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Certifications that raise your pay

None are legally required. Employers ask for them anyway.

• SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional)

  The common first certification. No degree or experience requirement, so you can sit it early. The global pass rate is around 69%.

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

  For strategic roles. Needs about three years of senior human resources work or three years holding the first certification. Pass rate around 52%.

• Credentials from a second certifying body

  The HR Certification Institute (an independent organization, separate from the one above) offers an associate-level credential for beginners plus the Professional in Human Resources and Senior Professional in Human Resources for experienced staff.

• Payroll certification

  A specialist route with its own exams, and consistently short of qualified people.