Wherever you are in your recruiting career, there is always room to grow, and recruitment training can help you do just that. And if it comes with a recruiter certification, you also get a stamp of official accreditation.
What Is a Recruiter Certification?
Recruiter certifications are credentials offered by educational institutions, professional associations and companies to help novice and seasoned recruiting professionals demonstrate to employers they have the skills to source, engage and hire top talent. This can help HR professionals advance in their careers and develop specific expertise.
To help you figure out which courses are right for your interest and experience, we’ve rounded up a list of top recruitment certifications and training programs.
What Training Do Recruiters Need?
While choosing the right type of recruitment training depends on factors like your learning style and the information you’re interested in, training programs typically cover these key skills and topics:
- Devising job descriptions.
- Creating candidate personas.
- Best practices for candidate sourcing.
- Types of recruiting tools.
- Understanding recruiting metrics and how to use them.
- Communicating employer brand, mission, culture and values.
- Active listening and note-taking during interviews.
- Building and maintaining a talent community.
- Diversity and inclusivity in recruiting.
Online Recruitment Training
Online courses allow you to start and complete objectives on your own time and from anywhere that’s convenient. You also have a wider variety of courses to choose from since you’re not limited to the instructors and classes near you.
In-Class Recruitment Training
Some learners may find in-class training to be a more effective means of expanding their recruitment knowledge. An advantage of this type of training is that you get to work with professionals who understand and actively work within your local employment market.
Recruitment Certification
Consider recruitment certifications that provide more formal accreditation for the training you complete. Some employers may value certifications more than basic training, and others may require specific certifications to attain a job or grow in your career.
Recruitment Training Through Networking
Networking with professionals is a great way to hear from people actually doing the work and facing the same challenges you are. Social media, especially sites specific for professional use, are great tools for following, learning about and connecting with other recruitment professionals.
Download this guide to get direct insights on each stage of the hiring funnel from tech candidates directly.
Recruiting Certification and Training Programs
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certifications
SHRM offers memberships for HR professionals interested in learning, networking and gaining certifications related to human resource management. This national organization offers two distinguished certifications for HR professionals: one for professionals early in their careers and one for senior-level HR professionals.
1. Certified Professional (CP)
Certification: SHRM-CP
Cost: Early-bird exam fee of $335 for members and $435 for nonmembers; standard exam fee of $410 for members and $510 for nonmembers
Duration: 3 hours and 40 minutes
Curriculum: You don’t need a degree or past HR experience to be eligible for this certification. The CP exam is for HR professionals whose job function is operational or students pursuing a career in human resource management. The test evaluates candidates at the competency level of an HR professional involved in implementing policy, supporting daily departmental functions or serving as a point of contact for staff and stakeholders.
2. Senior Certified Professional Exams (SCP)
Certification: SHRM-SCP
Cost: Early-bird exam fee of $335 for members and $435 for nonmembers; standard exam fee of $410 for members and $510 for nonmembers
Duration: 3 hours and 40 minutes
Curriculum: This certification is intended for professionals who have three years of “strategic level” HR experience under their belt or those who already have the SHRM-CP certification. Applicants who want to test for this certification must be able to show they have completed a minimum of 1,000 hours of work performing responsibilities like developing policy, overseeing operations or leading strategies in alignment with organizational goals.
HR Certification Institute (HRCI)
HR Certification Institute offers eight different certifications, including certifications for international professionals, those located in California and Spanish-speaking professionals. The organization has certified more than 500,000 HR professionals globally, helping them take the next step in advancing their careers. Take a look at the three main certifications HRCI offers.
3. Associate Professional in Human Resources
Certification: Associate Professional in Human Resources
Cost: Exam fee of $300 and application fee of $100
Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes for administration
Curriculum: This exam is for people just starting a career in human resources or individuals who manage people but don’t work in an HR department. No experience is needed to apply for and take the exam, which covers compliance and risk management, employee relations, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits and learning and development.
