Best HR Business Partner Certifications 2024: Reviews and Pricing

Planning to get a human resource business partner certification in 2024?

Well, it’s a great idea.

Human Resource Management is growing more rapidly than ever. Institutions worldwide offer multiple programs to make strategic HR business partners who devise meaningful impacts using business analytics. Among so many options available, which one should you choose?

This article highlights the best certifications of 2024 that future aspirants can track down to learn from the best. Before diving into HR business partner certification details, let’s understand the roles and responsibilities of business partners, what specialties they should possess, and how they are useful to an organization.

Best HR Business Partner Certification

Ready to seek the best HR business partner certification? We have compiled the widely recognized certifications that give you the proper knowledge and recognition. These certifications increase your overall value, and you obtain the finest return for your time and money investment. Here is a rundown of the best and latest certifications to take.

1. HR University Business Partner Certification

HR Business Partner Course

This HR university certification is one of the top certification courses. You get world-class HR business partner education that produces the next generation of leaders. You will learn the basics of being an HR business partner, including how to implement strategies, improve management, and effective consulting when speaking to stakeholders. The key fundamentals of this course include:

  • HR Tasks
  • HR Administrative Tasks
  • Employment Letter Verification
  • New Hire Paperwork
  • Employee Eligibility Verification
  • Form I-9
  • Projected Characteristics
  • Glass Ceiling
  • Workplace Relationships
  • HR Strategy & Planning
  • Monitoring the Workforce
  • Managing the Workforce
  • Capture Employee Experience
  • Conduct Performance Appraisals
  • Conduct Exit Interviews

This certification course covers all fundamental aspects that are a gateway to achieving a well-paid job as a strategic HR business partner. This course, with lifetime free access to its content, contains 60+ lectures, interviews with HR leaders, 15+ case studies, and a bundle of technical resources to promote learning.

Recommended for:

This course is best for aspiring business partners who want to polish their HR skills to implement business functions. Thanks to its lifetime access to lessons that might come out later, it’s great for anyone who wants to stay on top of changes in the HR world.

Pricing:

The pricing plan for this certification is $199. This pricing solution is inexpensive as compared to other courses in the relevant domain. 

Access: To know more about course details, visit HR University HR Business Partner Certification

This certification is the latest and most popular credential among individuals because it helps candidates who pursue progress inside their current organization and those at the edge of shifting to another job or industry.

2. HRCI Professional in Human Resource (PHR)

HRCI

HRCI targets vital HR skills required to shape a business in the 21st century. This PHR course sets you apart by giving you a fully accredited credential, connects you to an exclusive network, validates your expertise, and earns recognition from organizations and peers. HRCI is more of a certification exam than a course that requires its candidates to have a minimum of one year of experience in HR. This can be either Master’s Degree (1-year experience in HR) or Bachelor’s Degree (1-year experience in HR). If you are starting, you can take associate-level certification (aPHR) and then advance to senior level with PHR, SPHR, and GPHR. It is good to prepare 6 to 9 months before taking the exam. This certification covers:

  • Business Management
  • Talent Planning & Acquisition
  • Learning & Development
  • Total Rewards
  • Employee & Labor Relations

The HR certification institute offers convenient content for self-study. There are 175 multiple choice questions in the exam, and you must complete the exam in three hours.

Recommended for:

PHR is suitable for beginner HR professionals transitioning toward senior roles. However, all levels of HR seniority represent the HRCI community of credentialed professionals. This course is also popular among regional and senior HR managers, HR leads, and senior HR consultants.

Pricing:

PHR exam costs vary by level. The basic price for PHR is $395 and a $100 application fee for all applicants. The GDPR exam fee is $595.

Access: To know more, visit HRCI

3. Society For Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM_CP) & Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

SHRM

SHRM offers two aptitude-based certifications known as SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP. HR professionals get comprehensive resources that enable them to understand business and financial terminology to accelerate their careers. These two certifications provide a guiding roadmap to align talent strategy and prompt individuals to excel. 

Society For Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)

Any professional with basic knowledge of HR practices and principles can apply for this certification. It is not mandatory to hold an HR degree, title, or experience to get this certification. A minimum of 1 year of HR field experience is requisite for Bachelor’s degree holders. The exam duration is four hours and is composed of computer-based testing experience. SHRM-CP’s primary purpose is to assess the competency level of professionals who serve as a point of contact for staff and stakeholders who oversee day-to-day HR activities.

Recommended for:

SHRM-CP is best for people seeking a career in HRM and those who perform general project management activities to meet business challenges.

Pricing:

It offers different packages for its members and non-members. The early bird examination fee for an SHRM member is $300 and $400 for non-members. On the other hand, the standard exam costs $375 for its members and $475 for non-members.

