How Long Does It Take To Get An HR Certification? Your In-Depth Answer
Obtaining an HR certification can boost pay by 31.6%, and increase the odds of receiving a promotion in 5 years at all job levels. So, how long does it take to get an HR certification?
Research suggests that completing an HR certification can boost pay and career prospects. In fact, furthering education via a certification program can improve an employee’s earning potential by as much as 44% over their career. In a competitive labor market, obtaining an HR certification can also help candidates stand out and boost their confidence and skills in the workplace.
So, if you’re an HR professional interested in taking an HR certification program, many options are available. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of HR certifications, their benefits, and how long it takes to get an HR certification so that you can start growing your HR career.
Contents
What is an HR certification?
HR certification vs. HR certificate
Types of HR certifications
Why get an HR certification?
Why get an AIHR HR certificate?
How long does it take to get an HR certification?
Top tips for starting and growing your HR career
The value of an HR certification
What is an HR certification?
An HR certification is a Human Resources credential that improves your knowledge, skills, and real-world experience across the various aspects of HR. This includes areas like diversity and inclusion, compensation and benefits, digital literacy, data and analytics, talent management, performance management, legal compliance, and more.
An HR certification can either be completed in person or online. This will typically include a series of teaching modules where you learn a set curriculum, followed by some form of exam or assessment to ensure you have integrated what you’ve learned.
HR certification vs. HR certificate
Although often used interchangeably, there is a difference between HR certifications and an HR certificate program.
- HR certificate programs are academic programs, usually consisting of several online courses that can be completed within a few months. Each program will typically have a specialization, such as HR management or compensation and benefits. A certificate program requires no prior academic experience (like a degree) to take.
- An HR certification is a professional credential offered by a private company within the field of HR. General HR certifications and more specialist ones are available in specific areas, such as D&I or data and analytics. Eligibility usually depends on the number of years of HR experience you have and the number of credits obtained from accredited certificate programs. Not all certificate programs offer eligibility for certification however, AIHR certificate programs do. Typically, you also need to pass an exam to obtain an HR certification.
HR tip
With AIHR, you can complete a certificate program in numerous areas, including an HR generalist program, people analytics, organizational development, and more. If you complete one or more of the AIHR certificate programs, you will be eligible for personal development credits (PDCs) from widely recognized organizations, including SHRM, HRCI, HRPA, and CPHR.
Types of HR certifications
There are various types of HR certifications to choose from that cover different areas of expertise and experience levels. Selecting the right Human Resource certification for you will depend on where you’re currently in your HR career and where you’d like to grow.
Here are some of the different types of HR certifications available.
- The Associate Professional in Human Resources certification (aPHR): The Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) offers certifications for those relatively new to HR and more experienced professionals. HR professionals are not required to have any previous work experience, which means it’s perfect for college students looking to carve out a career in HR, or anyone wanting to switch careers.
- The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM): The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) offers a competency-based HR certification program as well as more specialized certifications in departments such as immigration laws, inclusive culture and talent acquisition. This makes the SHRM a strong fit for HR generalists and those who are clear on a specific area of HR they want to gain knowledge in and pursue as a career path. This certification has a complex set of eligibility criteria.
- The Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP): The CHRP by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) is a great fit for Canadian students currently enrolled in HR studies or possessing a degree. Students must complete coursework in nine HR subject areas by completing classes across colleges and universities in Canada, followed by an exam.
- The Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR): To become a Chartered Professional in Human Resources, you must meet the requirements for membership in your CPHR Member Association, pass a national exam, complete a set of coursework and demonstrate a required level of work experience (at least three years within the past ten years).
- The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD): The CIPD is a professional body for HR and offers a variety of certifications and qualifications to suit all levels of HR professionals. The three levels are Foundation Certificate, Associate Diploma, and Advanced Diploma. These qualifications are taught by external study centers but awarded by the CIPD.
Why get an HR certification?
There are many advantages to completing HR courses and certifications, whether you’re new to HR or an experienced professional with many years under your belt. While it can’t guarantee a better job or faster career progression, it can help. Here are some of the main benefits of completing an HR certification:
- Improves your job prospects: Organizations often list specific HR qualifications on job descriptions for various HR roles, particularly in senior positions. Not only does an HR certification help you meet job criteria, but it can also help you stand out from other candidates.
