Wayne Greenleaf ⋅ San Clemente, CA ABM Industries ⋅ 45 years experience

Commander,

First of all, I hope you've considered moving over to the Naval Reserve to finish up your 20 years. Otherwise, guaranteed you'll be kicking yourself five years from now...

Great answers to your question on certifications. But let me come at it differently. New to HR, you may have little choice as to what area of HR you start in. The "soft," or non-analytical side of HR includes hiring and staffing, training, and organizational development. For these, a PHR may be best, but as the others have said, helpful but not required in a starting level HR position. Then there is the more analytical side of HR, including benefit design, costing, and management, and compensation - from job design to executive compensation. For the benefits side, a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) is best. For the comp side, perhaps a CCP - Certified Compensation Professional. Whether you have already landed an HR job or one is in your future, over time in HR, you will find your interest gravitating to one of the areas above (or employee relations, labor relations, or a whole host of other, more narrowly defined HR areas - depending on the size of the employer and the HR department), and that will better dictate which certification you might focus on.

Success in whatever you do...!

Wayne Greenleaf

Fouad Malik ⋅ Los Angeles, CA ⋅ 7 years experience

You are welcome David. If you need assistance with resume, feel free to send it to me at fouad@able2work.org .

For requirements and eligibility: http://www.hrci.org/our-programs/becoming-certified/requirements-and-eligibility

There are two exam windows a year for HRCI exams.There is deadline for each window too. http://www.hrci.org/apply/fees-and-deadlines/2014-exam-deadlines

Process includes: Complete application on-line at HRCI.org during application acceptance period; Submit Payment; Receive Authorization to Test Letter (ATT); Follow directions on ATT letter and schedule test at prometric.com.

If you need any information about good study material, please let me know.

David Nava ⋅ Middletown, RI U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander ⋅ 15 years served

Tom,

I applied yesterday, fingers crossed!

David

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

David, do you know about the programs VCTP Syracuse offers?

David Nava ⋅ Middletown, RI U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander ⋅ 15 years served

Fouad,

Thank you for responding to my question. I have an advanced degree however, it is not in HR or business. Based on your and other suggestions, I will work on my certifications first, as these are less costly and quicker to attain. After developing more of a background in HR, I plan to dive into a degree plan, most likely an MBA as you suggest. I will take a look at the link, I appreciate you including that.

Thank you again!

Respectfully,

David Nava

Fouad Malik ⋅ Los Angeles, CA ⋅ 7 years experience

In my opinion, a combination of experience, degree and certification will give you competitive advantage. Getting a degree is a good long-term decision. If you already have ANY advanced degree, then you do not need a degree in HR. If you do not have an advanced degree then instead of an advanced degree in HR, consider getting MBA with some HR courses. This is because at senior HR roles, you need good understanding of operations of entire firm as HR has began to take a more strategic role. A broad degree will keep doors open for other occupations as well.

As far as certifications are concerned, they will most likely reap you immediate benefit. They are also experiential so it will also show employers that your military experience is equivalent to that of civilian's. Certification will be much less costly as well. Based on brief description of your background, it appears that you may be able to transition into senior HR role. SPHR also focuses on strategy and "big picture". If you need input into study material for PHR or SPHR, please let me know.

Read PHR/SPHR body of knowledge to see if you are able to use this to translate your military HR experience to civilian: http://www.hrci.org/docs/default-source/media-resources/phr-sphr-body-of-knowledge-.pdf?sfvrsn=0 . You may also want to familiarize yourself with RI employment laws apart from federal (HR Certifications test on Federal laws only).

Mary Kennedy ⋅ Fort Worth, TX Galderma ⋅ 26 years experience

Hi David - I'm happy to review your resume and help in any way I can. Please forward to me at mkennedy@sheplers.com.

Regards,

Mary

Stephanie Arnold ⋅ Lake Odessa, MI Cargill ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Dave,

I agree that a PHR certification and/or graduate degree in HR are not necessarily mandatory, but if you were to pursue one over the other, I'd suggest going after the certification. You earn a graduate degree once, but in order to maintain a PHR-type certification you must constantly earn credits and attend seminars and keep up in the world of HR to maintain that certification, which is something employers know and value. That said, keep in mind that the Society for Human Resource Management is doing away with the PHR after the end of 2014 and replacing it with a new, competency-based certification. See this link for more information: http://www.shrm.org/about/news/pages/competency-certification-name.aspx

As for how to make your resume stand out, remember to make your resume very specific to the position you are applying to. I'd be happy to take a look at your resume if you'd like. Feel free to send to Stephanie.Arnold23@gmail.com

- Stephanie

David Nava ⋅ Middletown, RI U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander ⋅ 15 years served

Dave,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my message. I greatly appreciate it. And thank you for agreeing to review my resume. What would be the best way to send my resume to you? I could post the verbiage here, though I'm not sure if the format would hold up.

Dave

David Alhadeff ⋅ Buffalo Grove, IL Lighthouse Consulting LLC ⋅ 29 years experience

David,

First of all, thank you so much for your many years of service.

Your timing is good, as the opportunities in HR these days are out there. You will want to describe and discuss your prior experience in a way that positions you well for your targeted position. I do not think that the PHR certification or a graduate degree is essential at this point, unless you are looking to move directly into a senior HR role that requires such a credential. Needless to say, some organizations will place a higher level of relevance and qualification on military experience than others. As for continuous education, many progressive organizations will actually fund or co-fund your certification efforts once you come on board, so keep that in mind. As for your resume, I would be happy to review it. I would recommend that you make it "achievement" (vs. activity) oriented. It should highlight what you have accomplished. It should demonstrate that you view HR as a critical business function delivering valued services to its internal customers. Also, take the time to explore career opportunities in talent management, leadership development, learning, talent acquisition, talent strategy ... all of these areas are now typically owned by HR, but may not require the technical certification (e.g. PHR) needed for the more traditional HR roles.

My best to you,

Dave