RECERTIFICATION:
It’s easier than you think
2009
El Paso Society for Human Resource Management
Linda Torres-Kleinhans, PHR
Certification Director
What You Will Need to Know to Recertify
• Reasons to Recertify
• Documenting Recertification Credit
• How to Calculate Recertification Credit
• Specified Hours
• How to Apply On-Line
• Resources That Are Available To You
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Reasons to Recertify
• Required every three years
• Getting your certification was not “easy”
• Demonstrates your commitment to the HR profession and
continued mastery of the HR field
• PHR/SPHR/GPHR certifications are becoming a preference
when making hiring decisions in many organizations
– One out of two hiring managers prefer candidates with
certification*
*Based on research conducted by the HR Certification Institute in 2008
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Planning Your Recertification
• Assess the areas you want to grow professionally
• Refer to your score report to identify areas that you
could increase your knowledge
• Review the bodies of knowledge for your certification
• When identifying opportunities refer to the test
specifications to answer,
“Will this add to my HR knowledge?”
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Recertification Topic Options
• Sixty (60) recertification credit hours are required every
three years. Credit may be earned in the following
categories:
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Continuing Education
Instruction
On-the-Job Experience
Research/Publishing
Leadership
Professional Membership
(no
(20
(20
(20
(10
(10
max)
hours max)
hours max)
hours max)
hours max)
hour max)
• OR you may take the exam again!
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Record your recertification activities immediately
after completion in your on-line recertification file
so you don’t forget them!
Examples of Continuing Education
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SHRM or other HR conferences
Other seminars and webcasts
Pre-approved events
On-line learning
Law firm seminars
College and university HR courses
Need help locating continuing education programs in your area?
Go to the directory of pre-approved programs at www.hrci.org
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Recertification Credit in Instruction
• Presentation of an HR-related subject
• Instructor of an HR course or presenter at a
conference session
• Credit is awarded for the first time the presentation
is made
• 1.5 hours is awarded for every hour of presentation
• Credit is not awarded for routine presentations to
organization (for example, health care plan update,
new hire orientation)
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Recertification Credit in On-the-Job
• Earn credit for a first time work experience
• Document starting and ending dates of projects and
your responsibilities
• Work product in excess of maximum hours or listing
multiple projects will receive maximum allowed
credit hours
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Examples of On-the-Job Projects
• Research and design a new benefit plan
• Research, design and implement a diversity program
• Research, design and implement a new performance
management system
• Implement a workforce reorganization plan
• Research and implement a new HRIS system
• Directly contribute to the development of your
organization’s Strategic Plan
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Recertification Credit in Research/Publishing
• Conduct primary research on an HR-related topic
and writing and publishing in a scholarly journal
• Must be conducted outside of the workplace
• Articles published in a journal or periodical solely
written by the certified professional would earn
maximum hours
• Co-authored or edited works would also earn hours
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Recertification Credit in Leadership
• This category recognizes giving back to the
profession
• Leadership role must be external to the workplace
• Must have application to an HR body of knowledge
• Using ones HR expertise to further a volunteer
organization’s mission
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Examples of Leadership Credit
HR volunteer leadership roles and number of hours
Awarded for 3 year period:
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• Board positions
up to 10 hours
• Chairing a committee or conference
up to 5 hours
• Official Capitol Hill visit or testifying
before Congress or state legislators
up to 1 hour
• Mentoring
up to 5 hours
Recertification Credit in Professional
Membership
• Can earn credit hours for being a member of a
national HR-related professional association such as
SHRM
• Membership in a local HR organization does not
count toward recertification credit
• Three hours per year are awarded for national
SHRM membership
• Two hours per year are awarded for other national
associations
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Low Cost Opportunities
Earning your recertification does not have to cost a lot of money. Here are examples of
recertification opportunities that have little or no cost!
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Be a member of a national HR association; Earn up to 10 hours
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Hold an HR leadership position; Earn up to 10 hours
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First time work experience; Earn up to 20 hours
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Instruct HR related workshops at work or outside of job; Earn up to 20 hours
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On-line Continuing Education; Limited to 20 hours
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Mentor an HR professional/student
Volunteer for a SHRM leadership role
Volunteer for a leadership role with SHRM or the HR Certification Institute
Develop an HR budget
Create an employee handbook
Teach a sexual harassment workshop at work
Lead a performance management seminar
Be an adjunct professor at local college
HR Webinar, HR.com or other group
How to Calculate Recertification Credit
• Determine full length of activity
• Subtract non-educational contact time
• Ensure topic is HR-related
• Round credit to the nearest quarter hour
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Calculating Continuing Education Credit
• 1 CEU = 10 hours of recertification credit
• 1 CLE = 1 hour of recertification credit
• 1 semester course at an accredited college or university = 15
hours per credit hour
• 1 quarter course at an accredited college or university = 12
hours per credit hour
• 1 audited college course = 10 hours
• 1 full day seminar (typically) = 6 hours
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Specified Hours for SPHR, GPHR and
PHR-CA/SPHR-CA
• Of required 60 hours:
– 15 Strategic Management hours required for SPHR
– 30 International hours required for GPHR
– 15 California-specific hours required for PHR-CA/SPHR-CA
• Strategic, international and California-specific hours
can be designated in continuing education,
instruction, on-the-job, and research/publishing
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Definition of Strategic Management
• Tied to the HR body of knowledge strategic management
section of the content outline
– “The processes and activities used to formulate HR objectives,
practices and policies to meet the short- and long-range
organizational needs and opportunities, to guide and lead the
change process and to evaluate HR’s contribution to organizational
effectiveness.”
Rule of Thumb:
Strategic Management credit is granted for those HR
responsibilities that fall OUTSIDE of the traditional human
resources function.
