The Road to Recertification

I fully support and believe in the value of professional certification. Currently, I hold 3 HR certifications and have found that each has offered me positive, professional development. And my plan is to start pursuing the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) certification offered through the International Federation of Employee Benefit Plans (www.ifebp.org) in the future. The CEBS designation will round out my HR knowledge base. I believe it is always good to have development and educational opportunities in your plan to keep you professionally relevant, marketable and current.

Nothing trumps work experience when it comes to credibility in a profession like HR. However, professional certification like those offered by HRCI (www.HRCI.org) and other organizations can enhance this experience. An advantage of professional certification from an employer standpoint is the commitment of the certification holder to recertify and continue to update their credentials. This encourages a more educated workforce. Most organizations, like HRCI and the WorldatWork Society, that certify HR professionals have a 3 year recertification window. This requires the credential holder to gain either practical, educational or leadership experience to maintain their certification.

My recertification window for my SPHR and GPHR opens on July 1 this year. I have 3 years to earn 30 hours of international, 15 hours of strategic and 15 hours of general credits. As many of my peers know, the strategic and international credits can be a challenge to get. I have found that getting the recertification credits completed as early as possible relieves my stress of cutting it close. I have known HR professionals who have lost their SPHR certification because they did not get enough strategic credit by the end of their window. For those who have taken these tests know that they probably never want to take them again – from studying to test anxiety the whole process can be exhausting and nerve wracking. I sure as heck will recertify!

In future posts, I will be posting ideas and thoughts to help get recertification credits. So stay tuned!

Don’t forget to CELEBRATE!