What Are the Easiest Human Resources Certifications?

Because the field of human resources is constantly changing, various certification programs serve as continuing education to keep HR professionals up to date. Many HR professionals want to quickly earn these certifications to continue working with their new skills. These professionals often look for the quickest and easiest human resources certification programs.

What Are HR Certifications?

Human resources certifications are programs that confirm an HR professional has a certain set of skills and abilities required to work in human resources.

These certifications cover general HR knowledge, like the Professional in Human Resources or Society of Human Resources Management certifications, or courses that cover singular topics like some of the ones offered by the Academy to Innovate Human Resources.

Eligibility requirements for different certifications vary. Some are designed for human resources professionals who are new to the industry and are trying to expand their knowledge base. In contrast, others are designed for seasoned veterans to dive deeper into topics or satisfy continuing education requirements.

Certifications vs. Degrees

Although many certifications and degrees both serve as confirmation of certain skills that HR professionals need, they have different purposes. A degree provides a much broader education in the human resources industry than certification programs. Degrees can come in various levels and have additional concentrations for HR professionals who want to work in specific industries.

Certifications are usually either a general examination, a short course, or a final exam covering a single topic. Although these courses can inform participants on some limited topics, the education portion of most certification programs is limited, even compared to a single class in a degree program.

What Makes an HR Certification Program Easy?

HR certifications are often designed for HR professionals at different stages of their careers, and ones designed for beginners will often be seen as easier. However, that doesn't always mean they are the best. There isn't a single set of criteria that will define a certification as easy. Generally, certification programs are taken by people with more experience or schooling.

Best Human Resources Certifications

Although it's hard to quantify how easy a certification program will be, several certifications will carry more weight in the eyes of employers. Even if they aren't the easiest, they could be better for your career.

Academy to Innovate HR

The certification program offered by AIHR is designed to provide a broad knowledge base on a variety of HR topics, broken into 13 individual courses. Each course takes anywhere from 22 to 36 hours to complete and is self-paced. Because there are no prior experience or degree eligibility requirements, this program can be great for beginner HR professionals looking to grow in their careers.

Human Resources Management Certification

This video-based certification program is offered by HR University. To make learning easier, these courses are self-paced and fully online, making them accessible to many students, even those in full-time career roles.

Professional in Human Resources

The PHR certification is offered at various levels for both beginner and experienced professionals. These certification exams are among the most respected in the field. This program has requirements regarding experience and degrees meaning taking the exam is harder to be approved to take, however, the more diverse background examinees will have might make the content of the exam easier.

Society of Human Resources Management

Like the PHR, the SHRM certifications are highly respected. The lowest level of certification, the SHRM-CP exam, has no education or experience requirement, so applying to take it is simple. If you don't have any educational or work-based experience, the exam might be harder.

Strategic Human Resources Leadership

The Strategic Human Resources Leadership (SHRL) Certification offered by the Human Capital Institute uses hands-on experience to cover topics about equity, inclusion, and diversity in the workplace. The practical nature of this course is less focused on studying concepts and more on real-world application, which might be easier for some students.

The course also only takes two full days to complete, but HR professionals with busier schedules can spread the course out with half-day sessions.

HR Certifications FAQ

Because certifications are common for HR professionals, many common questions arise.

How Do I Enroll in an HR Certification Program?

Enrolling in an HR certification is not a universal process. There are multiple requirements for each different certification, and it's important to make sure you qualify before applying. Regardless of application criteria, nearly all programs can be enrolled in and completed online. There are many great online human resources certification programs available for enrollment.

Who Offers HR Certification Programs?

HR certification programs are offered by two main providers: certification organizations and universities. Many business schools offer adjacent certification programs, such as human resources certifications. If you completed a degree through a college or university, you might want to start with their certification offerings before looking to a third-party organization.

The main way that HR professionals receive certification is from third-party organizations, such as:

• HCRI
• SHRM
• HR University

Can I Earn HR Certifications Online?

Yes, there are many fully online, self-paced HR certifications. For students looking to earn a certification around their work or life schedule, these options can make earning an HR certificate much easier.

Are HR Certifications Free?

There are some free course options, but the most respected and accredited HR certification programs have tuition costs. Based on the number of courses you take or if the course has an independent exam, costs can vary from $200 to over $1,500 in total.