- Shows that you have proven expertise: Having an HR certification proves to your (potential) employer that you have HR knowledge and expertise and enhances your professional credibility and reputation.
- Demonstrates a growth mindset: People who go out of their way to complete additional courses, training, and certifications in their field of work show employers that they have a growth mindset and enjoy learning new things and challenging themselves.
- Improves your skills: An HR certification will build your skill set, which not only helps you become more competent at your job but also means you are able to make greater contributions to your organization.
- Boosts your confidence: A deep understanding of various HR practices can increase your confidence at work, leaving you feeling happier and leading to better performance.
Why get an AIHR HR certificate?
With all the types of HR certifications available, why should you choose to complete an HR certification online with AIHR?
Here are the benefits of choosing us:
- AIHR is accredited by the world’s leading organizations for HR professional development. If you complete one of our globally recognized certificate programs, you will be eligible for personal development credits from SHRM, HRCI, HRPA, and CPHR. The number of credits each certificate program is worth can be found on the program page.
- Wide range of topics available: With over a dozen different certificate programs that cover a variety of topics, there will be one to suit your personal needs and interests.
- Study at your own pace: All of our online programs are completely self-paced so that you can fit your learning around your existing work commitments and responsibilities. With 12 months of access to the course, you can rest assured that you’ll have time to complete it.
- Bite-sized learning library: Learn more in less time with bit-sized knowledge for busy minds. You can get comfortable with a new topic in as little as 10 minutes.
- HR resource library: You will have access to hundreds of off-the-shelf templates, playbooks, and tools to use in your current job (or in a future role).
- Learning coach: All AIHR courses come with the option to study with a learning coach to give you the extra support and accountability you need to complete your certification.
- Career center: You can fast-track your personal growth with our powerful career mapping and feedback tools.
- Live events: Enrolling in one of our certificate programs also includes live events and access to on-demand recordings so you can stay up to date with current HR trends and innovations.
- Worldwide community: Every student will gain access to our worldwide community of HR professionals and industry experts, which is a brilliant place to network, discuss, and gain new perspectives from your peers.
How long does it take to get an HR certification?
| AIHR certificate program | Type of program | Contents of certification | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| People Analytics | Online self-paced | • Learn how HR Analytics can be used to drive business value. • Get hands-on by analyzing PeopleDdata in Excel. • Build interactive HR dashboards and reports in Microsoft PowerBI. • Earn your certificate with the capstone project by completing a real-world case. | 33.5 hours 11 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| HR Generalist | Online self-paced | • Learn how HR processes keep your organization running. • Get hands-on by developing your own strategic HR function. • Create HR end-to-end HR process, from recruitment to employee engagement. • Earn your certificate with the capstone project by completing a real-world case. | 31.5 hours 10 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| Digital HR Transformation | Online self-paced | • Gain a deep understanding of business, organizational design, and HR operating models. • Learn to align HR strategies with business goals and clearly contribute to the bottom line. • Become a culture champion, drive change, get buy-in, and build trust. • Design and implement an agile and project-based approach to HR. | 26.5 hours 12 weeks at 2 hours/week |
| HR Manager | Online self-paced | • Get the Organizational Development expertise you need to future-proof your organization. • Create and sustain an organizational culture and successfully implement culture change. • Build your own Organizational Design program, from OD models to data gathering. • Connect and communicate effectively with key stakeholders when implementing OD interventions. | 20 hours 10 weeks at 2 hours/week |
| HR Business Partner 2.0 | Online self-paced | • Boost your business acumen to identify strategic challenges in the business. • Develop essential consulting skills such as analysis, networking, storytelling, and presenting. • Learn to apply employee experience techniques to improve interactions with the business. • Develop data literacy skills and learn to use data to drive fact-based people decisions. | 42 hours 15 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| Compensation & Benefits | Online self-paced | • Understand the process of shaping a Total Rewards Strategy from benefits plans to wellbeing. • Dive into the job evaluation and grading process and study various aspects of pay. • Discover how sales compensation impacts the business and how to define the sales pay structure. • Interpret data to identify pay gaps and draft an action plan towards pay equity. | 27.5 hours 10 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| Diversity & Inclusion | Online self-paced | • Master the key aspects of