• HR professionals have a wide range of responsibilities, and there are different ranks of HR employees. If you want to move up in the ranks of the HR department, an HR certification may be the key.
• HR certification is an ideal way for employers to gauge employee performance and dedication to keeping up with HR trends. Employers may also offer higher pay and higher employee ranking to those with an HR certification.

• When deciding to earn an HR certification, understand the different types of certification options as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each type of HR certification.

There is a broad range of responsibilities that fall to HR professionals. The right certification can help you rise in the ranks.

Many of us think of HR as the people in charge of filling open positions within an organization, but it’s much more than that. Talent acquisition is just one aspect; many HR professionals are also tasked with employee onboarding and training, gauging performance, administration of employee compensation and benefits, and higher-level policy and strategy development. These responsibilities are integral to the success of an organization, and achieving a respected certification helps you prove you’ve got the chops to handle the job.

Benefits of HR certification

Earning an HR certification is an ideal way to show professional achievements, which may also help with career advancements. HR certification provides many benefits for both employees and employers:

Employee benefits

• HR certification provides employee dedication to their HR career as well as their interest in staying updated with the latest trends.
• Certification provides a perception of competency, qualifications and that the person is capable of performing at a higher level.
• HR certification helps with group decision-making among peers because the certified employee’s feedback may be given more consideration.
• Employees with HR certification are often considered for better opportunities, higher salary and company advancements.

Employer benefits

• Certification allows for easier selection when finding qualified candidates for an HR position.
• HR certification can help organizations determine whether an employee can perform at an acceptable level within their position.
• Certifications encourage employees to perform in a better way with skills that are up to date. 

Top 5 certifications, by the numbers

The following table lists top HR and talent acquisition certifications and the number of open positions on a single day that call for the certification specifically or experience with the subject matter. This isn’t a scientific analysis in which every job description is examined, just an overall glance at search numbers.

Job site search results

The following sections provide details of the top HR and talent acquisition certifications according to job site searches as well as other certifications that didn’t make the top five but are still noteworthy.

Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP)

The Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly the American Society for Training & Development, claims to be the world’s largest association geared toward the training and development profession. ATD offers the CPLP and the newer Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) credentials.

To qualify for the CPLP, you must have four to five years of work experience, depending on your level of education. CPLP certification requires you to pass a knowledge test and a skills application exam. ATD members pay a $900 registration fee; the nonmember cost is $1,250. See the CPLP Candidate Handbook for complete details.

Professional in Human Resources (PHR)

The PHR, offered by the HR Certification Institute (HRCI), aims at those responsible for HR management and program implementation while ensuring adherence to applicable U.S. laws and regulations.

The three-hour PHR exam, available through Prometric, covers workforce planning and employment, employee and labor relations, compensation and benefits, HR development, business management and strategy, and risk management. You must have at least one year of professional HR experience with a master’s degree, two years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, or four years with a high school diploma. The single test costs $395 plus a $100 application fee, and the certification is valid for three years.

Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

Another HRCI certification, the SPHR, covers many of the same Topics as the PHR, but with a focus on strategy and policymaking. The experience requirements are more stringent: Candidates must have at least four years of professional HR experience and a master’s degree, or increasing levels of experience with a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma. As with the PHR, candidates must pay a $100 application fee and $395 for the exam.

SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)

The Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM, is a member-based organization that offers two competency-based certifications: the SHRM-CP and the SHRM-SCP, which is covered in the next section.

In addition to usual HR tasks, a SHRM-CP must understand policy implementation and strategy and service delivery. The SHRM-CP has specific work/education requirements, starting with three or four years of experience for those with less than a bachelor’s degree. (See the SHRM-CP page for details.) The four-hour test has 160 questions, which include a mix of knowledge items and situational judgment items. The test is available during two annual windows of time – spring and winter – and SHRM members pay $300 (the nonmember price is $400).

Senior SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

The SHRM-SCP recognizes HR professionals with advanced knowledge of HR strategy, particularly how those strategies meet organizational goals. An SHRM-SCP acts as an HR lead and is experienced in dealing with employee performance metrics and alignment with key performance indicators (KPIs).

Work/education requirements for the SHRM-SCP start with six or seven years of experience for those with less than a bachelor’s degree. The rest of the details, such as test length, number of questions and cost, are the same as for the SHRM-CP.

What else?

AIRS offers the Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR), the organization’s most widely recognized talent acquisition credential, and a number of other certifications, including the Advanced Certified Internet Recruiter (ACIR) and the Professional Recruiter Certification (PRC).

Some other sources of HR and talent acquisition certifications are the Talent Management Institute, the National Association for Health Care Recruitment and the National Association of Personnel Services. Even LinkedIn has its own credential, the LinkedIn Certified Professional – Recruiter. It hasn’t gained a lot of traction on job search sites yet (even LinkedIn Jobs), but that may be due in part to its lack of a unique abbreviation. If you use the LinkedIn Recruiter tool a lot, keep your eye on this one.

