Are Professional Certifications Worth the Challenge?
by Lois MelbourneMany industries make certifications available to help expand the knowledge of their industry members, provide status to those who have proven their knowledge, and give employers a benchmark standard for measuring employee candidates. The Human Resource Industry provides certifications for the various practitioners, and now there will be a new one specifically for the HR technology practitioner. IHRIM (International Human Resource Information Managers) is setting the standard for Professionals in HR Information Systems. The first practice exams take place April 18 and 19, 2009 in San Diego, in conjunction with the IHRIM conference.
I personally pursued the GPHR (Global Professional in HR) certification last year for several reasons. I wanted to:
- Delve deeper into areas of global human resources.
- Motivate myself to meet a deadline to achieve the first level of education, i.e. the TEST.
- Prove that I could do it.
The test was hard; but I passed it the first time (for those of you who have not taken these types of tests, that is an accomplishment). I absolutely loved it!
I am proud of my certification. GPHR certification:
- Validated my knowledge.
- Taught me many new things.
- Allowed me to create a frame of reference when talking to other global professionals in HR.
- Allowed me to connect with others who are also certified, because I know there are similarities enough in our world that we should know each other just because we have the same certification.
I encourage you to pursue industry certification – so look into the new certification by IHRIM. You can ask for more information through certification@ihrim.org. It’s good for you!
Cheers,
Lois
You may also like...
Related Blog Post
Ready to Network at HR Conferences?Related Blog Post
Sharing HR Technology Ideas