Access: You can get more details on SHRM-CP

Society For Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

A Senior Certified Professional is a well-organized certification with vigorous prerequisite requirements. A person is eligible if they have three years of strategic level HR experience or are shifting towards a strategic level role. SHRM-SCP is also available to individuals who have retained their CP credentials for at least three years. This exam certification aims to assess the aptitude of professionals who execute integrated HR operations to meet business challenges and lead an entire HR enterprise. The applicants should review their work experience against the criteria, including that at least 10,000 hours per calendar year is mandatory for both full-time and part-time work. This exam is 4 hours long, and candidates have the option of remote proctoring.

Recommended for:

SHRM-SCP is suitable for professionals who execute strategic HR functions to meet business challenges and devise policies by analyzing performance metrics. This senior-level certification is also excellent for individuals who already have SHRM-CP credentials.

Pricing:

The cost of the standard exam for SHRM members is $375 and $475 for non-members.

Access:  To view details on the exam and quick resources section, visit: SHRM-SCP. To explore the application procedure and requirements, visit SHRM Application Process. If you want to transform yourself into a globally recognized HR professional, earn these certifications.

4. Certified Human Resource Professional by HRPA

CHRP

The Human Resource professional Association offers exclusive CHRP certifications. Two more advanced courses, CHRL (Certified Human Resource Leader) and CHRE (Certified Human Resource Executive), also fall under their well-recognized credentials. CHRP is a knowledge exam having a prerequisite to meet the coursework requirement. Candidates must complete a series of nine HR-relevant subject areas under the course approval process. These areas incorporate:

  • Human Resources Management
  • Compensation
  • Labor Relations/Industrial Relations
  • Finance & Accounting
  • HR Planning
  • Recruitment & Selection
  • Training & Development
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Occupational Health & Safety

For successful completion, you should score above 65% on any course. Once you receive approval based on your score, you can take the challenge exam.      

Recommended for:

The Certified Human Resource Professional course exam is a good fit for people pursuing a human resources degree. Moreover, individuals with a degree and good standing as HRPA members can get this credential.

Pricing

You need active membership for transcript assessment. The course fee varies depending on your status and location (Canada or outside Canada). A basic $80 plus HST is the standard fee for completing the transcript assessment. However, courses and exams have their fee structure.

Access:  You can view the challenge exam schedule and application process on their website

5. Become a Human Resource Business Partner by LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Course HR Business Partner

This program is the best selling on LinkedIn with a rating of 4.7 out of 5. It comprises 11 courses and 9 hours of content to polish your skills as an HR professional. This program provides you the insight into the HRBP world. This program lets you develop skills vital to becoming a competent resource to structure and lead business strategy. The content covers all essential aspects necessary to become an operational, strategic HR business partner who fulfills business objectives. The eleven courses are devised by the world’s best instructors with quality content, including:

  • Human Resource Foundations
  • Understanding Business
  • Connecting with Executives
  • Organization Design
  • Talent Management
  • Human Resources in the On-Demand Economy
  • Employer Branding to Attract Talent
  • Human Resources: Managing Employee Problems
  • Human Resources: Running Company Onboarding
  • Communicating with Empathy

You can kick off your strategic business partner career by connecting your certificate of completion to your LinkedIn profile. Online access provides ultimate ease where you can learn at your own pace. You can practice the concepts covered in each section through free exercises at the conclusion stage. 

Recommended for:

This course covers each concept from basic to advanced levels. Aspiring HR professionals and individuals who have just started their HR careers can leverage this program for your career advancement and professional growth.

Pricing

It has an outstanding option of a one-month free trial. It notifies you seven days before your free trial ends. After the free trial ends, you can either pay under the monthly package (approx. $27.21) or buy the annual package (approx. $18). You can acquire a free trial for both monthly and yearly packages.

Access:  To know about more course and payment particulars, visit this link 

We compiled the best option for you in the above list. Cost estimation and duration are mentioned against each to give you a thorough picture. At this point, you might ask yourself which option you can leverage to set up your HR career. We recommend analyzing your current position in the workplace, your qualifications, career goals, and budget before diving into picking a certification.

Which is the most appropriate HR certification?

This selection highly depends on your needs and career objectives. The extra effort you put in earning this certification can land you a better job or bump in salary. Among the abovementioned certifications, we recommend getting certification by HR University. This certification course makes you a strategic partner in generating meaningful business analytics. You’ll have a more competitive resume by stating this advanced certification.

Moreover, SHRM Certified Professional is another notable name in this category. If you don’t feel ready to take any of these certifications, you can also use online courses to improve your HR analytics skills. Udemy, edX, and LinkedIn offer a variety of courses targeting multiple areas of human resource management. 

