A Skeptic’s Guide to HR Certification, Part 5: Was it worth it?
coauthored by AnnE Diemer
TL;DR: Yes and no.
Yes:
- We memorized some knowledge that we have used in our consulting, that previously we would have needed to look up.
- We were reminded that we really like to learn and were inspired to keep learning.
- We did something hard and were (and are!) proud of ourselves for doing it.
No:
- Studying took up a LOT of time, and we knew we were learning details that we could just google. So, at times, it felt particularly arbitrary and burdensome.
- We don’t think we’re better at our jobs than we were before we studied this material and took the test.
- We memorized information that we don’t necessarily agree with, and that was frustrating.
Ultimately, if it’s worth it for you is really up to you. You can definitely get things out of it, but not without a significant effort on your part.
After completing the test, we drove to the place Krista was craving to pick up burritos, and we ate them in Dolores Park where we basked in the sun and our newfound freedom. First, we talked about what we were excited to do that evening because now we DIDN’T HAVE TO STUDY! We were excited to watch mindless TV, spend more time playing with our cats, and cook full meals rather than relying on frozen dinners or delivery.
But then our sense of responsibility kicked in, so we prioritized discussing our first reactions to finishing. Here’s what we covered…
Learning is fun; who knew?!
If you’ve read through the 4 blog posts before this, you already know: we are nerds. So it shouldn’t be surprising that we enjoyed learning. But after years of burnout leaving us uninspired, it was surprising to us!
Folks in HR are not always asked to learn and grow– to be honest, the bar is low for HR most of the time. In some ways, we got comfortable with what we knew and where we were in our careers. But as soon as we got a taste for learning and discussing, we were excited to keep doing it. A week after the test, we were searching for books we could read and discuss, ready to learn more (but this time, on our terms).
We don’t think we would have done that without taking this test. We gained a sense of accountability, which was an important motivator for us. Through that process, we found other motivators, specifically the joy that comes from gaining knowledge.
Embrace the challenge.
It’s surprisingly enjoyable to challenge ourselves and do something hard. As consultants, our role is to help others. As HR, our role is to help others. We do plenty of hard things in our day to day work, but never for the sake of the challenge. It felt unfamiliar to prioritize something that was not necessarily going to benefit someone else. But that kind of discomfort is good sometimes.
AnnE: Before this test, I never understood why people run marathons. It’s so hard. No one is forcing people to do it. They don’t do it as a source of income. They actively choose to do something really hard and painful.
That’s sort of how I feel about this test. All throughout studying I was wondering, “Why am I putting myself through this?” But when we finished, I felt proud of us. I felt a significant sense of accomplishment. In some ways, it made me want to try more hard things.
Both: Not a marathon though…
Best things we learned
The most interesting part of the content for us was the organizational psychology focus. We no longer remember the specific theories or theorists (they were mostly white men…), but we remember what they were getting at: To change behavior, we must understand where the behavior is coming from and what motivates individuals. Then, to effect change, we speak to that specific motivation.
It sounds obvious, and we were doing this implicitly (or explicitly using project management frameworks for stakeholder engagement), but these chapters gave us a shared language to explicitly name and discuss more deeply. As we studied, we tried to apply the different theories to our current and past clients. This practice facilitated an improved understanding of actions that we hadn’t previously connected with.
We really don’t want to be done with this part of our HR education — so if anyone knows of more modern motivation theories, particularly those written by folks with marginalized identities, please let us know!
Worst things we learned (aka memorized and immediately forgot after the test)
When we started writing this section, we had a LONG list of items here. But we realized, that probably isn’t useful to inform your decision about taking this test. So instead, we’ll share what these things had in common.
We were most resentful when we had to memorize:
- Things that we could easily google in the course of our day to day job (e.g. specific court case names and years)
- Subjects that do not align with our personal or professional values (e.g. the section called “Remaining Union Free” comes to mind; we are both pro-union)
- Vocabulary that is outdated with current practices (e.g. learning the difference between an “applicant tracking system” and “hiring management system”, when these days, the software is one and the same)
- Consequences for doing a bad thing, rather than understanding why the action itself is bad (e.g. memorizing how much a business will be fined for violating child labor laws, rather than prioritizing not violating child labor laws)
Do we recommend it?
Yes, if: you can write off the costs or if your employer will pay for it. There’s a lot you can get out of this process–we did!
No, if: you already have a lot going on, you’ll have to pay for it yourself, and you already know enough to be good at your job.
To the organizations who only want to hire HR folks with a certification: we fundamentally disagree with your priorities here. Passing this test doesn’t mean someone is great at HR. Not passing this test does not mean someone is NOT great at HR.
It’s one piece of a much bigger picture. Please keep interviewing candidates without a certification. They bring valuable experiences and perspectives that candidates who do have a certification are not always bringing to the table.
Up next
This is the last post of our series… for now. We are participating in some of the continuing education opportunities provided through HRCI and want to update you all at some point about the value gained (or not) from them. We also are trying to measure if having the certification impacts our businesses positively (i.e. do we get more clients because we have this certification?). So, watch this space — we might have more to rant about!
In the meantime, if you end up taking the test — or if you choose not to — we want to hear why you chose that path. What tips do you have for others who are making this decision?
You can find the earlier parts of our series here:
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About Krista:
Krista Lane, SPHR (she/her/hers) is a People Consultant, Job Search Coach and Founder at Headwaters HR with over a decade of experience in HR. She thinks in systems — seeing interconnections and collaborating both deeply and cross-functionally to build better workplaces. Her experience in technical recruiting and HR/People Operations, paired with several experiences of burnout, inspired her to fix hiring. That means working with jobseekers and employers in a variety of ways, shaping workplaces so that employees and businesses can thrive.
About AnnE:
AnnE Diemer, SPHR (she/her/hers) is an HR Consultant at aedHR who prioritizes the human in HR. With eight years of recruiting, DEI, and HR generalist experience across tech startups and non-profits, AnnE supports organizations who are ready to take a people-centered approach to HR. She spent the last 3 years supporting progressive Democratic organizations such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and The Hub Project. She approaches her work holding contradictions: How do we build great places to work while also questioning capitalist systems? How can we work efficiently and move quickly while also prioritizing ourselves and each other as humans?
