Are HR Certifications Worth It? A Guide for Startups

True or false: An HR certification gives you the expertise, knowledge, and credibility to handle the challenges you’ll face in a startup.

Mostly false.

HR certifications can be useful, but most provide a broad (and enterprise-level) perspective on HR, focusing on only one or two areas of interest for startups, such as compliance, recruiting, or org design. This may be serviceable for HR in a large company, but it often leaves HR leaders at startups wanting.

I’ve consulted with over 100 companies on HR worldwide, and I’ve also written test questions for some of the certification providers on this list, so I know full well where a certification can help and where it might be limiting for HR leaders at startups. This article cuts through the noise by showing what actually drives HR success in startups, how certifications fit into that picture, and how you can turn people operations into a growth engine.

The Most Common HR Certifications You Will Encounter

If you’re in the market for an HR certification, there are three primary options:

• HR Certification Institute (HRCI)
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)

Each one offers certifications for various experience levels, geographies, and skill sets.

HRCI

HRCI offers two main certifications:

• The Professional in Human Resources (PHR) is for early-career HR professionals.
• The Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) is for more experienced HR leaders who want to shape policy and strategy, or lead teams.

Both require a three-hour exam covering topics such as team dynamics, employment law, talent acquisition, and compliance. While anyone can enroll, the time needed to complete each certification varies based on your level of education.

Over 95% of Fortune 500 companies have HRCI-certified professionals in leadership roles. HRCI is useful in regulated industries such as financial services, but it may be less so in the leaner, more unpredictable environment of startups.

SHRM

SHRM is a globally recognized HR organization with over 300,000 members in 165 countries. SHRM offers two credentials:

• SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) is for early- to mid-career practitioners.
• SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) is for senior-level HR leaders.

Both are built on SHRM’s competency model, which blends behavioral, technical, and leadership skills like business acumen, ethical practice, and a global mindset. SHRM is particularly suited for HR professionals with specialized or strategic responsibilities.

Like HRCI, SHRM’s experience requirements vary by education level, with longer timelines if your degree isn’t HR-related. Certifications must also be renewed every three years by either retaking exams or earning SHRM-approved professional development credits. While the requirement for renewal does help ensure knowledge stays fresh, it also ensures that these organizations have regular customers!

CIPD

Let’s hop across the pond. CIPD is the UK’s leading HR certification organization, so it’s not as in-demand in US-based startups, but it is common in regions such as the Middle East and Asia.

Unlike HRCI and SHRM, CIPD is more academic and resembles advanced degree programs. CIPD offers three levels of certification, starting with foundational HR skills all the way up to diploma programs focused on people management, learning, and organizational design.
Like the above, CIPD may be required in certain contexts, but less so for startups.

Should I Get More than One HR Certification?

If you’re dead-set on getting certified, then getting more than one HR certification is common, but not required.

A PayScale study of 100,000 HR professionals found that 34% hold at least one credential, with the most common certifications being the HRCI and the SHRM. The study also showed that 50% of SHRM-CP holders also have a PHR, and 63% of SHRM-SCP holders also hold an SPHR.

Now, for a quick caveat about that statistic: HRCI used to be SHRM’s test designer before the two split off, with HRCI holding on to PHR and SPHR, with SHRM spinning off on its own. SHRM granted all HRCI certification holders the equivalent SHRM certifications, meaning if you had the PHR, then you also received the SHRM-CP. Going forward, there is no reason to get more than one certification.

Some private and public universities also offer HR certification programs, but these credentials aren’t seen as industry standards like HRCI, SHRM, or CIPD. If you’re interested in exploring advanced degrees, I wrote a separate article on whether an MBA in HR matters at a startup (spoiler alert: it doesn’t, but much like HR certifications, there are both pros and cons, which we’ll review next)!

What HR Certifications Can (and Can’t) Deliver

Are HR certifications useful? Yes. But let’s be clear on what getting certified can and can’t do.

Certifications can accelerate your learning and make you a more well-rounded HR professional. They equip you with HR fundamentals, train you on current laws, and offer opportunities for increased specialization. An HR certification may be preferred for a job requirement and can even translate into higher pay, according to PayScale.

