How To Get An HR Certification Online: What You Need To Know

9/22/2025

Earning an HR credential online is a practical way to formalize your competence, demonstrate your commitment to the profession, and broaden your career opportunities.

If you are evaluating how to get certified in human resource management, this guide explains why online pathways are advantageous, which programs to consider, how to verify program quality, and how to prepare for and leverage your new credential.

Why Choose Online HR Certification?

Online HR certification is now mainstream. Reputable providers deliver the same core content virtually as they do in person, including structured modules, case-based learning, and access to instructors with deep field experience. HR Certification, for example, offers its HR Generalist curriculum via video conference with 14 information-dense sessions and interactive exercises, aligning online learning with the breadth of HR practice.

Flexibility for working professionals

• Learn without pausing your career: Virtual sessions (or self-paced components where available) allow you to manage coursework around recruiting cycles, open enrollment, or year-end compliance activities.
• Same curriculum, remote access: Online formats can mirror in-person agendas, including legal updates on FMLA, ADA, COBRA, and related federal and state requirements, as well as practical "how-to" segments.
• Structured interactivity: High-quality online programs integrate exercises on investigations, disciplinary meetings, and performance management, helping you practice judgment in realistic scenarios.

Cost considerations vs. in-person programs

• Reduced travel and time-away costs: Eliminating hotel and airfare can lower total investment while keeping content quality intact.
• Comparable value: Leading online formats include comprehensive workbooks (e.g., 300+ pages), case studies, and templates that you can implement immediately on the job-value that often rivals onsite training.
• Recertification efficiency: Programs recognized for SHRM and HRCI credits help you maintain existing designations without additional seminars, optimizing cost-per-credit.

Top Online HR Certification Programs

Multiple organizations offer credible online HR certification pathways. Below is a focused overview of major options and a complementary provider model.

HRCI online exam options

The HR Certification Institute (HRCI) offers globally recognized credentials with online exam availability via approved testing modalities. Common certifications include:

• aPHR/PHR/SPHR tracks oriented by career stage and responsibility scope
• Competency validation in compliance, employee relations, total rewards, and risk management

Online preparation commonly includes structured coursework, law summaries, and practice questions. Quality prep aligns with HRCI's Body of Knowledge and emphasizes legal compliance topics such as FMLA, ADA, COBRA, and EEOC fundamentals-areas reinforced in programs like the HR Generalist training referenced on HR Certification.

SHRM online certification process

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP credentials centered on behavioral competencies and technical knowledge. Candidates can prepare online through live-virtual courses and on-demand modules that cover:

• HR strategy, structure, and stakeholder alignment
• Employment law foundations and people analytics
• Practical scenarios mirroring real workplace decisions

Programs that grant SHRM Professional Development Credits (PDCs) support ongoing recertification. HR Certification's HR Generalist training, for instance, offers 18 SHRM PDCs, which can be part of your broader recertification plan.

HRcertification.com Certification Courses

HRcertification.com is a specialized provider of HR certification courses. It delivers HR, payroll, retirement plan, and other training courses that help HR professionals fulfill their compliance requirements for FMLA, ADA, COBRA, Cafeteria Plans, Retirement Plans, Payroll, and more that build applied HR capability.

HRcertification.com's Certificate Program for HR Generalists, Internal Investigation, and other courses are delivered online and in person. For instance, their Certificate Program for HR Generalists features 14 modules, interactive exercises, and detailed legal coverage, and offers:

• A formal HR Generalist Certificate upon completion
• 18 HRCI recertification hours and 18 SHRM PDCs
• Supplemental access to focused training in FMLA, ADA, COBRA, and Paycheck Fundamentals, with free updates as laws change

This type of provider-based certificate can be an effective complement to (or stepping stone before) HRCI/SHRM exam tracks, especially if you want job-ready templates, court case analyses, and best-practice checklists in addition to exam preparation.

How to Verify an Online Certification Program

Quality verification protects your investment and ensures employers recognize your credential.