4. Professional in Human Resources
Certification: Professional in Human Resources
Cost: Exam fee of $395 and application fee of $100
Duration: 2 hours, plus 30 minutes for administration
Curriculum: This exam is better suited for professionals who have several years of experience in a human resources role. More specifically, you need experience with technical and operational skills, such as knowledge of laws and regulations related to employment. The test covers employee and labor relations, business management, talent planning and acquisition, total rewards and learning and development. To be eligible for the exam, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- At least one year of experience in an HR role and a master’s degree or higher
- At least two years of experience in an HR role and a bachelor’s degree
- At least four years of experience in an HR role
5. Senior Professional in Human Resources
Certification: Senior Professional in Human Resources
Cost: Exam fee of $495 and application fee of $100
Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes for administration
Curriculum: This certification is designated for highly experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the human resources industry. Candidates are tested on leadership and strategy, talent planning and acquisition, HR information management and security and total rewards. Professionals interested in taking this exam require several years experience, and should have a strong HR strategy and policy-making skillset. Additionally, you must meet one of the following criteria to qualify:
- At least four years of experience in an HR role and a master’s degree or higher
- At least five years of experience in an HR role and a bachelor’s degree
- At least seven years of experience in an HR role
AIRS Training Recruiter Certifications
Created by the HR management software company ADP, AIRS Training has a long history of supporting recruiters in attracting and retaining talent and professional development skills. All of its courses are recognized by both SHRM and HRCI and can be put toward recertification with both organizations.
6. Recruiter Academy
Certification: Recruiter Academy
Cost: $1,097.50 for one year of access; $1,197 for two years of access
Duration: One-year or two-year access to courses, resources and exams
Curriculum: The Recruiter Academy package includes all of the AIRS instructor-led and self-guided courses, resources and exams, such as the Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter course, Professional Recruiter Certification and AIRS High Impact Learning Series. It also comes with free recertification exams every two years and instructor office hours.
7. Professional Recruiter Certification
Certification: Professional Recruiter Certification
Cost: $597
Curriculum: This full life cycle recruitment training course is available as an instructor-led course in a self-guided version. It covers everything from creating talent pipelines to negotiating offers and working with hiring managers. The certification exam is available on-demand once the course is finished.
8. Certified Social and New Media Recruiter
Certification: Certified Social and New Media Recruiter
Cost: $597
Curriculum: Social media recruiting is one of the most critical parts of any recruitment strategy, and this course can help recruiters and other talent acquisition professionals refine their efforts. It’s available for purchase in both instructor-led and self-guided formats. This course helps you determine which sites are best suited for finding and engaging candidates and sharing messaging about an employer brand.
9. Elite Certified Recruitment Expert Certification
Certification: Elite Certified Recruitment Expert Certification
Cost: $395
Curriculum: Once you’ve completed at least four AIRS courses and have current certifications in them, you can take this elite certification, distinguishing you as an expert in your field. Plus, it’s the cheapest of all the certifications with AIRS.
10. Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter
Certification: Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter
Cost: $597
Curriculum: If your team is struggling to recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce, or you’re simply looking to improve your efforts, this course is for you. It’s offered in self-guided as well as instructor-led formats. AIRS will teach you strategies for targeting diverse candidate pools, creating inclusive job descriptions and sourcing and engaging diverse candidates online.
11. Hiring Heroes: A Field Guide to Veteran Recruitment
Certification: Certified Military Veteran Recruiter
Cost: $597
Curriculum: To get a bit more granular with your diversity and inclusion hiring efforts, this certification is tailored to help recruiters support highly skilled military veterans as they transition into mainstream careers. This course covers tips for attracting, engaging and retaining military candidates. Recruiters can opt to take in an instructor-led or self-guided format.
LinkedIn Learning Recruiter Training
LinkedIn Learning offers educational courses for professionals of all backgrounds and interests, including recruiters and HR professionals. For human resources alone, it has more than 100 courses, over 2,000 educational videos and several distinct learning paths.
Cost: LinkedIn Learning is an all-inclusive subscription for either $39.99/month or $19.99/month with an annual commitment. You can also opt for a one-month free trial before you commit.
12. Become a Tech Recruiter
Training Program: Become a Tech Recruiter
Duration: 2 hours of content
Curriculum: These five courses cover the foundations of technical recruiting as well as best practices to try and fill open IT department positions and jobs in IT-related functions. If you’re looking to fill some of the most in-demand roles in tech, you will benefit from this course.