• Your employee hiring process should be methodical and well thought out.
• Prepare for the process by researching market hiring conditions and getting all of the proper paperwork in order.
• Once you start the process, consider the exact role you are hiring for and how much you are willing to negotiate once you make an offer.
• This article is for business owners and hiring managers who are looking to hire new employees and want a complete guide to a successful hiring process. 

The employee hiring process is lengthy and detailed. If you do it right, you’ll find and hire high-quality candidates who stick around and represent your business the way you want. As a small business owner, you might not know where to begin with hiring if you don’t have experience in HR, as many small business owners don’t. Keep practicing for expert advice on hiring employees.

Preparing your business for hiring employees

Whether you’re on your first hire or your thousandth, you should have a defined process in place for recruiting and onboarding. Over time, it will become more streamlined as you gain hiring experience and tweak your standard operating procedures accordingly. With any hire, take these steps to get your business ready for the new employee.

1. Do your research.

Rich Deosingh, district president for the Robert Half office in Midtown, New York, suggests researching the local market before even looking at open roles within your company.

“Research who is hiring, what the economic landscape is in your region, and review other job postings,” Deosingh told Business News Daily. “It will supply you an idea of things like salary and competition in the market – who else is looking for someone with these particular skill sets?”

Once you know that, you can tailor the rest of your hiring process to fit what others are doing – or go in the other direction and stand out so job candidates will be more intrigued by your company than by others.

2. Get your paperwork in order.

In some cases, your paperwork could be one-and-done, where you create a template and plug in the necessary information for each new hire. In other cases, you can completely automate the process.

These are some of the forms that new-hire paperwork can include.

• W-4: This helps you figure out the correct amount of taxes to withhold from each paycheck.
• I-9: This verifies the employment eligibility of the new hire.
• Direct deposit form: This gives you an employee’s banking information for easier and faster payment.
• Non-compete agreement: A non-compete agreement will usually specify an amount of time that the employee is barred from working for, being a consultant for, and conducting other activities for a company that conducts similar business to yours.
• Employee handbook: An employee handbook lays out the company’s mission, vision, policies, dress code, code of conduct and so on.
• Acknowledgment form: On this form, the new employee confirms that they have read and understood all the necessary documents.
• Consent to drug testing: Some companies require new hires to consent to drug testing prior to employment, and to agree to random drug testing for the duration of their employment.

Jennifer Walden, director of operations at WikiLawn, said that her company has added a home network security checklist, with a field for the employee to let the company know if they’ll need new hardware to ensure a secure network. “And we make sure new employees have login info ready to go, as well as contact information for anyone they’ll be working with frequently.”

It’s a lot of paperwork, but it’s all necessary. The good news is that there are online resources available to make the paperwork easier for you or your hiring manager.

“Use an HRIS (human resources information system) like Gusto, ADP or Paycom that provides the HR back-end paperwork to the employee in a self-service mode,” said Laura Handrick, HR professional at Choosing Therapy. “There’s no reason a human should be shuffling paper these days. Online systems with e-signature streamline the paperwork for you, ensuring data is captured accurately, and saving everyone (including the new hire) time.”

FYI: The best HR software on the market will have features to help you streamline employee paperwork and onboarding. You can read our review of Gusto and our Paychex Flex review to learn about some of the best options.

No matter what system you use, the key is having it ready before you start the hiring process.

“All of these items should be prepared beforehand and easily accessible online,” Deosingh said. “Communication before the first day is key – if you need the new hire to provide paperwork or identification, it should be noted ahead of time.”

Matthew Dailly, managing director of Tiger Financial, agreed with Deosingh. “Using previous hires as a template, look over all the information gathered from them, and then update or add more important documents that have been implemented since,” he added.

3. Outsource if you need to.

Not every small business has an HR department, or even someone on staff who is familiar with HR processes, and that’s OK. It’s better to find someone who can do the job well than to consistently make mistakes in hiring and end up with high turnover or employees who aren’t the right fit.

“For businesses that have an HR department of one, utilizing outsourced resources for recruiting, payroll, benefits administration, etc. can be very helpful to handle the heavy lifting of compliance and reporting requirements for new employees, as well as the current employee base of the company,” said Karen L. Roberts, SHRM-SCP and director of human resources at Flaster Greenberg PC.

One of the best tips for hiring is to leave it to the professionals and partner with a top-rated HR outsourcing service. “Don’t delegate hiring to an untrained supervisor,” Handrick said. “Interviewing, and being able to discern talent, is a skill.”

Step-by-step process to hire employees

Follow these steps for an effective hiring process.

1. Evaluate which positions you need to fill.

Sonya Schwartz, founder of Her Norm, said this step is important to prevent redundancy of positions in the company.

