic one. With all the hand-wringing and belt-tightening that goes on during times of economic uncertainty, there is often a surge in the number of HR professionals investing in certification. HR people know better than anyone the toll an economic slowdown can take on employment. Employees need to do everything they can to be more competitive in a tightening labor market. For HR professionals, that may mean becoming certified. There are nearly 100,000 human resource managers who currently hold PHR or SPHR certification. To compete, you’ve got to have a set of those letters after your name.

HRCP can help you prepare for your certification exam with quality, comprehensive materials at a reasonable price. And to help a little more during these tough economic times, we’ll give you $25 off the price of the complete HRCP Program if you order before the end of August and use the discount code SUMMER.

Best of luck!

We had a great time in Chicago! Despite the fact that our exhibit display never arrived, we had constant traffic at our booth, and we met dozens of people who are preparing for the HR certification exams. Each year, we find it necessary to clear up some pervasive misconceptions about HR certification. Many people are confused about the relationship between the HR Certification Institute (they’ll be known as HRCI no more, they said in Chicago) and the SHRM Learning System. We explain that while both organizations fall under the general SHRM umbrella, the SHRM Learning System is not produced by the HR Certification Institute. In fact, the SHRM Learning System is produced by Holmes Corporation, an outside, private company.

In Chicago, we got the inevitable question: Is the HRCP Program endorsed by the HR Certification Institute? We gladly tell people that no, it’s not. The HR Certification Institute does not endorse any product. No, not even the SHRM Learning System. I’ve quoted the HR Certification Institute website before, and I think it’s worth doing again:

What is the best approach to prepare for the exam? The certification exam is based on work experience. . . . We do not endorse any products nor maintain information on them.

Is it true that HRCI does not endorse the SHRM learning system? HRCI does not endorse any specific preparation method.

Why is the language so drastically different on the test than the learning material? There is no material that “teaches to the exam”. The two are developed indpendently. HRCI has nothing to do with the development of the Learning System. The exam questions come from HR professionals working in the field.

We had several people stop by our booth to thank us; they had passed their PHR or SPHR exam after using the HRCP Program to prepare. Congratulations to those who have passed, and good luck to those who’ll be taking the exam in the next few days.

We arrived safely in Chicago. Unfortunately, the display for our booth did not. We had shipped it ahead to the convention center, but it was delayed because of the flooding in the Midwest. Fortunately, we knew ahead that our exhibit wouldn’t be here, so we quickly created a poster and had it printed and mounted at Kinko’s. Our materials for distribution didn’t arrive either, so we had some half-sheet flyers printed as well. We were afraid that without our fancy-schmancy pop-up exhibit, we’d have trouble attracting people to our booth. That has not proven to be the case; we’ve a constant flow of visitors. If you’re here in Chicago, we’d love to see you, too. Come by booth 3841 at the SHRM Expo.