Planning Beforehand 

The duration of course completion varies with the company. Some certifications take months and years to complete. Therefore, plan by analyzing your schedule and deciding how much time you can commit. Carefully consider how much time and money you intend to invest in a credible HR certification. This prior planning also helps you decide which certificate suits your current situation. Setting progress milestones for yourself, committing time to study hard, and staying competitive in this evolving field are practical. 

Benefits of HRBP Certification

From a pool of thousand candidates, interviewers prefer selecting those who have certifications and courses as an achievement in their profile. Certificates help to measure the effectiveness of skills and expertise required to develop a unique business strategy. Skilled employees are an organization’s best assets, and certifications help them manage infrastructure. Certifications improve your expertise level and ensure that you achieve skyscraping success. Experienced HR business partners must be able to implement HR strategies to drive the best workforce in the organization. This is where certifications can help. Let us look at what is waiting for a person who completes their HRBP certification.

Vast Knowledge

To excel in the current market, you need knowledge about the HR market. Certifications help you to identify and obtain the latest market skills. You must develop strategic skills to boost business and financial understanding to perform better.

Better Business Profile

High-performing HR organizations measure effectiveness through profiles with relevant certification, among other variables like organizational impact. Although certifications aren’t a guarantee that you will land a high-profile job, they increase your chances of receiving better opportunities.

Reputed Authority

To back the claim of your expertise through certification, get it from a recognized and approved authority. Acquiring knowledge from online free content cannot compete with the rightful skills obtained through a globally recognized certification authority. This credential is proof that you possess a strategic mindset of HRBP during the resume screening process of multinational corporations.  

Catalyze Change

A strategic business partner has a crucial responsibility to understand changes in a business better. Through these certifications, they earn business and financial acumen to plan and effectively implement organizational changes. These credentials enable strategic personnel to create solutions regarding talent management or business metrics scale solutions for addressing the transition. They are an integral asset to incorporating best strategic practices into your skillset and give you paramount confidence to act as a proactive partner to your business. 

What is a Human Resource Business Partner?

Before getting an HR business partner certification details, it is essential to understand the roles and responsibilities of business partners. Human resources business partners perform several tasks of different nature. Based on their specialty, they are assigned to select the direction for an organization to move on. Business partners act as a bridge between upper management, the HR department, and other employees.

This role is highly dynamic as it requires business partners to initiate and run whole HR programs. They are also responsible for coordinating with executives and managers to develop HR regulations in compliance with business objectives. Their leadership requires them to nurture a high-profile team, manage tasks within or outside the organization, and create talent management solutions. 

How to Become an HR Business Partner?

The first thing that matters in the career paths of business partners is their qualification level. According to Zippia, 65.1% of business partners have a bachelor’s degree, and 16.8% have a master’s degree. It is a general requirement to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in business administration or human resources to become an HR business partner. 

Apart from these two degrees, the most common education found on resumes of business partner professionals is associate and high school degrees. Presentation, good communication, strategic development, and team coordination are general skills you must possess to become an HR business partner. Previous experience in business-driven roles such as project manager and account executive is also acceptable to become an HRBP. 

HRBPs Average Salary

The typical average salary ranges around $100,332 per year for a professional HRBP in high-performing HR organizations. Top-rated salaries are around $159,000 annually for the top 10 percent of HR professionals. The bottom 10 percent earn $60,000 per year.

Demographic Facts

Male make up the majority in this field as per recent statistics, with a percentage of 52.9%. Statistics for spoken foreign languages include 8% for Portuguese, 15.5% for French, and 47.6% for Spanish out of 100.

Business partner majors include different percentages of subjects including (top to bottom) Business, Accounting, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources Management, Psychology, Communication, Management, Computer Science, Political Science, Economics, English, Electrical Engineering, Criminal Justice, Education, Liberal Arts, Law, Sociology, Computer Information System and Gender Education.

Starting from high to low percentages, the degrees that human resource business partner professionals mostly have are Bachelor’s (65.1%), Master’s (16.8%), Associate (9.4%), High school diploma (4.3%), Doctorate (1.8%), Diploma (1.5%), Certificate (1%) and License (0.1%).

Conclusion

A Human Resources Business Partner accreditation is an excellent investment of time and money. Make sure to understand your career path and objectives to know what certification you can leverage best. Unfortunately, many of these certifications do not last for a lifetime. It is required to renew them after a few years. Once you have your certificate in mind, it’s time to level up your career.

 

Josh Fechter
Josh Fechter is the founder of The Product Company and a partner at Product Manager HQ.