“The best thing you can do is approach the process with the mindset of filling needs, not desks,” Deosingh added. “You are looking for the best person to fill a specific need, not just getting someone in and calling it a day.”

2. Figure out your recruiting strategy.

With recruiting, you always have options. Dailly suggests first figuring out whether you are going to use a recruiting firm. “If not, state on job recruitment forms ‘no agencies, please,’ as this will save a ton of incoming sales calls.”

You may also want to have your current employees tap into their networks.

While the hiring process can be lengthy, you still want to make sure you find the right candidate for the specific job you are hiring for. That doesn’t always mean choosing the best candidate overall.

“Recruiters and hiring managers should take their time to find the best candidate for the role and not settle for the best candidate in the applicant pool,” said Lori Rassas, HR consultant, executive coach and author of The Perpetual Paycheck. “If you interview 10 candidates and none are a fit to their role, there will likely be pressure to just pick the best candidate. Hiring managers should resist this pressure and go back to the hiring pool to secure other candidates.”

3. Write the job description.

Before posting a job, confer with your team managers about the ideal candidate for the job to get a good idea of exactly what you need. It’s also good practice to make existing employees aware of the opening. Write a job description that matches what you are looking for, including details such as job requirements, responsibilities and expectations. Include information regarding your core values and company culture so you can find the right cultural fit.

Dailly said that you should also determine the salary so you can state it in the job description and not recruit under- or overqualified candidates.

“In some situations, hiring managers are less than upfront about exactly what challenges the candidate will face, and this leads to mistrust, high turnover and an overall negative impact on workplace culture,” Rassas said. “But that can be prevented by being explicit with what is expected of the person filling the role and making sure the candidates you’ve chosen can fulfill it.”

4. Post your job opening.

Most businesses use career websites to advertise a new job opening. Start by listing the job on your company website to reach a targeted audience. If you want to widen your reach, turn to free and paid online career classifieds. Here are some job posting sites to consider.

• CareerBuilder: Established more than two decades ago, CareerBuilder provides resources for employees and employers, including localized search capacity. The site advertises to more than 80 million job seekers around the globe who use its database to search for positions. The posting price is low and based on the number of positions you are hiring for your company.
• Monster: On Monster, job seekers can search by location, skill set, keywords and job title. The company has added new features, like video, to make classifieds stand out. Pricing varies by hiring needs and company size.
• ZipRecruiter: On ZipRecruiter, you can create a hiring account for free. ZipRecruiter has innovative matching tools to help you find the right talent for your job posting. All communications are managed on the platform.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn has a huge candidate base with more than 690 million users. Job postings are free, but the site charges you to use more comprehensive recruiting tools.  

Tip: Avoid unregulated websites like Craigslist, since you may only receive spam emails and calls instead of high-quality applications.

5. Sift through applicants.

“When we select and hire our employees … we’ll usually advertise [the job posting] to target specific groups for certain skill sets,” Walden said. “Applications are sent in, and we look through resumes first to immediately rule out anyone who’s just completely unqualified or not what we’re looking for. If we’re on the fence, we read cover letters and narrow down the pool.”

If you can’t find the right candidate for your job opening from the current applicant pool, you may need to revisit your job description.

“If you are not seeing the right type of candidate, pivot so you do see the best candidates,” Rassas said. “Yes, work is probably piling up, and yes, you want to get a candidate in the role right away, but a bit more effort on the hiring process before extending the offer is going to save you a lot of time in the long run.”

6. Interview the most qualified candidates.

Before interviewing the candidates, supply them enough notice to make sure you get the best out of them.

“Inform the applicant about the interview ahead of time so he/she could prepare more,” Schwartz said. “This will allow you to know the applicant better and to know if they are a perfect fit for the role, because you have given them the time to prepare.”

Walden said the first round of interviews at WikiLawn comes after they narrow down the applicant pool even further. Then, they follow up with a second round of interviews.

“Whether it is in person or virtual, [the interview] remains the most important part of the hiring journey,” Deosingh said. “It is when you get to ask the necessary questions and ideally form a bond with the candidate.”

Did you know? Some interview questions are illegal. Brush up on the types of interview questions you should and shouldn’t be asking ahead of time.

7. Follow up with the interviewees.

This stage isn’t just for calling or emailing the applicants. Deosingh said post-interview evaluation is also important.

“Don’t fall victim to the halo effect and be blinded by any potential weaknesses,” he said. “Maintain perspective and take everything into account – not just the interview or resume but the totality of what you’ve seen. Get input from others, but limit it to a small group to avoid brain drain.”

Follow-up can take many forms. It might be as simple as a thank-you note for the interviewee’s time, all the way up to a formal job offer.

8. Extend the job offer.

If you’ve interviewed a lot of people and found high-quality candidates for the position, you want to move quickly.

