In the middle of the twentieth century,
discussions became more formalized
around the idea of professionalizing
the field of industrial relations and
personnel administration. An historical
overview written by Bill Leonard
(Leonard, 1998) states, “In 1948, the
debate had just begun on the professional
nature of HR management and
how to measure skill levels in the profession.
The debate centered on three
key questions: What body of knowledge
must personnel professionals know?
Who defines that body of knowledge?
How do you objectively measure it?”
In the 1970s, certification in
human resources was endorsed by
the American Society for Personnel
Administration (now SHRM). Six
committees were essential in defining
the body of knowledge within the
following functional areas:
• Employment, placement, and
personnel planning
• Training and development
• Compensation and benefits
• Health, safety, and security
• Employee and labor relations
• Personnel research
Over the last several decades, HR
certifications proliferated while other
subspecialty certifications have been
created, and tens of thousands of
these certifications have been granted
by World of Work, International Foundation
of Employee Benefit Plans,
International Public Management Association
for Human Resources, and
the Association of Talent Development
(formerly the American Society
for Training and Development).
The SHRM–CP/SHRM–SCP
certification sponsored by the Society
for Human Resource Management
(SHRM) includes eight behavioral
competencies:
• Leadership and navigation