diversity and inclusion 2.0. • Recognize and overcome biases by mastering inclusive conversational skills and strategies. • Solve cultural conflicts and dilemmas arising from intercultural differences. • Learn to successfully implement and manage cultural changes. | 32 hours 11 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| HR Metrics & Dashboarding | Online self-paced | • Learn to create and implement HR metrics aligned with your organization’s strategy. • Learn to communicate data effectively with compelling reports and storytelling techniques. • Develop the skills to analyze HR data in Excel and build intuitive dashboards. • Apply the basics of strategic workforce planning (SWP) and build reports on succession planning. | 28 hours 10 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| Learning & Development | Online self-paced | • Design and implement an L&D strategy aligned with key business priorities. • Pinpoint crucial skills gaps and provide effective learning interventions. • Learn to implement coaching in your organization and support behavioral change. • Use learning analytics to measure the impact of learning interventions. | 23.5 hours 10 weeks at 2 hours/week |
| Organizational Development | Online self-paced | • Get the Organizational Development expertise you need to future-proof your organization. • Create and sustain an organizational culture and successfully implement culture change. • Build your own Organizational Design program, from OD models to data gathering. • Connect and communicate effectively with key stakeholders when implementing OD interventions. | 31 hours 10 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| Strategic Talent Acquisition | Online self-paced | • Create and implement a talent acquisition strategy integrated with business priorities and HR processes. • Build, integrate, and effectively communicate an EVP that will resonate with your ideal talent. • Master holistic talent acquisition management to optimize the employee lifecycle. • Keep top candidates engaged and enthusiastic with a memorable candidate experience. • Master sprint recruiting to improve vacancy prioritization, hiring manager accountability, and candidate experience. | 28 hours 10 weeks at 3 hours/week |
| Talent Management & Succession Planning | Online self-paced | • Learn how to proactively manage the talent pipeline to support business continuity. • Master methods to identify, develop, and engage tomorrow’s leaders. • Understand how to use talent data and reports to optimize talent management practices. • Earn your certificate with the capstone project by completing a real-world case. | 25 hours 10 weeks at 2.5 hours/week |
| Additional programs | Type of program | Contents of certification | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHRM certification | Study independently or with an instructor and earn your HR certification online with remote or in-person testing. | • Leadership success • Organizational strategy • Implementing HR policies • Supporting day-to-day HR functions • HR policies development • HR operations execution • Organizational strategy alignment. | Self-study plus a 4 hour exam |
| Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) | Complete the exam in person at a testing center or online with remote proctoring. | • Employee and labor relations • Business management • Talent planning and acquisition • Total rewards • Learning and development | Self-study plus a 2hr 15 minute exam |
| Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) | Virtual webinars carried out over 3 days | • A wide range of specialist courses to choose from | Each module includes a live 2 to 3-hour Instructor Training session, as well as a take-home assignment. 4 modules carried out over the course of 3 days, followed by an assessment. |
| Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) | Combination of work experience and assessment. | The requirements to become a Chartered Professional in Human Resources are: • Membership • Knowledge • Education • Experience • Professional Conduct | CPHR candidates must demonstrate a minimum of 3 years of HR work experience in the last 10 years.Must pass The National Knowledge Exam to be considered a candidate for certification |
Top tips for starting and growing your HR career
- Invest in your education: Consider getting a bachelor’s degree in HR or a relevant discipline and take courses in HR subject areas that interest you.
- Gain relevant experience: Apply for HR internships and mentorships that can help you gain a foot in the door and develop practical work experience.
- Use AIHR’s Career Path Tool: If you don’t yet have an HR career goal in mind, use our career path tool to focus on the skills and experience you’d like to gain and see which roles would help you do so.
- Apply for entry-level HR positions: If you’re just starting your HR career, apply for entry-level roles such as HR assistant or coordinator and highlight any relevant work experience, skills, and certifications.
- Continue to learn and grow: Take online courses, complete certifications, read blogs and newsletters, listen to podcasts, and attend industry events.
The value of an HR certification
Getting an HR certification can help you build on essential skills and competencies that will make you more competent and confident at work, improve your earning and promotion potential, and challenge you in your career. With a wide range of HR certifications to choose from, be sure to select a program that suits your needs and budget.
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