“Don’t delay in making a decision,” Deosingh said. “Make sure all the stakeholders (if applicable) are available to interview and supply feedback in a timely fashion. The demand for skilled employees is still high, and you can lose a potential hire to other opportunities if you delay.” [Read related article: How to Write a Job Offer Letter]

The exact offer you extend also matters.

“Make sure to supply an irresistible job offer,” Schwartz said. “Most high-quality employees demand higher pay and good benefits.”

FYI: Offering a competitive employee benefits package not only helps you attract top talent, but can also increase employee retention.

Regardless of how good you think the offer is, prepare for some negotiation on salary and employee benefits.

“Allow the potential employee to think about your offer, and if he/she doesn’t agree, try to negotiate,” Schwartz said. “Negotiation should always be a win-win situation.” 

9. Conduct a background check.

A final step you should consider is conducting a background check to ensure there are no significant red flags before bringing the person into your workplace.

“If you think the prospective applicant suits the position you require, you can do a background check,” Schwartz said. “This will confirm the decision you made.”

Hiring remote employees

Hiring remote workers has become common for businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and it comes with its own set of challenges. When funneling remote candidates through the hiring process, you’ll need to make a few adjustments.

“While the core principles of onboarding remain the same, there are differences,” Deosingh said. “They cannot see your physical space. Much of the onboarding process includes the opportunity to see the space and get acclimated to the physical location.”

These are some ways to adapt the process for remote hires to keep them engaged:

1. Set the employee up before their first day. When looking at technology specifically, make sure their employee credentials and logins are all set and that they have all the equipment they need before day one.
2. Give them an enthusiastic welcome. This might sound basic, but it can go a long way. Set up a video introduction with the new hire’s team so they feel welcome. Remember, they are entering your organization at a much different point from where others have started in the past. Make them feel welcome even if you can’t be in the same physical location.
3. Be available. It’s easy to say you’re available while overlooking it in practice. Your new hire will undoubtedly have questions. If they can’t walk to your office or lean over and ask their teammates, they have to feel comfortable reaching out over remote communication channels. Over-communicating information and making yourself available and open to questions is crucial if you’re onboarding new hires remotely. 

Deosingh also said it’s important to provide a thorough and clear online guide, since the new employee will not have handouts or physical paperwork with them.

Bringing on your new employee

These are the five most important aspects of onboarding, according to Deosingh:

1. Provide an orientation. It might be remote, but a broad overview of the company is important for any new hire to hear.
2. Explain your company’s core values and expectations. This is always important when you embark on a journey with a new hire. The sooner you set expectations, the better off your company and your new employee will be.
3. Go over job responsibilities. You have likely covered a lot of this during the interview process, but it is helpful to go into more detail about employee expectations now that they have the job.
4. Give them a starting project. Many new hires are eager to get started. Instead of having them sit through orientations and company overviews at the beginning, supply them something to sink their teeth into right away.
5. Assign a mentor. Find a mentor in a similar position to the new employee’s role to supply them someone who can answer their questions and steer them in the right direction.

Roberts said her company’s onboarding process starts with a welcome package (an offer letter, new-hire paperwork, benefits information and employee handbook) and carries through orientation and training to the employee’s first day performing their new duties.

“It should include introductions to key staff members, employer resources, office tours, etc., [anything] that will help a new hire assimilate to their new role as a member of your team,” she said.

According to Schwartz, onboarding should also consist of any necessary personal data encoding, an explanation of your company’s mission and vision, training on your standard operating procedures, and issuance of supplies and uniforms, if any.

“Onboarding is about first impressions and engaging the new hire in their commitment to work with your firm,” Handrick said. “It’s much more than paperwork.” She added that you should map out, in a checklist format, every task and activity necessary to help the new hire feel welcome, be productive, and want to stay.

Handrick also noted that, while first-week activities tend to focus on paperwork, the real value of onboarding is what happens in the first 30-90 days and its effects going forward.

Key takeaway: The hiring process doesn’t stop once an offer has been accepted. You need to spend time properly onboarding and training new employees to help them hit the ground running.

Skye Schooley contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Some source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

One of the most potentially lucrative fields in the realm of human resources is that of corporate trainer or training specialist. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, corporate training and development specialists earn a median wage of $59,000 while training and development managers can expect median earnings of more than $100,000 with the top tier earning almost $185,000. Depending on the job role, corporate training-related positions are expected to grow between 10 and 11 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is higher than the national average.

Corporate trainers assess organizational learning and training requirements, create training materials and solutions designed to fulfill those needs, and then deliver the training. In addition, corporate trainers evaluate training effectiveness and may perform administrative tasks, including class scheduling and enrollment management, along with monitoring the costs of training. At the managerial level, corporate trainers ensure training programs align with organizational goals, review training and related materials, select the delivery format, and conduct train-the-trainer sessions. Managerial trainers frequently oversee a staff of corporate trainers and may have advanced administrative duties.

