HR Certification: The Struggle Was Real (for me anyway)
Like many HR professionals, I never set out to have a career in HR. I remember the early 90s when HR was still called “Personnel,” and I didn’t want anything to do with it. Fast forward to 1999, and I found myself in a temporary recruiter role for a local plastics manufacturer adding three new production lines. In about three months, I hired just over 50 employees! The original hiring goal was half of that, but as positions would open in other areas of the plant, I was asked to fill those, too. And so, I did. At the end of the assignment, I was offered a job as the “HR girl.” I declined that job offer twice because I wanted to work in another field I hadn’t yet identified. I just knew it wasn’t HR. However, the third offer was more of a plea from the plant’s leader, and I needed a new job, so that began my journey into HR in 1999.
I began working with Harrell’s on December 1, 2003. I had heard about HR certification but didn’t give it much thought until I joined Harrell’s. Never had I felt so unequipped for a job! I knew I needed HR friends with resources, so I joined Mid-Florida SHRM, our local SHRM chapter, in 2004. Our chapter was offering study groups and classes for anyone interested in certification. I signed up and completed the program. I took the PHR (Professional in Human Resources) Exam in 2005, a few months before our second daughter was born. I passed it the first time. I believe the study group and support of HR professionals helped me pass that exam. It was tough!
It would be ten years from earning the PHR certification and six exam attempts before I earned the SPHR certification. Ten years! In those ten years, I studied independently for four exam attempts, and twice, I took classes (one online and one in person). After each of the five failed attempts, I would cry in disappointment and frustration. Why wasn’t I smarter? Why didn’t I study more? Why am I not enough to pass this stupid exam? All around me, other HR professionals were passing the senior-level exam on their first try! AGH! I felt so “less than” and just dumb. I mean, I missed passing one of those exams by 4 points!! That’s one question! I was just coming undone!
When I look back on those ten years now, I see that I wasn’t ready for the next level of certification. I had so much to learn, and not about HR. I mean, yes, HR, but not just HR. I learned that I was prideful and arrogant. I had an “I deserve this” attitude for a long while. I also learned that in the early days of testing attempts, I didn’t have enough of the right kind of HR knowledge, and I did need to study more as well as gain more experience.
I learned that trying to answer the questions on the exam from the perspective of my employer was not the right approach. My employer is kind and generous and works hard to maintain a family atmosphere with boundaries, of course. This is often not the way of HR out in the world, and definitely not in the testing world.
I learned that God had a better plan for me, that He was shaping me into the HR professional that I needed to be for Him and for Harrell’s. The whole Frank Sinatra approach to HR certification was not working for me because I was trying to do it myself. I learned that my motivation was self-centered, not Christ-centered. For me, this is a big deal.
So, for my HR friends who are thinking about certification, I encourage you to be honest with yourself and examine your motivation for seeking certification. In the early years of my certification journey, it was all about what the certification could do for my career and not about how it would help me better serve Harrell’s. I was so driven and focused on the prize that I was blinded by my own ambition. I’m not saying ambition is a bad thing. It’s a good thing when it’s in the right place.
I would also encourage my HR friends to remember that you are not defined by whether you pass the certification exam. Having an HR certification does not make me a better person; it makes me a more well-rounded HR professional. I know better who to call and ask for advice because, after taking the exam six times, I am more aware than ever that I don’t know (and don’t have to know) everything.
Friends, our identity is not our job or some certification. Our careers (and certifications) don’t define us. While our careers are a huge part of our lives, it’s true that our families and friends are the best part of our lives. Thankfully, my family and friends are going to love me regardless of any certifications. And if you’re a believer, you already know that God created us for fellowship with Him and to tell others about Him. All our roles in life help us deliver the good news of Jesus and what He did for us on the cross.
Careers and certifications are wonderful, and they definitely have their place in our lives. For any HR professional considering certification, I say YES, go do it! For any professional whose career offers some type of certification, I say YES, go do it! Just keep it all in the proper perspective.
In the meantime, I hope you’re encouraged to live life abundantly today and every day in your HR journey (or whatever career journey) you’re on. And if you need someone to listen to you or pray for you, I would be honored to do either or both.