These are all useful things if you have some HR experience under your belt and are working your way up the corporate ladder.

But HR certifications are not a substitute for experience, especially in the unpredictable and often chaotic environment of a startup. I like to think of the above HR certifications as having a learner’s permit. Certifications assume some level of HR experience, but the number of years you have under your belt and the know-how from the certification don’t translate to knowing how to succeed in a startup.

Again, it’s not that you won’t learn valuable HR principles; it’s that HR certifications cannot prepare you for the following:

• The chaos: ** ** Startups rarely resemble tidy case studies covered in certification prep. An HR certification won’t teach you how to recruit for a new company in an emerging industry, onboard and care for employees with minimal resources, or juggle payroll, compliance, and culture-building all at once.
• Limited focus on people dynamics: Certification programs emphasize policies, laws, and theoretical approaches to the work, but typically underprepare you for the messy, human side of startup HR. Good luck using a certification workbook to resolve ethical disputes, manage manic employees, rein in founder personalities, or keep top talent from quitting.
• Building a culture from the ground up: Certifications don’t teach you how to intentionally shape, reinforce, and defend a company culture as you scale. And they won’t help you know how to do that if your budget for perks suddenly gets cut in half.
• Staying relevant with new technology: New technologies, shifting workforce expectations, and evolving employment laws mean your credential may be outdated long before renewal time.

As I’ve said above, I’ve written test questions for some of the certifications mentioned above and hold a SHRM-SCP; that said, while HR certifications have their place, they’re also not silver bullets. Let’s take a look at what really makes startup HR tick, and how to position yourself to succeed in those roles.

What You Really Need to Succeed in Startup HR

Most HR certifications teach you how to implement HR practices in isolation, but this only gets you so far in the unpredictability of startup life. I’ve seen it firsthand over 100 times, consulting with startups ranging from fast-growing tech companies in the US to retail chains in Africa.

Do you want to know the secret that separates 9-figure success stories from the hundreds of flops every year? It’s not the product. It’s their people practices.

For startups to succeed, they need HR teams that bring the following to the table:

• Structure built for scale: Design an organizational structure that supports your company’s strategy, enables work to flow smoothly, and evolves as you grow.
• A recruitment engine, not a process: Implement a hiring system that consistently attracts and retains top talent.
• Total rewards with impact: Design sustainable benefits and compensation strategies that deliver maximum impact within budget constraints.
• Performance management that drives results: Put in place systems that inspire teams, clarify expectations, and tie performance directly to business outcomes.
• Culture as a competitive advantage: Build, articulate, and protect an employer brand and culture that becomes a magnet for elite talent, setting you apart in your industry.
• Tech that scales with you: Select and implement an HR tech stack that meets today’s needs, grows with your company, and makes your job easier.

Delivering on the above is a recipe for your success; for over a decade, I’ve seen this to be true.

I’ve worked with businesses that had excellent products, competitive positioning, and a top-notch marketing strategy, but there’s nothing that can sink a company faster than poor people practices.

How you hire, how you interview, how you promote and retain talent, and the technology you choose will dictate your company’s success… or its failure. An HR certification can give you the nuts and bolts of how HR works, but it won’t give you the hands-on experience you’ll need deep in the trenches at startups.

That’s why I’ve distilled over a decade of experience across 150+ companies into my Startup HR Operating System: the complete course to teach you how to build a scalable people operation from the ground up.

You’ll learn all of the above and so much more. I’m joined by leading HR experts like Melissa Theiss, Head of People Operations at Kit, to give you a masterclass on building an HR function that drives your company towards the next stage.

Join The Waitlist for My Course: The Startup HR Operating System

HR certifications give you a leg up on HR fundamentals and provide opportunities for increased specialization, but the credentials they provide don’t qualify you to be successful in startup HR.

For that, there is no substitute for experience… or my Startup HR Operating System, which is designed for leaders who want to turn HR into rocket fuel for their company. You’ll get access to 15+ hours of video material, my entire library of tools and templates, and all future updates as I maintain the course.

Put your startup on the path to hypergrowth by joining the waitlist today.