Professionals working in corporate training and development environments need a variety of skills ranging from instructional design to change management to organizational leadership. Excellent communication and presentation skills are a plus along with related soft skills and a knowledge of HR environments.

Top 5 certifications, by the numbers

In researching training and development certifications, we found that most employers look for a combination of human resource (HR) and training-based certifications. The following table lists the top five certifications most commonly requested by employers for training and development job roles. The numbers are a snapshot in time and reflect the number of open positions found on the specific day the job search was conducted.

Job Site Search Results

ATD:  Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP)

The ATD Certification Institute (ATD CI) is the credentialing arm of the Association for Talent Development (ATD). Its premier talent development and training credential is the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP). The CPLP validates a candidate’s skill across six foundational competencies (personal, interpersonal and business skills, technology literacy, global mindsets and industry knowledge) along with 10 additional areas of expertise, or AOEs. AOEs include knowledge management, managing learning programs, learning impact evaluation, learning technologies, training delivery, instructional design, performance improvement, change management, coaching and integrated talent management.

To earn the CPLP, candidates must pass both a knowledge-based and skills exam. test fees are $900 for members and $1,250 for nonmembers (fee includes both exams). In addition, candidates must possess either five years of full-time experience working in talent development or four-years’ talent development experience plus an additional year of college in a talent development related field or four years’ experience plus completion of an ATD Master Series program.

HRCI:  Professional in Human Resources (PHR)

The most requested certification in the job board numbers was the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). PHR professionals are implementers. It’s the PHR team member who understands the logistics involved to turn plans into reality and implement organization programs (or training) and solutions. PHR responsibilities may be localized to a departmental level rather than the entire corporate organization.

To earn the credential, candidates must pass a single test plus meet one of the following education and experience requirements:

• A high school diploma plus four years of professional HR experience
• A bachelor’s degree plus two years of professional HR experience; or
• A Master’s degree plus one year of professional HR experience.

The test fee is $395 with an additional $100 application fee. Some 60 recertification credits are required during a three-year period to maintain the credential.

HRCI:  Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

Coming in at the number two slot is HRCI’s Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). The SPHR targets senior practitioners who are well versed in all facets of HR. SPHR credential holders are typically engaged in planning, designing, and creating policies, goals, and programs at the organizational level.

To earn the SPHR, candidates must pass a single test plus meet the prerequisite education and experience requirements. The test fee is $495, and there’s an additional $100 application fee. To fulfill the prerequisite requirements, candidates must possess a:

• Master’s degree plus four years of HR experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree plus five years of HR experience; or
• High school diploma plus seven years of HR experience

As with the PHR, 60 recertification credits are required during a three-year period to maintain certification.

SHRM:  Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a global leader in HR competencies. It currently offers two credentials: the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), which is geared to entry-level professionals, and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), which targets senior practitioners. Both credentials are well recognized by employers and made the top five list. SHRM validates skills against eight competencies in three target areas:

• Leadership – including ethical practices and leadership and navigation
• Interpersonal – targeting communication skills, managing relationships and effectiveness in working with global cultures
• Business – targeting critical evaluations, business acumen and consultative skills

To earn the SHRM-CP credential, candidates must pass a single test plus meet the prerequisite experience requirements. The test fee is $300 for SHSRM members and $400 for nonmembers. This includes a $50 non-refundable application fee. Experience requirements are tied to three factors:  the amount of education a candidate possesses, the amount of direct HR-related experience possessed and if the degree was in an HR-related field.

• No degree: Candidates who do not possess either a bachelor’s or Master’s degree but who have been a part of an HR-related program need three years’ experience in an HR role. Candidates who have not studied in an HR program must possess four years’ HR experience.
• Bachelor’s degree: Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in an HR-related field need one year of HR experience, but those with non-HR degrees must have a minimum of two years in an HR-related role.
• Master’s degree or higher: Candidates with a graduate level degree in an HR-related field are only required to be currently employed in an HR-role to gain the credential while those who possess graduate degrees in non-HR fields must possess at least one-year of HR experience.

Sixty professional development units (PDUs) during a three-year cycle are required to maintain the credential.

SHRM: Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

Also making an appearance in the top five list is SHRM’s Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). This credential targets senior-level HR professionals who exemplify leadership and can influence and implement organization goals.

As with the SHRM-CP credential, the SHRM-SCP requires candidates to pass a single test and possess the required prerequisite education and skills. test fees are $300 for members and $400 for nonmembers. Because this is a senior-level credential, the experience requirements are more stringent than are required for the SHRM-SCP.