13. Build Skills as a Corporate Recruiter
Training Program: Build Skills as a Corporate Recruiter
Duration: 6 hours of content
Curriculum: Five professionals come together in seven videos to teach you the specific skills needed to recruit in the corporate environment. They cover in-house and external recruiting, diversity recruiting, mitigating unconscious bias in the recruiting and interviewing process, communication strategies and virtual recruiting.
14. Recruit Diverse Talent and Promote Equitable Hiring
Training Program: Recruit Diverse Talent and Promote Equitable Hiring
Duration: 4 hours of content
Curriculum: This program includes five courses that focus on various strategies and best practices for building an equitable recruiting and hiring process. In addition to talking about sourcing candidates, it also covers interviewing, onboarding and retention — all with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Recruiter Certification
The National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) helps employers utilize ethical hiring and employment practices and educates HR professionals on laws related to employment. In addition to the Personnel Consultant and Employee Retention Specialist certificates we discuss below, they also offer a Temporary Staffing Specialist certification as well as an Employee Retention Specialist certificate.
15. Certified Personnel Consultant
Certification: Certified Personnel Consultant
Cost: $600 for nonmembers or $300 for members
Duration: Purchasers receive a one-year subscription
Curriculum: This certification focuses on employment laws and covers both direct-hire and temporary staffing legalities. The exam delves into laws around discrimination and protocols for identifying and hiring employees. Any “professionals involved in the talent acquisition and employment transition process” are eligible to pursue this certification. To maintain their standing, certification holders must seek out 20 continuing education hours every year, 17 of which have to come from NAPS educational programs.
16. Certified Temporary Staffing Specialist
Certification: Certified Temporary Staffing Specialist
Cost: $600 for nonmembers or $300 for members
Duration: Purchasers receive a one-year subscription
Curriculum: This certification reviews employment laws, with content tailored more specifically to temporary staffing professionals. Participants get a crash course in discrimination laws while learning about the role temporary staffing professionals play in ensuring a smooth transition for employees. The CTS certification also requires certification holders to complete 20 hours of continuing education each year, with 17 acquired through NAPS programs.
Association for Talent Development (ATD) Recruiter Certifications
The Association for Talent Development works with HR professionals and recruiters in a variety of industries from more than 120 countries to provide educational material on all things recruiting. In addition to its wealth of resources, the association also provides two certification exams, which we break down below.
17. Associate Professional in Talent Development
Certification: Associate Professional in Talent Development
Cost: $499 for members or $699 for nonmembers
Duration: 2 hours
Curriculum: This exam is directed toward HR professionals with at least three years of experience in a talent development role and who are focused on foundational knowledge. To be eligible for this certification, you must have three or more years of experience in talent development or a related field along with 28 hours of learning in talent development within the last three years.
18. Certified Professional in Talent Development
Certification: Certified Professional in Talent Development
Cost: $975 for members or $1350 for nonmembers
Duration: 3 hours
Curriculum: This exam is for professionals who have at least five years of professional talent development experience. The exam covers a broad spectrum of knowledge and capabilities, with an emphasis on skills applications and decision-making. In order to qualify for this certification, you must have five or more years of experience working in talent development or a related field as well as 60 hours of relevant professional development completed in the last five years.
Talent Management Institute (TMI) Certifications
Talent Management Institute is a globally recognized talent management organization that helps novice and practiced HR professionals grow in their careers. They offer a number of courses across more than 180 countries. In addition to the two below, they also offer a certification in Global Talent Management for international professionals.
19. Talent Manager Practitioner
Certification: Talent Manager Practitioner
Cost: $625
Duration: Exam typically takes two hours; candidates have 180 days after submitting their application to prepare for and complete the test
Curriculum: The Talent Manager Practitioner certification is ideal for recent graduates and HR professionals early in their careers. This certification helps aspiring professionals become more competitive in the HR industry. There are six different tracks to qualify for certification. You must meet one of the following to be eligible:
- Have a bachelor’s degree in human resource management, business, management or a related discipline along with at least six months of HR work experience.
- Have a bachelor’s degree along with at least two years of HR work experience.
- Have a master’s degree or master’s-level diploma in human resource management, business, management or a related discipline and be working in the HR field.
