“Certification helps to close the skills gap in today’s business environment, which demands that HR professionals be more strategic and less administrative,” said Mary E. Power, executive director of the HR Certification Institute. “Credentials earned through the HR Certification Institute are key to keeping the skills of today’s HR professional current.”

In addition, roughly one-half of business leaders interviewed said they see differences between certified and non-certified HR professionals in terms of motivation, knowledge of the HR field, and performance.

For companies with global reach, the GPHR (Global Professional in Human Resources) certification is the current benchmark for HR professionals. In fact, in April, 2008, the HR Certification Institute awarded it’s 1,000th GPHR since that certification was launched in 2004. The fast adoption of the credential by HR professionals underscores the need for a common body of knowledge designed to help practitioners successfully practice HR in a global marketplace. In Southeast Asia, SHRM has partnered with Kelly Services exclusively to deliver the GPHR Preparation Course and Global HR Learning System.

Ms. Maryam Wong, who is the Assistant Vice President for Khazanah Nasional Berhad in Kuala Lumpur said that the GPHR Preparation class is for all HR Professionals and to encourage more foreign participation for an effective global HR perspective.

Raja Devadoss, who heads Kelly’s Outsourcing and Consulting Group practice for Malaysia, noted, “The response we had in July was positive, even to me. I knew we had many HR professionals in KL with cross-border responsibility, but I was surprised to even see participants from Hong Kong come to attend.”

Bernadette Themas, who heads BTI Consulting in Jakarta said “I’ve always known that Jakarta was a truly global city, but have worried that sometimes our HR people don’t reflect that. The level of interest we saw in this class far outpaced our expectations.”

According to a survey from the HR Certification Institute, one-half (50 percent) of HR professionals say hiring managers consider a job candidate’s certification status when making decisions on whom to interview—or hire—for HR positions.

When hiring for professional-level HR positions, 50 percent also report that their company prefers HR-certified job candidates. Similarly, 48 percent say their company believes that hiring HR-certified professionals gives them a competitive advantage.

The findings are detailed in the Value of Certification Survey, conducted by the Human Resources Certification Institute.

According to the survey, 73 percent of respondents say certified HR professionals inspire greater trust and confidence from business colleagues than do their non-certified HR coworkers. The bottom line also improves: 44 percent of HR professionals report that certified HR professionals create a positive impact on their organizations’ financial performance.

The survey polled 3,062 certified and non-certified HR professionals. Among those certified, 59 percent say their organization encourages HR professionals to pursue certification. In contrast, only 34 percent of non-certified HR professionals report that their company encourages certification. Of those professionals, 55 percent say their organization will pay for the certification exam, compared to 78 percent of certified HR professionals.

“Certified-HR professionals present a hiring advantage to both employers and employees,” said Mary E. Power, executive director of the HR Certification Institute. “An employee who has committed to achieving and maintaining certification tends to be more self-motivated and up-to-date on forward thinking HR practices. Certification is an indicator that he or she will be a strong performer.”

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The HR Certification Institute is an affiliate of SHRM and has certified HR professionals since 1976. Randy Lotero is with US Sales Support, Kelly Services US.