• No degree:  Six years of experience is required if the candidate has participated in an HR-related program while seven years of experience is required for those who have not been involved in an HR-related program.
• Bachelor’s degree: Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in an HR-related field take four years of experience while those with a non-HR related degree need five years.
• Master’s degree: Candidates who possess a graduate degree in an HR-related field need a minimum of three years’ experience in an HR role while those with a graduate degree in another field must possess at least four years’ experience.

As with the SHRM-CP, 60 PDUs are required every three years to maintain credential currency.

What Else?

While they didn’t make the top five list, we found other interesting related certifications. The International Society for Performance Improvement’s (ISPI) offers the Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) for professionals interested specifically in performance improvement. For professionals who don’t meet the requirements for the CPLP, ATD offers an Associate Professional Talent Development (APTD) credential along with a Master Trainer Program credential that allows professional to focus on a particular area of interest.

Several universities offer professional development courses in executive coaching and corporate training. Some of the examples we found included an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies and leadership coaching courses from the Harvard University Extension School of Professional Development. Dale Carnegie Training also offers a Corporate Training Certificate program.

The employee survey is a commonly used HR tool to gauge employee sentiment around a wide range of issues related to work experience — from management practices to development opportunities, to communications, pay and benefits, and more.

But while these surveys certainly have value, the results they generate really don't get at a very fundamental element of the employee experience. Namely, would they recommend the company they work for to others?

HR professionals have long known the value of employee referrals when it comes to finding job candidates. Existing employees aren't likely to refer someone who they don't feel would be a good employee or a good fit, so this pool of candidates can be especially productive.

In addition, though, there's another reason that recommendations really matter, and it comes from our colleagues in marketing — the Net Promoter Score — or NPS.

NPS and How It Works in Marketing

In marketing circles, NPS relates to the scientifically demonstrated correlation between customers' or consumers' willingness to recommend a product, company or brand to others.

It's a metric that was introduced in 2003 by Fred Reichheld with Bain & Company — and one that has been widely used by companies ranging from State Farm to Vanguard and Chick-fil-A, according to a Harvard Business Review article titled "The One Number You Need to Know."

And that's exactly what the NPS is — one number that provides an easy measure of customer loyalty. Based on the simple question — "Would you recommend?" — and a 0-10-pt scale, with 10 being highest, the NPS has been shown to be highly correlated with customer loyalty.

And, in more recent years, with employee loyalty as well.

Employee NPS and Its Value for HR

The employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), asks a similar question of employees: "On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work?"

It's one thing for an employee to "agree" that their manager manages well, their pay and benefits are good, and they have opportunities for training and development. It's another thing entirely for them to say, "Yes, I would recommend this company as a great place to work!"

That's what makes the eNPS so powerful.

When companies use eNPS, they consider their results in terms of promoters, detractors and those who are neutral. Like other types of surveys and polls, the goal is to establish a baseline and then work to Strengthen that baseline score through regular monitoring and actions designed to move the needle.

Finding the Right Cadence for eNPS and Employee Satisfaction Measurement

While the eNPS can be a powerful metric, it obviously doesn't drill down into all the details your organization will want to know about employee satisfaction, engagement and employee experience. You'll still want to gather additional information through your traditional employee satisfaction or engagement surveys.

But you can incorporate the eNPS into that process. Here's one way to do that:

• Conduct a formal employee survey twice a year that contains an eNPS question.
• During quarters when the employee survey is not being done, do a pulse survey that might go out to 30%-40% of your employees to provide directional data about how things are going.

Tracking and trending this data on an ongoing basis and using it to work with business leaders and managers to make adjustments can help organizations stay continually attuned to the climate of the employee experience.

Turning Data Into Action

The combination of employee satisfaction and eNPS data, along with the anonymous comments received as part of the employee survey, provide rich insights. These insights can be used to work with business leaders and managers to help identify positive trends as well as opportunities for improvement.

Keep in mind that if you ask the right demographic questions in your surveys — e.g., sex, age, race/ethnicity, length of service, division, department, location, etc., you will be able to drill down into the data to identify areas where they may be differences in sentiment or perspectives.

For instance, do employees who have been with the company longer feel more positively about the company? Do different generations have different perspectives? Are certain divisions or departments excelling or needing improvement in specific areas?

This kind of detailed data, along with open-ended comments, can provide HR leaders with both objective and subjective inputs to be used as a starting point for powerful conversations. For instance:

• Here are the top three areas where you're performing well; here are the bottom three which represent areas of opportunity for improvement. How can we close those gaps?
• Here are some interesting comments from employees that might suggest a theme. Let's have a focus group or some conversations with employees to gather more input.
• Here's an area where you're performing at a higher level than any other business unit. Let's identify some best practices that can be shared with other business unit leaders.

Employee satisfaction survey results don't tell the whole story about how loyal employees may be and the role they might play in encouraging others to work for your company. The eNPS score doesn't provide details about specific improvements that might be made.

