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SHRM Certification Sets HR Professionals Apart from the Pack
Last Updated March 8, 2024
Certifications are a way for professionals to show that their qualifications go beyond minimum job requirements. Those initials that appear after their names on business cards and LinkedIn profiles are shorthand for expertise.
As the world’s largest professional society for human resources, certifications offered by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) carry considerable weight in the HR industry. In fact, SHRM reports that its credential holders are being sought by more than 5,000 employers each month.
Those employers know the examinations that must be passed to earn SHRM certification are grounded in the current HR landscape. They are built around the competencies and knowledge HR professionals need to succeed.
Certification is valuable – and accessible – to HR professionals at all career levels. There are two certifications: SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP®) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP®). Eligibility for the exams are based on a combination of the submitter’s level of education, whether the applicant studied in an HR program and the amount of their professional work experience.
SHRM-CP & SHRM-SCP Exam Windows
SHRM offers two main windows of time annually, winter and spring, for you to take the exam.
The current SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exam window is in spring and falls between May 1, 2022 and July 15, 2022. SHRM accepts applications for its spring exam window from January 4, 2022 through April 8, 2022. According to SHRM, the exam windows are dates during which the exams are administered. The application dates are when candidates can submit their registration for the exam.
2022 Exam Window 1: May 1, 2022 – July 15, 2022
| Applications Accepted | Early-Bird Application Deadline | Standard Application Deadline |
| January 4, 2022 | March 18, 2022 | April 8, 2022 |
If you are considering this exam timeframe, it’s important to have the needed experience by the application deadline so you will be approved to sit for the exam. Villanova University’s College of Professional Studies offers a Human Resource Management certificate where the first course helps you prepare for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exam, and hours can apply toward experience requirements to help you qualify for application. Additionally, completing the course and/or certificate program ahead of your exam window can help you prepare thoroughly in order to achieve a successful result.
Real-Life HR Scenarios
SHRM certification is valued because those who earn it must demonstrate not only knowledge but how to apply that knowledge in scenarios modeled on real-life occurrences involving HR professionals. According to SHRM, 73% of exam-takers surveyed said the exam questions were relevant to contemporary experiences.
Each exam is four hours long and is comprised of 160 total questions – 95 knowledge questions and 65 situational judgment questions. The exams are researched using global employers and business leaders, so the credentials reflect the skills and knowledge needed to be a leader in the HR field.
The benefits of SHRM certification for HR professionals include:
- A boost in confidence and recognition
- Exhibiting mastery of competencies and knowledge that organizations find most important
- Expanding your scope within the HR field
- Bringing new ideas to your organization
- Standing out from other job-seekers
- Showing commitment to the HR profession
- Protecting your organization by ensuring regulatory compliance
Preparing for SHRM Exams
Villanova University has joined forces with SHRM and is a SHRM educational partner and recertification partner. Villanova’s College of Professional Studies offers professionals an opportunity to prepare for the SHRM certification exams with its 100% online Certificate in HR Management, featuring content based on the SHRM Body of Competency and KnowledgeTM (SHRM BoCKTM), which was constructed from research involving thousands of HR professionals to determine the competencies necessary for professionals to achieve success in the HR field.
Whether taken as part of the curriculum for the Certificate in HR Management program or taken alone, the 12-week Human Resource Management course is designed to teach professionals the core competencies desired by employers and help prepare students to take the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exam.
Students will also receive the complete 2021 SHRM Learning System digital materials as well as 18 months of online access to SHRM practice exams (spanning three exam windows), 2,000 knowledge and situational judgment questions, case studies, downloadable e-publications, online printable flashcards and other valuable study materials for the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams.
The Human Resource Management coursework focuses on techniques and competencies professionals can apply immediately to circumstances in the workplace. The course is suitable for those new in the HR field as well as seasoned veterans looking to stay up-to-date and strengthen their competencies and HR management skills. Regardless of where a professional is in their career, learning the core competencies established through this course and earning SHRM certification is an achievement that can help separate them from the job-seeking pack.
Have You Earned Your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP Yet?
The next SHRM testing window is approaching. Prepare now by completing the 12-week, 100% online, Villanova University Human Resource Management (HRM) course. Courses start monthly.
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