Human Resource Management

Human Resource deals with the recruitment of people, skill management, application of technical tools, adapting to change, addressing the employee’s benefits and retaining them. In other words it is a formal system designed to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals.

HR services cover “Recruit to Retire” and it is one of the most important departments that decide the quality, effectiveness, and success of the organization.

Human Resource Management is a way of employing Human capital and talents in an organization to achieve optimal efficacy.

Human Resource Management is a mode of nurturing employees’ abilities effectively and efficiently in order to meet the organizational demands.

Human Resource Management includes a variety of tasks such as handling labor relations – the crucial and highly sensitive negotiations between employees and management – the production of job descriptions, the monitoring of interplay between workers in order to design a more efficient employee management system, the compilation of benefits packages as well as a variety of other vital functions that relate directly to the employee workforce of the company.

Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI^®) offers core certification exams like Professional in Human Resources (PHR^®) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR^®) which enable a Human Resource Professional to gain mastery of the HR body of knowledge, apply it in the functional area and stay abreast of changes in the HR arena.

The Human Resource Certification Institute is an independent, internationally recognized certifying body for the HR profession.

HRCI is one of the largest professional associations in the area of Human Resource Management affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM]. HRCI’s perspective lies in redefining every HR professional in to a master of the HR’s essential, strategic role. It believes in serving the needs of HR professionals by providing updated knowledge and resources. It was founded in the year 1976 by the SHRM. More than 70,000 professionals have been awarded its Certification.

SPHR/PHR certification exams are offered by HRCI and are completely voluntary. These certifications help HR professional to acquire and demonstrate a complete knowledge of HR.

SPHR/PHR certification exams measure the knowledge of the HR professional in the field of HR. It covers every knowledge area of the HR arena which includes – Strategic management, Workforce planning and employment, Human Resource development, Total rewards, Employee and labor relations and Risk management.

SPHR/PHR certification exams cannot be taken simultaneously. The SPHR certification supplants or supersedes the PHR designation.

SPHR/PHR certification exams are multiple- choice in format, and consist of 200 scored questions plus 25 pretest questions randomly distributed throughout the exam (a total of 225 questions). Each question lists four possible answers, only one of which is the correct or “best possible answer.” Four hours are allotted to complete the exam. The questions on the PHR and SPHR examinations are divided into six functional areas of human resources– Strategic management, Workforce planning and employment, Human Resource development, Total rewards, Employee and labor relations and Risk management.

Individuals are certified of having met the standards of the credentialing organization and are also entitled to make their credentialed status public by using the initials of PHR or SPHR, followed by their names.

SPHR/PHR designations can be constant reminders for other peers and co-workers of the holder about his remarkable achievement. This accomplishment can come handy when applying for a job, earning a better appraisal and standing out among competitors.

SPHR/PHR designations are significant milestones one can achieve in his/her career. One has to attain them with lot of preparation and perseverance and once attained, through recertification he/she has to stay abreast of the developments in the HR field. So, the designations earned are highly esteemed by the society and the organizations.

To apply, the candidates should have at least two years of exempt-level human resource experience for PHR and a minimum of six to eight years of exempt-level human resource experience for the SPHR.

While selecting a particular certification, candidates should determine the certification which best suits their roles and responsibilities in their area of operations.

The candidate should genuinely assess his or her skills, knowledge and responsibilities in the HR functions while deciding on the certifications which would help him or her, and focus on a particular certification and prepare well for the exam.