In combination, though, both of these measures can yield invaluable information to help drive improvement and engagement, which lays the foundation for attracting and retaining top talent, even for the hardest-to-recruit positions.

ChatGPT has the potential to transform how Human Resources functions. Many are wondering what kind of impact it will have on all aspects of life. Anyone who has studied it realizes that this technology has the power to make work more efficient. For HR, the number of ways to use ChatGPT could end up being limitless. 

Recently, HR Exchange Network posed a question on Terkel.io to determine what leaders are expecting from this technology. Find out what they think is happening with ChatGPT:

More Insightful Strategy

"ChatGPT can provide better insights into hiring, engagement, and retention efforts, allowing leaders to focus on other, more strategic aspects of their talent acquisition and talent management processes. 

This will undoubtedly Strengthen efficiencies and have a positive impact on business earnings. ChatGPT can help organizations personalize their interactions with job seekers and provide natural language responses to candidate questions. This human-like experience will more likely resonate with job seekers and build stronger relationships with potential hires, leading to more efficient and successful recruiting and higher retention.

Finally, ChatGPT is making it easier for companies to manage their internal communications. Automated conversations can answer common questions and gather valuable feedback from employees. This will help employers Strengthen culture, gain better insights into the employee experience, and better address talent management issues in a timely way." -Jody Ordioni, Chief Brand Officer, Brandemix

READ: 9 HR Jobs ChatGPT Says It Can Do

Writes Job Descriptions, Policies, and Procedures

"ChatGPT's most basic HR application allows for the quick creation of job descriptions or the writing of business policies that are readily updated and shared in real-time as laws or regulations pertaining to those policies change. 

Talent acquisition teams will evaluate job applicants more quickly and fairly thanks to the tool's speedy practicing and evaluation of the content. This will enable them to find top prospects who human evaluators would have overlooked due to bias or other reasons. 

Since the tool can already complete these basic duties, there is already talk that HR departments may be under pressure to reduce staff as robots take over tasks that don't require humans." -Brian Clark, Founder, United Medical Education

READ: 9 Predictions about the Impact of the Metaverse on HR

Automates Onboarding 

"ChatGPT will increase automation, which can help organizations streamline processes, reduce costs, and Strengthen the efficiency and accuracy of their HR operations. 

For example, ChatGPT can automate the recruitment and onboarding processes. I am preparing for this expectation by researching and learning more about ChatGPT and its associated technologies, such as Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. Additionally, I am exploring ways to integrate ChatGPT into our existing HR systems and processes in order to maximize its potential." -Tawanda Johnson, HR and DEI Consultant, Sporting Smiles

Makes Their Job Easier

"ChatGPT can provide automation and streamline various HR processes. It can help with the timely delivery of tasks, the storage of employee data, and the accurate tracking of employee performance. 

Additionally, ChatGPT allows HR to easily carry out predictive analytics to facilitate better decision-making when it comes to recruitment, budgeting, engagement, and performance. Furthermore, ChatGPT can help create personalized customer experiences such as onboarding, employee engagement, and training programs. 

HR can streamline existing processes by running things through ChatGPT, starting with policies and other employee guides. From this point, service and support to the organization by HR will start to be more timely and efficient, leading to better decisions and improved organizational outcomes." -Tony Deblauwe, VP, Human Resources, Celigo

Doing the Grunt Work

"ChatGPT is going to reduce the stress of creating and updating company policies. The tool can also gain insights into what the current employee landscape is demanding and try to incorporate that into policies or human resources practices. Our company is currently getting familiar with ChatGPT and its potential outputs. So far, it's been producing marvels." -Jarir Mallah, HR Specialist, Ling App

Time for Other Tasks

"ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize how human resources and talent management are conducted. Using AI, ChatGPT can reduce the time spent on administrative and mundane tasks, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more important and impactful tasks. 

Furthermore, ChatGPT can source and recruit talent, as well as provide personalized training and development experiences to employees. HR professionals must be prepared to embrace this new technology by understanding how the technology works and by ensuring they are constantly up-to-date with the latest advances in AI. 

To prepare for this, HR professionals should stay informed by attending conferences and seminars, practicing industry publications, and networking with other professionals in the field. I hope this helps." -Dana Martin, Vice President for Human Resources, Quizno's

INTERVIEW: Metaverse Guru Explains the New World to HR

Structure for Talent Management

"A streamlined talent management path will be possible with ChatGPT, as it will save considerable resources because of the design support available to HR professionals. 

However, decision-making for them will become more complex, as line functionaries will have nearly equal knowledge and access to information for Talent Management initiatives. 

Using a PUSH-PULL strategy can help here. PUSHING while ensuring these leaders deliver positive experiences will automatically lead to PULLING employees. At periodic intervals, PUSH will also be necessary for upskilling them." -Samir Parikh, Founder, NamanHR

How will ChatpGTP impact Human Resources? Let us know what you think in the comments. 