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Examples of Strategic Management
Opportunities
• Trends in the Workplace seminar
• Finance for Non-Financial Managers seminar
• First-time participation in organizational strategic
planning process
• Learning about organizational culture and its affect
on HR policies and practices
• Participation in leadership training
• Development of an organizational code of ethics
For more help on strategic management go to
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http://www.hrci.org/Recertification/STMGT/
Questions to Determine Strategic Credit
• Did the activity help to advance the mission of your organization?
• Did you perform benchmarking against other organizations?
• Did the new program require that you perform an environmental
scan?
• Was the activity grass-roots or legislative in nature?
• Did the activity help influence a major organizational change?
• Did the activity include leadership training? Change management?
Setting ethical standards for your organization?
The more you answer “Yes” to the above questions the more
likely the activity will qualify as strategic management credit
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Examples of Non-Qualifying
Strategic Management Activities
• Courses that instruct professionals on how to do their jobs.
• Participating in, rather than developing, community-related
activities.
• Community involvement unrelated to your organization’s mission.
• Courses on established HR techniques (e.g., change management)
unless one can show he/she used the knowledge gained to
develop a change management initiative.
• Establishing or initiating standard HR programs, such as
performance review policies or selecting a health care provider.
• Activities that bring your organization into compliance with laws
and/or regulations.
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Definition of International HR
Activities must tie to international HR body of knowledge of
the GPHR content outline
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Strategic HR Management
Global Talent Acquisition and Mobility
Global Compensation and Benefits
Organizational Effectiveness and Talent Development
Workforce Relations and Risk Management
The GPHR Body of Knowledge can be found in the recertification
handbook at http://www.hrci.org/recertification/book/
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Definition of California-Specific Credit
Activities must tie to the knowledge of California laws and practices
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Compensation and benefits
Employee and labor relations
Leaves of absence & workers’ compensation
Health, safety and security
The California Body of Knowledge can be found in
the at http://www.hrci.org/certification/ca/
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Recertifying Multiple Designations
• 60 hours of continuing education every three years
• Synchronize certification cycle with the first certification obtained (with
prorated credit-hour requirements to accomplish this)
Multiple Designation Cycle Sample
st
1 Designation Obtained
SPHR
Recertification Cycle (example)
06/30/07- 06/30/10
2
nd
Designation Obtained
GPHR
Recertification Cycle (example)
06/30/08- 06/30/10
Credit-Hour Requirements
25 (General); 15 (Strategic); 20 (International)
• Recertification fee = $100 for the first certification, $25 for an
additional certification unless additional certification was acquired
during the last six month of original certification
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Late Submission Policy
• 1-6 months after certification expiration date: Additional fee of
$25.00*
• 7-12 months after certification expiration date: Additional fee of
$50.00*
• 12 or more months after certification expiration date certification
lapses; candidate must retest.
*Credit hours must be obtained by certification expiration date
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How to Apply On-Line
Step 1: Take the On-Line Virtual Recertification Tour
– It walks you through the process step-by-step
– www.hrci.org/recertification/vrt/
Step 2: Open your personal recertification file
– Go to www.hrci.org and click on “My Recert File”
– You will need your “HRCI ID” and password to open your file
• Contact info@hric.org if you have forgotten this information
Step 3: Update your contact information
– Make sure your E-mail and addresses are up to date so we can contact you
Step 4: Add your activities
– During your three years, it is best to add the activities as you complete them
– Activities will not be reviewed until you submit all 60 credit hours and pay the
recertification fee.
Step 5: Submit
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Processing time takes approximately six weeks
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. If I submit my application well before my recertification due date,
will my recertification cycle change?
A. No, you will retain you original cycle dates. You may not "roll
over" credit earned prior to your cycle end date to the next
cycle.
Q. I have been submitting recertification activities online for several
months. Every time I go in to review, they are still pending. When
will they be reviewed?
A. Recertification applications are not reviewed until you have
documented and submitted 60 recertification credit hours
along with the payment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I have my PHR and am considering testing for the SPHR. If I
test and fail, will I lose my PHR?
A. No you will not lose your PHR if you fail the SPHR exam.
Your PHR will remain effective until your cycle end date.
Q. Is it correct that I do not need to submit any supporting
documentation to the application, I just need to list the
educational seminars I have attended?
A. Yes. It is not necessary to submit supporting
documentation. Please retain documentation for your records.
The HR Certification Institute randomly audits recertification
applications, at which time documentation is required.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. My certification cycle expires on June 30, 2009. Can I submit my
recertification application as late as June 29? I'm planning to
attend the annual SHRM conference and expect to need the
credits from that event to reach the 60 credit hours.
A. You have until the end of your recertification cycle to
submit your application. There is a 30-day grace period
(to July 31, 2009) to submit your application. However,
all activities must have been completed within the
recertification cycle.
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If you attend SHRM Annual Conference to complete your recertification,
you may carry the hours for this Conference ONLY to your next
recertification cycle.
Resources to Answer Questions
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Recertification conference calls & presentations
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Monthly virtual Recertification Counselor/Virtual Strategic Management
Counselor
– http://www.hrci.org/recertification/vsm/
– http://www.hrci.org/recertification/vrc/
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Call or email recertification questions
– info@hrci.org
– 1-866-898-4724
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Go to our website at www.hrci.org/recertification
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Take our virtual tour of the on-line recertification process
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– Recertification Handbook
– Strategic Pointers
– Directory of Pre-Approved Program
– http://www.hrci.org/recertification/vrt/
HR Certification Institute
1800 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
1-866-898-HRCI (4724)
info@hrci.org
www.hrci.org
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