Tag Archives: HRCI Recertification

HRCI Changes Requirements for PHR, SPHR Recertification Starting 2021

Every so often HRCI, the Human Resources Certification Institute, changes the requirements for its exams. For instance, in 2018 the exam body of knowledge changed the most it had since I got my PHR back in 2009.

I have written extensively about how the recertification process works (and how it doesn’t), which exams are a better fit for you, and more. We also have inexpensive courses designed to supplement the dry and often boring textbooks out there if you are planning to get your PHR or SPHR.

In the summer of 2020, the exam recertification process saw a new change for those with an aPHR, PHR, SPHR, GPHR, California, or International certifications as the chart below demonstrates.

HR Ethics Credit Hour Requirements

New HR Certification Ethics Requirement

Continue reading →

Announcing New Training Courses!

This week is a big one for me. I’m hanging out at #SHRM18 in Chicago (say hi if you’re in town!), but I am also really excited to share some new training I’ve been pulling together.

Because I’m buying a learning technology/system to deliver the new HR certification materials my team is working on creating this summer in advance of the HRCI changes, I thought to myself, “Why not use this to deliver content people can use for recertification credits as well?”

If you’ve ever gotten down to the wire in getting your certification credits together, or even if you’re in an area where local content is just so-so, you might have felt that panic at being able to get your credits in on time. I’m with you. I just recertified my SPHR earlier this year and HRCI kicked out some of my credits with no warning or explanation in a random “audit.” Sigh. Thankfully I had more than enough to make up for that, but it’s a great reminder for me that not everyone gathers as many credits as I do through my traveling, speaking, and conference attendance.

So… I’m launching the first course today. It’s free. It’s one hour of HRCI/SHRM credit. It’s based on two podcast interviews I did with recruiting leaders at H&R Block and AlliedUniversal. I would love for you to try it out and give me some feedback!

Click here to check out our free course on strategic recruiting.

The goal is to create additional free and paid courses in video and audio format to help you not just get your credits, but to become a better HR practitioner and leader! Thanks, as always, for your support.

The Hidden Battle for SHRM and HRCI Recertification Credits

Today I’m going to talk openly and honestly about SHRM, HRCI, and things that matter to today’s HR professionals. I have my SHRM-SCP and my SPHR, and I expect to keep them both for the foreseeable future. I think both have merit as of today (February 2018). But maybe that is going to change…

Newsflash: if you get certified as an HR professional, you need recertification (or “recert”) credits to keep your certification (unless you want to take the test again every three years!) As a chapter leader AND a speaker, I see the other side of the equation that most HR practitioners do not. I have to submit my content for credits, and I also have to work with my chapter to submit our content as well to get the appropriate credits.

battle hr recertification creditsOver the years, HRCI has become increasingly stubborn and challenging about awarding SPHR-required business credits for sessions. After several failed attempts in 2016 to get credits awarded for our chapter (for sessions like “building a strategic hiring plan for your organization” and “evaluating the ROI of training initiatives,” we actually ran into an even BIGGER problem. We received business credits, promoted it with business credits to our members, and then HRCI changed their mind after the session was over and our attendees were stuck with general credits, despite paying an extra fee for a business-credit session. Madness, right?

I finally came away with this conclusion: if you want to get business credits, you have to attend a session that has 0% HR content. Take a marketing class. Go to a statistics program. Just don’t do anything that mentions HR in the title or the session abstract and you’re fine. Continue reading →

New HR Certification Audio Tools

hr certification audio cdUpdate: the course is available for the public here. The bundle with the SPHR course is here. Audio continues to be added to the course to flesh it out and increase the value. 

One of the most common questions I get from people interested in certification is where to find something they can listen to in the car, on a walk, or even at work. I’ve mentioned before that as busy as I am with kids and work, I really like to listen to podcasts and other audio programs while I’m washing dishes or chaperoning people around town. Today, I’m excited to announce the presale for the new HR certification audio series.

Until now there has only been a minimal selection in the market for audio prep tools, and they are all fairly pricey. I wanted to develop something that would help to improve the HR certification prep experience while still meeting that need for auditory learners. We are launching this in time for people to use it for the coming year’s exam preparation.

The Details

This program opened officially in 2017. The course has lessons spanning all areas of HR to help each of you better understand best practices and have the most up-to-date knowledge of how to leverage those practices for business success. In addition, these courses can be used for recertification credits! If you’re currently certified and want to use the content in these courses for recertification purposes, you can manually add them to your profile to get credit.

Is this just for the PHR or SPHR?