- Have a master’s degree or master’s-level diploma and at least one year of HR work experience.
- Be a current or past student of a TMI-recognized institution pursuing bachelor’s or master’s level professional qualifications in human resource management, business, management or a related discipline.
- Have a bachelor’s degree along with active certification from a body whose credentials are recognized by TMI as worthy for qualification and be working in the HR field.
20. Senior Talent Manager Practitioner
Certification: Senior Talent Manager Practitioner
Cost: $850
Duration: 2-hour exam; candidates have 180 days after submitting their application to prepare for and complete the test
Curriculum: The Senior Talent Manager Practitioner certification is intended for mid-career HR professionals looking to advance by proving they have the competence to handle the “complexities of a changing business landscape, workforce dynamics and HR accountabilities for their business.” This certification can also help you prequalify for the TMI-Fellow programs. Candidates for this certification must fall into one of these six tracks to qualify:
- Have a bachelor’s degree in human resource management, business, management or a related discipline along with at least seven years of HR work experience.
- Have a bachelor’s degree and at least eight years of HR work experience.
- Have a master’s degree or master’s-level diploma in human resource management, business, management or a related discipline along with at least five years of HR work experience.
- Have a master’s degree or master’s level diploma and at least seven years of HR work experience.
- Be a current or past student of a TMI-recognized institution pursuing bachelor’s or master’s level professional qualifications in human resource management, business, management or a related discipline who has at least five years of HR work experience.
- Have a bachelor’s degree and active certification from a body whose credentials are recognized by TMI as worthy for qualification, along with at least five years of HR work experience.
The Recruitment Education Institute Certification and Training
The Recruitment Education Institute is an online education program that offers a variety of courses on everything from recruiting metrics to offboarding, and many of them are available at no charge. We cover the institute’s main certification course below.
21. Recruiter Certification Program
Certification: Recruiter Certification Program
Cost: $699
Curriculum: For both novice and experienced recruiters, this course provides techniques on recruiting, client management and full life cycle recruiting. It also delves deeper into topics like advanced sourcing and performance metrics for professionals further in their careers.
Sourcing Certifications
Sourcing Certifications offers training and certification programs for recruiters and talent acquisition professionals. The organization offers one 60-question exam that can be taken at your convenience online to become a Certified People Sourcing Professional.
22. Certified People Sourcing Professional
Certification: Certified People Sourcing Professional
Cost: $499 or free for Training Library subscribers who pay $2,150 annually
Duration: 3 to 4 hours on average
Curriculum: Sourcing Certifications’ CPSP certification tests professionals in the six core areas of sourcing — exploratory research, Google search, x-ray searching, cross-referencing information, LinkedIn search and social sourcing. To prepare for the exam, you can subscribe to have access to more than 30 hours of training content, live webinars, ebooks, a sourcing bootcamp and support from professionals.
Recruiting Innovation Certification
Recruiting Innovation provides online training for technical recruiting, claiming professionals who complete their certification program are able to fill technical jobs five days faster. Recruiting Innovation is also an official SHRM Recertification Provider, meaning its educational offerings count toward the professional development credits needed to maintain the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP credentials.
23. Tech Recruiter Certification 2.0
Certification: Tech Recruiter Certification 2.0
Cost: $849 one-time payment or $154 per month for six months
Duration: Typically completed within 3 months; access is available for 12 months
Curriculum: The bundle for this certification program includes seven expert-led courses that cover technical recruiting tactics as well as various aspects of career areas like UX design and DevOps engineering. Each course has multiple videos and quizzes, and some also come with reading materials. The program concludes with a written assignment. Recruiting Innovation says this certification is useful for both new and experienced recruiters.
Tech Recruitment Academy Training Courses
Tech Recruitment Academy provides pre-recorded and live training to help recruiters develop and refine the skills needed to recruit for jobs in the IT field. Its training offerings feature experts whose teachings are intended to help both individuals and teams improve their performance.
24. Technical Talent Sourcer Certificate Course
Training Program: Technical Talent Sourcer Certificate Course
Cost: $1,606 for an individual membership and $5,360 for a team membership
Curriculum: This training program covers two areas: essential IT terminology and IT talent sourcing. Both course sections include videos, quizzes and slides that go over programming languages, software frameworks and tools that IT employees use, as well as working with sourcing tools like LinkedIn, GitHub and ContactOut.