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Photo by Christina Morillo for Pexels

MANILA, Philippines – Various industries are bracing for the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly how it could disrupt jobs and alter the way companies work.

Even the headhunters or recruiters tasked to fill job vacancies may see their roles change in the next few years.

In a Business Sense interview, Sprout Solutions chief executive officer Patrick Gentry said AI will have a “profound impact on all industries, HR (human resources) included.”

Sprout is an HR solutions platform, which enables employees to file various requests and gain access to office resources. HR also gains access to data and trends which they use in decision-making in the workplace.

Gentry, however, is optimistic. Recalling how people feared during the Industrial Revolution that machines would take away jobs, Gentry said AI will just “change the way we work.”

In HR, the future first interviewer and recruiter may be AI, which would use data and other publicly available information about a candidate and decide if the applicant can move on to the next interview.

An AI chatbot may also be the one answering employees’ questions about office policies.

“That frees up HR professionals to do more meaningful work than answering questions about leave policies and things like that…. It changes our jobs, but it makes our jobs more meaningful at the end of the day,” Gentry said.

Gentry also noted that Sprout is “layering” Chat GPT into its workflows, “using it in different parts of the business.”

Go hybrid or face resignations

In the Business Sense episode, Gentry also talked about how hybrid work arrangements help retain talent.

A Sprout survey showed that Filipinos are leaving their jobs, as high-paying online jobs become more popular.

Generally, millennials are the ones pushing for a return to the office, while Gen Z workers, who have started their careers online, prefer the work-from-home setup. Gentry said leaders should strike a balance.

“Employees prefer to work from home, but employees on 100% work-from-home are less engaged with their employer…. They are not as committed,” Gentry said. – Rappler.com

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

IT Must Play a Role in Talent Recruitment and Selection - Not Just HR, Says Info-Tech Research Group

Jan 27, 2023 (PRNewswire via COMTEX) -- PR Newswire

TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2023

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

London, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 15, 2023) - Labourly, the London, Ontario based HR software platform, has announced a new partnership with Certn, an international background check provider, to further streamline recruitment. The partnership intends to make the verification of identity and background screening of candidates and employees effortless. According to Labourly, the new partnership will help recruiters optimize hiring and screening workflow and reduce the turnaround time of the entire hiring process.

Labourly is a technology platform that provides an efficient and effective solution for HR departments and staffing agencies when hiring new candidates. It offers an applicant tracking system that uses artificial intelligence to automate the paperwork tasks involved in the recruitment process. This platform enables users to keep track of the certifications and licenses of candidates, which is essential for ensuring regulatory compliance. With Labourly, companies can significantly reduce the time, money, and effort required to manage the recruitment process, freeing up resources for more productive tasks.

Labourly's Smart Hire algorithm is designed to empower HR professionals to identify potential candidates based on specific job requirements and qualifications. This advanced algorithm allows for an automated approach to recruitment by sending out job notifications to candidates and reaching out to them directly. The Smart Hire algorithm also enables recruiters to automate their outreach efforts and target candidates who align with their company's values and mission. By streamlining the recruitment process, this tool significantly enhances the hiring experience for both recruiters and candidates alike.

Certn, on the other hand, provides a smart technology for managing background checks, enabling clients to manage background screens within minutes. The new partnership between Labourly and Certn will allow clients to request background screens and identity verification on Labourly's platform, making results potentially available in minutes. This will provide a more seamless and efficient process for recruiters and organizations, making hiring and managing candidates easy and straightforward.

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Vicknesh Ramachandran, Co-founder and CEO of Labourly, said, "Our aim is to make hiring and managing candidates effortless for recruiters and organizations. Our software provides an efficient solution by automating the endless paperwork. Our new partnership with Certn will further streamline the process by allowing clients to request background screens and identity verification on our platform, with results potentially in minutes, rather than days or weeks."

Labourly and Certn have helped numerous companies streamline their recruitment processes and Strengthen their hiring outcomes. For example, one recruitment agency that partnered with Labourly and Certn was able to reduce the time it took to complete background checks by 90%, resulting in a significant reduction in their recruitment costs.

Labourly's platform provides HR professionals and recruitment agencies with the tools they need to optimize their hiring process and find the best candidates for the job. With the new partnership with Certn, they are able to further streamline the recruitment process and make hiring and managing candidates more effortless than ever before.

About Labourly

Labourly is a cutting-edge SaaS software platform that makes recruitment easily accessible by automating recruitment workflows. It is designed with HR departments and recruitment agencies in mind, to ensure a swift and hassle-free recruitment.

Media Contact:
Name: Vicknesh Ramachandran
Email: vicknesh@labour.ly

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154961