No. I’ve had dozens of students use our other courses to study for the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams. I’ve also had some even use it for the aPHR exam with excellent results. The principles explored in this audio study course will be applicable across the spectrum of HR. If you like the kind of work I do here at upstartHR (including the podcast) or if you’re interesting in improving your HR game, this will help you.

What is included? 

The course initially included audio lessons totaling more than 3 hours of content, but it is being expanded every month with new content. This continues to grow and should reach 10+ hours of training in 2018. It’s my goal for learners to be able to use these audio lessons for reinforcing concepts, examining practical applications, and exploring case studies of HR in action.

The types of content vary, from long-form podcast interviews with industry experts to short-form explanations of key concepts and laws that apply to exam preparation. In addition, several hours of bonus content from other podcasts has been added at no additional charge to help add valuable context to areas like recruiting, diversity, employee engagement, and more.

Additionally, students in the course can request additional content coverage for areas they need more help in. For instance, one student needed information on how to understand reliability and validity in pre-employment testing design, so I recorded a special lesson to help her and added it to the course to help others. Here is an example of one of the lessons from the course.

What is the format?

The course includes mp3 audio files so listeners can learn anywhere. Users can stream the files directly from the web or from their mobile device using SoundCloud or can download the audio pack to their computer or mobile device via Dropbox to play locally without streaming. The mp3 files include lifetime access in the event you need to put off your studies, need to come back later to refresh, or just want to use them for recertification credits after you pass your exam.

What is the price? 

The prices are $67 for the standalone audio course or $147 for the discount bundled with the SPHR self study course.

If you have questions, please contact me at ben@upstarthr.com and I’ll be glad to answer them. I’m excited about the next evolution of certification preparation support here at upstartHR, where we’ve been helping hundreds of HR professionals like you with certification for more than seven years.

How to Get 45+ Free HRCI Credits for the PHR or SPHR

This week I connected with a wonderful person who shared something that I just had to plug here. You know I’m a fan of certification and the benefits it can bring to your career. But once that certification is done you have that teensy, minor detail of getting 60 credit hours in order to recertify every three years.

Truth be told, many of us scramble at the last minute to get them in (or just to collect the information if we already attended enough events–goodness we can be so disorganized with our own professional development!) But what if I told you there’s a way to get 80% of the credits you need for your next recertification. For free. Over the Web. From the comfort of your home or office.

Yeah, I knew that would get your attention. :-)

free hrci credits hcm academyMay I introduce you to Ultimate Software’s HCM Online Academy? Let’s get you two acquainted. Continue reading →

HR Recertification Credits-Starting My Journey

A few months back I published a short guide for those looking to get HR recertification credits with their PHR/SPHR through HRCI (info here). To be honest, I was a little selfish. I knew that I was about to start a fresh cycle and wanted to start gathering information on free/cheap/easy sources of HR recertification credits.

More importantly, I was looking for ways to make sure that the credits I pursued enhanced my career prospects and professional development beyond merely checking the block on some mandatory training. If you’re going to have to get credits, you might as well make sure that they are contributing to your overall success for the long haul, right?

So now I’m just a few short months into this certification cycle, and I’m going to publicly share my recertification credits and how I’m getting them during this cycle. I hope to post a monthly (or quarterly)  update on any credits earned and how I gathered them. It’s going to be an accountability tool for me, and I hope it also pushes you to pay close attention to your own recertification credits as well. No more waiting until two weeks before your due date to start cramming!

So let’s get started with a few easy ones, shall we?

circular-recycle-arrows-hiHR Recertification Credits Summary

  • SHRM membership-“You earn recertification credit if you are a member of a national or international HR-related professional association or society. You do not earn credit for membership in a local chapter or association.” 3 credit hours per year, limit 10 per cycle
  • Write an HR blog-“Writing and publishing a fact-based blog post covering subjects related to the HR field.” .5 credits per post, a limit of six credit hours per cycle

I figured I would get the easy ones out of the way. I’m currently a member of SHRM and don’t plan to change that any time soon. I use their website for research, and I also get discounts with my local chapter for being a member of the national organization. I don’t use a lot of other services with them, but the membership counts either way.

In addition, I write three blog posts a week, so I’m very confident that I’ll be able to max out the 12 posts per cycle under the blogging section.

HR Recertification Credits Running Total

At this time I am confident that I will be able to get 9 hours from professional memberships and 6 hours from blogging for a total of 15 hours for this three year cycle. Look for more updates in the coming months as I delve into professional development, work projects, and more to gather my 60 credits!

Disclaimer: I haven’t submitted any of these credits to HRCI at this point and my information may change slightly when I do gather the info to submit. I’m just keeping this here (as I said) as an accountability tool for myself and others who need the little reminders to stay on task with their credits. 

What do you think? Are you interested in following along?Â