25. Complete Tech Recruiter Certificate Course
Training Program: Complete Tech Recruiter Certificate Course
Cost: $748 for two-month access or $2,142 for unlimited access and one-on-one coaching
Curriculum: This training bundle includes five courses. In addition to the IT terminology and sourcing content covered in the above training package, this program also touches on reviewing technical job requirements, engaging candidates and screening candidates. Like the course above, this one also doesn’t require participants to have any prior experience in the tech recruiting field.
DevSkiller Academy Certifications
DevSkiller supports hiring teams with candidate screening and skills mapping technologies, but it also facilitates digital skill building with its learning academy. In addition to the tech recruitment certification mentioned below, the academy features a tech recruitment plus certification as another upskilling opportunity.
26. Tech Recruitment Certification Course
Training Program: Tech Recruitment Certification Course
Cost: Free
Curriculum: This certification course covers various tech recruitment topics like following tech sourcing best practices, screening candidates, hiring more women for tech jobs and supporting collaboration between HR and IT teams. Built to meet the needs of HR managers, recruiters and entrepreneurs, the course spans 19 chapters across two e-books and culminates in a final certification exam.
Additional Online Training Resources
There are other resources available for HR professionals and recruiters interested in ways to grow their skills and further experience. Some of these courses are free or can be purchased in a subscription so you have unlimited access to resources.
Recruiting Toolbox
Recruiting Toolbox offers training courses in a variety of categories, including interviewing, diversity recruiting and recruiting leadership. The company provides custom-built training options as well as consulting services.
Social Talent
SocialTalent has a team of recruiting and HR experts on staff who create content for HR professionals and recruiters to engage with on their own time. The company’s curriculum for recruiting training covers sourcing, screening and shortlisting; candidate experience; talent advisory; talent strategy; recruiting operations; and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Lorman
Lorman offers recruiting skills training and continuing education content, which includes webinars, articles and more. This particular training delves into recruiting tactics and techniques for a competitive candidate market. The company offers an annual subscription at $699 per year, which provides access to all of its training courses.
Monster
Monster offers Live Recruiter Training courses that can be tailored to meet a recruitment team’s needs. The company also has a free online resource center. The main goal of Monster’s training and content resources is to help employers find the best candidates more efficiently.
Alison
Alison offers a Modern Human Resource Management course that’s free and takes about three to four hours to complete. It covers recruiting, interviewing, selecting and planning compensation for candidates with a step-by-step playbook. This course does come with an assessment and certificate.
Coursera
Coursera offers a wide range of courses, including several relevant to HR professionals, like Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding Employees — a 20-hour course designed to be an introduction for early career professionals. Like most of the classes on this list, all of the content is online with flexible deadlines and several languages available.
Udemy
Similar to Coursera, Udemy also offers a wide range of courses for recruiters. You can narrow down classes based on your interests and expertise, and unlike many of the other programs, you can see how previous students rated the course to determine if it’s right for you.
Benefits of a Recruiter Certification
Recruiting training courses and certifications can help recruiting and HR professionals show employers they have the foundational knowledge and skillsets to be efficient in sourcing, engaging and ultimately hiring top talent.
Some certifications help recruiters prove they’ve learned and refined the particular skills necessary to tackle some of the most important elements of recruiting and hiring. Others help recruiters understand best practices for diversifying their candidate pool, sourcing talent through various social media platforms and engaging highly skilled military veterans.
Certifications can even provide opportunities for networking. Some programs come with access to private Facebook groups to facilitate connections with professionals who are also working to advance their careers. Others include office hours so that you can have one-on-one time with experts.
Download this guide to get direct insights on each stage of the hiring funnel from tech candidates directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What credentials do you need to be a recruiter?
Many recruiters need a bachelor’s degree and the skills to develop strong relationships with others. Some recruiters may also pursue recruiting certifications to break into a specific type of recruiting or open more career opportunities.
Do recruiters need certifications?
While not required to work in the recruiting field, recruiting certifications can help recruiters maximize their performance with the latest tools and best practices. Recruiting certifications can also set recruiters apart as ideal candidates for other recruiting positions.