Accreditation and global recognition

• Recognized exam bodies: HRCI and SHRM certifications are widely accepted by employers and used as hiring and promotion benchmarks.
• Recertification alignment: Programs that award HRCI credits and SHRM PDCs demonstrate alignment with accepted professional standards. HR Certification's HR Generalist course explicitly confers both, signaling curricular rigor.
• Evidence of employer trust: Providers highlighting participation from major organizations (e.g., Fortune 500 logos, extensive verified reviews, and repeat enrollments) indicate market credibility.

Avoiding diploma mills and scams

• Transparent curriculum: Legitimate programs publish detailed agendas, learning objectives, and instructor qualifications.
• Realistic claims: Avoid providers promising "guaranteed" credentials without exams, effort, or practical assessments.
• Clear support and policies: Reputable sites display contact information, helpdesk access, and straightforward registration details, including dates, locations, and pricing.

Preparing for Your Online HR Exam

Preparation should combine structured content, current legal references, and application through exercises and practice tests.

Study plans and self-paced resources

• Map your timeline: Allocate study windows across core domains-talent acquisition, compliance (FMLA, ADA, COBRA), compensation/benefits, investigations, and performance management.
• Leverage comprehensive materials: A multi-hundred-page workbook, curated case studies, and sample forms accelerate recall and application. Programs modeled like the HR Generalist course provide these practical artifacts.
• Integrate updates: Employment law changes; ensure your materials include current regulations and provide updates when laws change.
• Active learning: Use scenario-based exercises to practice interviewing, managing reluctant witnesses, addressing PTO and leave requests, and navigating retaliation or harassment complaints.

Online practice exams and prep courses

• Diagnostic assessments: Start with a baseline quiz to identify weak areas and track improvement.
• Practice under exam conditions: Time-bound practice enhances pacing and reduces test anxiety.
• Instructor-led reviews: Live-virtual reviews help clarify complex topics, such as overlapping leave entitlements or variable compensation plan design.

Wrapping Up Your Online Certification Journey

Completion is the beginning of strategic leverage. Convert your achievement into demonstrable impact at work.

What to do after you pass

• Apply learning immediately: Audit your handbook and policy suite against "must-have" policies to reduce litigation risk; reassess onboarding and training to incorporate best practices and measurable objectives.
• Capture credits: Record your SHRM PDCs and HRCI hours for recertification tracking. Programs like HR Certification's HR Generalist course make this straightforward.
• Plan ongoing development: Explore adjacent specialties such as internal investigations, HR leadership, or payroll fundamentals to deepen expertise and prepare for larger roles.

How to showcase your new credential online

• Update professional profiles: Add your certification to LinkedIn, your resume header, and your email signature.
• Align with role outcomes: In your summary, link credentialed knowledge to business results-e.g., "Implemented FMLA tracking protocol; reduced compliance risk and improved response time."
• Engage your network: Share select insights (e.g., a framework for handling disciplinary meetings or a checklist for onboarding) to demonstrate practical value.

Conclusion and next steps

If your goal is how to get certified in human resource management, online pathways provide recognized credentials, rigorous content, and flexible delivery. Start by identifying which route aligns with your objectives: HRCI or SHRM exams for credential recognition, and/or an applied certificate program such as HR Certification's HR Generalist training to build immediate on-the-job capability. Verify program credibility, develop a structured study plan, and use interactive learning and practice tests to close knowledge gaps. After earning your credential, document the impact, capture recertification credits, and continue expanding your expertise through targeted courses in compliance, investigations, and leadership.

Actionable next steps:

• Choose your pathway (HRCI, SHRM, or a provider-based HR Generalist certificate with recognized credits).
• Enroll in a reputable online program that publishes a detailed agenda and offers SHRM/HRCI credit.
• Build a 6-10 week study plan using a comprehensive workbook, case studies, and timed practice exams.
• Apply new knowledge to update policies, onboarding, and performance management in your organization.