As a recruiting practitioner I really see no value personally or professionally in being a SHRM member or gaining a certificate. Unless someone could give me a really good reason to the contrary.

• show you know the most current principles and core practices of HR management
• become more marketable when you compete for top HR positions
• raise your professional confidence among your staff and your peers 

• certified HR professionals earn 13.2% higher salary than their non-certified peers
• organizations with certified HR professionals have 12.2% greater retention of high performing employees
• organizations with certified HR professionals have 14.6% less EEOC complaints than organizations led by non-certified HR leaders

With the increasing popularity of the SHRM certification program as well as the proliferation of other similar certifications, it is time to determine (1) what certification measures and how well it does it; and (2) what difference having certification makes to individuals, to organizations, and to the HR profession.

The figure depicts three important elements: (a) time, (b) macro-level effects, and (c) micro-level effects. First, the starting time begins with the implementation of the organizational staffing practice of using HR certification as a selection tool. This staffing practice represents a contextual (top-down) effect on the organization's individual KSAOs because all potential HR professional employees will be recruited using the HR certification predictor. HR certification is used as a selection tool because it measures human resource management knowledge

• Proposition 2: Individuals with undergraduate or master's degrees in human resource management or related disciplines will not benefit as much (increased hiring probability, higher salaries, and faster promotion rates) from an HR certification compared to individuals without such degrees
• Proposition 3: As assessed by longitudinal research, we predict that individuals with undergraduate or master's degrees in human resource management or master's degrees in business administration will obtain more C-suite positions and perform more effectively in these roles compared to individuals who have certifications such as SHRM's PHR or SPHR
• Proposition 4: Using HR certification as a selection tool will be positively associated to individuals' HR management knowledge
• Proposition 5: Certified HR professionals will perform better (i.e. effectively diagnose and resolve HR problems, design and implement HR programs aligned with organizational objectives, etc.) on the job than do non-certified HR professionals
• Proposition 6: A greater proportion of certified HR professionals who have shared HR knowledge in an HR department will lead to higher unit-level performance
• Proposition 11: A greater proportion of certified HR professionals in the HR function will lead to more favorable perceptions by multiple constituents regarding the value-added contribution of the HR function in the organization and thereby enhance HR department reputation
• Proposition 13: A greater proportion of certified HR professionals in an HR department will lead to higher HR department effectiveness

In order to test Proposition 2, data would need to be collected from a single huge organization with a large enough population of HR professionals who are covered by the same compensation plan to test the proposition. You would need archival data of salary trends, certification status, educational achievements, promotions, performance data, and so forth to comparatively test for the differences in salary and advancement.  A study of just HR professionals, outside of the archival factors mentioned many not provide accurate or generalizable information.  Titles may or may not be comparable across organizations so unless the data comes from a single organization where title, responsibility and other variables can be controlled, the results may not reveal anything meaningful.

The calendar has turned to March, which means, as a SHRM student chapter advisor, it is time for the HRGames. Tonight, for example, 20 teams from around the state of Wisconsin descend onto Oshkosh to test their knowledge of human resources.

What are the HRGames? The HRGames consist of a one- or two-day series of Jeopardy-style matches, between teams of up to three undergraduate students from various colleges and universities. The questions for the matches are divided into categories similar to those used in the PHR certification exam (i.e., Management Practices; Selection & Recruitment). In each round, students select points and a category of questions. The question is read twice and the teams have 15 seconds to supply the correct answer. After a series of initial matches, teams with the best records participate in the championship rounds for first and second place. The hope is that students who prepare for the HRGames will, in turn, be successful when taking the PHR Certification

A sample question might be:
Q: This is the pay rate that is below the minimum of the pay range
A: What is a green circle rate

The top four teams in Wisconsin, for example, will receive travel money from the WI SHRM State Countil to attend the North Central Region Student Conference and HRGames at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN on April 23-24. The significance of winning the regional competition is even higher. The winning team of undergraduates not only gets the pride of winning the competition, but SHRM will provide each team member with a $1,000 scholarship, as well as free conference registration, hotel, airfare, and food budget, to attend the SHRM Annual Conference in San Diego.

As noted, the 2010 SHRM North Central Regional Student Conference will take place at Purdue University in Indiana on April 23 and 24, 2010.

The 2010 SHRM Northeast Regional Student Conference will take place at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania on March 5 and 6, 2010.

Tomorrow I head to Washington D.C. to participate in the SHRM Leadership Conference. One of the topics at the forefront of my mind will be the subject of student certification.

Last year, SHRM and HRCI decided to change the eligibility requirements for the PHR exam for graduating students. Currently, any student can take the PHR exam, and, if they pass, they must complete 2 years of exempt level HR experience over the next 5 years to be able to use the PHR designation. In 2011, students will no longer be eligible to take the PHR exam. They must first earn the two years of exempt HR experience.

With that said, SHRM is currently exploring alternative solutions to the PHR exam.

What should this solution look like? What would/should the alternative exam cover? As a recruiter looking at a recent graduate, what skills, competencies, or certification would give that student "legitimacy" that passing the PHR exam might currently convey?