Trying To Move On

AP - Tropical Storm Hanna cruised toward the Carolinas on Friday, forecast to hit land overnight and promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up the Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions of people.

According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupational outlook for human resources professionals appears quite promising. Overall projections indicate a growth rate for the job category of about 17% between the years 2006 and 2016. The bureau considers the predicted growth is faster than average when all occupations are taken into account. For anyone thinking of an HR career or staying in the field, that should be welcome news.

After all, job stability is not easy to come by in any career and the government's statistics can serve as a respectable source of confirmation. From that standpoint, the decision to enter or stay in the HR industry seems to be a sound one. However, to grow within the field and explore pathways to upward mobility, questions about credentials and certifications come into play.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) offers two levels of certification, including the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). SHRM also offers the Global Professional in Human Resources for those with international responsibilities. The California Certification in Human Resources is for those who plan to work in the State and are unfamiliar with California's labor and human resource laws.

Now let's ask the real questions. Are certifications required to succeed in the business? Do they translate into higher earnings? Are they worth the investment of time and money? What are the facts?

In a press release dated June 22, 2008, the HR Certification Institute, a SHRM affiliate, announced the findings of a recent study called the Value of Certification Survey. The survey, which polled over 3,000 certified and non-certified HR professionals, revealed that one out of two hiring managers prefer HR certified professionals. The report also shows that 44% of the respondents feel HR certified professional create a positive impact on their company's financial bottom line. In fact, every statistic in the survey showed the benefits of certification.

What it did not reveal, however, are statistics that show certified HR professional enjoy higher earnings than their non-certified colleagues do. The lack of scientific salary studies leave us to conclude that, in terms of compensation, it may be no more valuable than years of industry experience or a formal HR degree.

To the contrary, that's not to say employers don't respect the value of HR certification, they simply don't require it as a hiring guideline. In a very un-scientific survey, we examined five different HR job postings on the largest internet employment website. The positions ranged from entry-level HR to director. The results regarding the requirement for certification ranged from "PHR helpful but not required" to "PHR certification strongly preferred."

In making the decision to certify or not, consider how strong the credentials would appear on a resume. And the fact that certification may greatly increase your chances of making through the screening process. Something also to consider is how heavily an employer weighs its value when evaluating candidates for promotion.

The cost of certification is another important factor. According to the same study conducted by the HR Certification Institute, 59% of those already certified say their organization encourages them to pursue certification. Only 34% of non-certified professionals report receiving encouragement. Of those professionals, 55% say their employer will pay for the training, compared to 78% of the certified professionals.

When an employer leaves the cost to the employee, it matters even more and requires closer examination. The cost for the PHP is in the neighborhood of $1,000 and that includes the learning system, class and registration fees. The time investment is clearly important as well. The class alone is a 40-hour course and that doesn't include study time.

Given the facts, here's how one HR Vice President summed it up, "Certification is valuable to everyone, but common sense dictates that the economic value is greater for those who are early in their careers. If you are at the HR manager level or below, and can make the time to pursue certification, do it now. You'll differentiate yourself from the herd, whether you plan to stay forever in your HR shop, or intend to switch jobs and companies in the next couple of years." That appears to be excellent advice, especially coming from someone close to the top of his career.

Maurisa Westbury is Chief Training Strategist for OnlineTraining2Go an e-learning solutions company specializing in providing computer based training via the Internet for individuals, small to medium sized businesses and the association market. OnlineTraining2Go offers an extensive catalog with over 2500 topics. The company also offers career coaching, FREE teleseminars and webinars related to career development and personal growth. If you're ready to reinvent yourself, get noticed and move to the next level in your career get your FREE report on career advancement and success now HERE

AP - Invigorated by back-to-back political conventions, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama grappled for the mantle of change Friday as the fall race for the presidency took off in states teeming with the independent voters they needed to win.

If it wasn't for Laila, I wouldn't have known that mango pickle also tastes bitter. I like bitter-sweet pickles. So the revelation was a sort of triumph for me since I cajoled her to start her pickles business on web.

Laila wasn't a typical home-lady spending umpteen moments doing nothing. In fact she worked in an MNC with aplomb till she chose to attend to her year-old daughter's prickly needs whole time. That was a year back. Now that the toddler feels more at home at nearby play school, Laila has an expanse of spare time she resents spending idle. Would she join the growing tribe of work-at-home moms, I inquired. She was more than game, but preferred caution.

She has seen work-at-home moms attending mundane jobs, like taking calls, filling envelops, balancing cash flow in small outfits, selling nondescript items and suchlike. She didn't want to do any of these. "They are too ordinary for my liking", she would say. It's then I suggested that she reads the much-acclaimed e-book for work-at-home moms, "WAHM IT! The Masters Course" [http://wahm-masters.sitesell.com/PARTHA.html].

Not long after I receive an exciting call from Laila. Seeing me, she becomes more bubbly and effusive. Thanking me profusely she says the e-book is a real eye-opener for her. Although addicted to internet for sundry reasons, she hasn't imagined she can start a web business from home. WAHM IT! has dramatically changed her perception. Going through Michelle Schill's success story [http://case-studies.sitesell.com/PARTHA.html/#WAHM] over and again, Laila could feel even she can be a successful web business owner while not letting her vigil off from daily home-chores. After all, wasn't her mother a successful work-at-home mom selling homemade pickles in her childhood? Ah, pickles! A great idea for web business, Laila thought.

But Laila doesn't want to sell pickles. Why, sell the recipes, I told her. Soon Laila starts her first web business on recipes of pickles. As a busy work-at-home mom, whatever time she manages goes to improve her web business. Success trickles in as her website viewers want to know more about the pickles she wrote on. Better still they wouldn't mind paying. Laila realizes that time has come to monetize her web business efforts.

But Laila is not stopping here. "Web business is infectious", she says with a sly twinkle in eyes. I couldn't agree more. Her next plan is another info website where she intends sharing her marketing knowledge. Laila was senior marketing executive in the MNC before leaving, so marketing tidbits are well within her grasp. She doesn't stop praising "WAHM IT!" e-book (and me of course!). Because that is how she has made mark as work-at-home mom. Won't you agree?

Partha Bhattacharya is a web content writer for all needs. He owns and operates Words2Content.