Chris Wellington “The Recruiting Guy”, President, The Wellington Group

Become a Professional Recruiter with a Recruiting Certification, Sure but Which One(s)?

The following web post is a piece I wrote in 06 while serving as the Certification Chair for the North Carolina Association of Staffing Professionals (NCASP). It is my opinion and belief that to be a professional, no matter what industry and skill set, you must obtain certification if it is available. Why? Certification allows for you to learn more about your industry and any critical legislation plus many require either a statement of ethics or business ethics exam questions, which are needed in our current business landscape. As a personal motivation to becoming certified, it shows you have put in the time to set yourself apart from all those who are not!

It may sound easy but there are a few options. The two main US based recruiting or staffing associations are the American Staffing Association (ASA) and the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS). Traditionally ASA has been the association for staffing and HR solutions firms while NAPS is more direct hire, search or headhunter focused. While both have multiple certifications and have been attempting to attract the entire spectrum of this profession, they are still very settled in their legacy niche or audience.

Well now that I have you super-excited about certifications you are probably wondering, “Which certification should I look at obtaining?” That is a great question, one in which I recently explored myself. Let’s begin reviewing these by looking at what ASA has to offer, the CSP and the TSC.

The Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) is focused on employment law for what we traditionally title a “Staffing Specialist.” The CSP requires two text books and a study guide prior to the exam. The second ASA Certification is the Technical Services Certification (TSC). The TSC was developed by the National Technical Services Association (NTSA) prior to the merger of NTSA and ASA. The TSC has a similar background of questions in employment law, but the TSC also caters to contractual and legal issues relevant to most Technical Recruiters. A plus to the TSC is that once you obtain the TSC designation you now automatically receive the CSP.

Both the CSP and TSC are 100 question, 2-hour exams in which you must score a 70% or better. The Certifications are good for three years and require 30 CEUs for re-certification. One item that has been added to both certifications is the State Employment Law workbook and exam questions, based on the laws of your home state.

NAPS has three Certifications from which you can choose; the Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC), the Certified Temporary-Staffing Specialist (CTS) and the Physician Recruiting Consultant (PRC). The CPC is similar to the TSC with a focus on business situations along with employment law. Recruiters who run a perm desk or a blended technical/perm desk may benefit best from this exam. The exam requires the CPC Legal Study Manual. The CTS is similar to the CSP with a stronger focus on the temporary labor market. Studying for this exam requires a separate Temporary Help Legal Manual. Both the CTS and CPC from NAPS are 150 question exams with Certification good for three years where you will need 75% or better to pass. NAPS require 50 contact hours for re-certification every three years.

The final NAPS certification is focused on the physician recruiter with a study emphasis on physician training, licensing, references and regulatory issues. The PRC exam is only 50 questions and requires the PRC Manual, however, one must possess either the CPC or the CTS certification first.

I hope this gives you some brief insight into the differences amongst the five possible certifications offered through ASA and NAPS. If you want to simplify this process further, just take my old friend Jonathan Weiner’s advice and select the exam that best fits your desk from the parent association where your organization is a member. Thus, I have a TSC, as I was NTSA Carolina’s President working for a niche technical recruitment firm. Good luck to you in becoming a CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL and remember if you aren’t certified you might just be putting yourself, your organization and possibly your clients at risk for a costly legal snare.

**To all hiring managers and HR processionals reading this post, is the person you are investing your company’s dollars with a certified recruiting professional?

Chris

To hire The Recruiting Guy as a speaker or trainer visit The Recruiting Guy or contact The Wellington Group @ info@thewellington-group.com.