Advance your HR knowledge and effectiveness

If you're new to human resources or need to strengthen your employee management skills, the Essentials of Human Resource Management Certificate is for you. Knowledge of the essentials can improve valuable on-the-job effectiveness, protect your small business from needless litigation, and help advance your career. The course will arm you with practical skills you can immediately apply to your own situation.

Offered in partnership with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), this cost-effective course covers real-life HR issues, including employment law, selecting qualified employees, compensation, the employee performance process, and much more. You will also learn key information to keep you on track with compliance issues.

Learn Essential HR Skills - Improve your ability to handle challenging HR issues.

The Essentials of Human Resource Management Certificate is an introductory course offering a comprehensive overview of the human resource function. This course is specifically designed to challenge you and provide the skills you need to confidently face today's complex HR situations and compliance issues within your organization. You will participate in interactive case study activities designed for you to practice real-life HR situations in a non-threatening atmosphere.

You'll benefit from the shared experiences of your instructor and peers, while learning techniques for handling HR challenges through interactive case studies designed to make you feel comfortable dealing with HR issues. You'll also receive the Essentials of HR Management Certificate materials consisting of six modules, glossary, and index as well as the Participant's Activities Book. In addition, you'll have the opportunity earn a Certificate of Completion from George Mason University and to earn Continuing Education units (CEUs) for completing this course.

The SHRM Advantage

SHRM is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management, with more than 210,000 members. SHRM educational programs are developed according to the highest quality standards and are continually updated to reflect changes in legislation and HR polices.

This course provides important knowledge and skills you can use immediately in your day-to-day job:

1. Resource Management
   -Gain a clear understanding of the HR function
   -Roles and responsibilities
   -Important steps and outcomes in the HR planning process
   
   
2. Employment Law
   -Enhance your ability to apply key HR legislation
   -Civil Rights Act
   -EEOC, Affirmative Action, and elements of the affirmative action plan
   -Pregnancy, age and disability legislation
   -Many other employee protection laws
   
   
3. Recruitment and Selection
   -Gain important skills for selecting employees
   -Recruiting methods and their effectiveness
   -Key selection tools
   -Adverse impact calculations
   -Interview biases
   
   
4. Compensation and Benefits
   -Learn the key elements of a total compensation system
   -Framework for base pay, incentives, differentials and increases
   -Job analysis and documentation
   -Methods for job evaluation
   -Benefits commonly offered by employers
   
   
5. Employee Development
   -Gain an understanding of orientation, development and training
   -Effective adult learning, both on-the-job and off-the-job
   -Four levels of evaluation
   
   
6. Performance Management
   -Discover the purpose and process for performance appraisals
   -Common appraisal methods and errors
   -Legal concepts surrounding the disciplinary process
   -Guideline for conducting disciplinary meetings
   

This program is designed for entry-level HR professionals, small business owners responsible for the HR function in their companies and people looking into HR as a career-change possibility.

These are typical job titles of students who've completed the program:

Back to top

"Great for HR professionals with 0-5 years experience and also managers and supervisors"
-Spring 2008 Participant

"I would recommend the course to those new to the field as well as someone that needs a refresher"
-Spring 2008 Participant

"Wish I had taken it a year ago."
-Spring 2008 Participant

"This course will reshape your management skills in terms of human resource theory, reports and case studies"
-Spring 2008 Participant

"It is a great introductory class that can be helpful to both entry-level HR professionals and seasoned professionals."
-Fall 2007 Participants

"Great course, very informative."
-Fall 2007 Participant

"One word to describe this course - Excellent! The knowledge that I gained in 2 days is immeasurable."
-Spring 2007 Participant

"It was great! Highly informative! Learned many things to take back to my job."
-Spring 2007 Participant

"As a newcomer to the field of HR, this was exactly what I needed to get a general understanding of HR functions and how they relate to other. This course has also given me some idea about how I may want to develop my career in HR."
-Fall 2006 Participant

"Perhaps one of the best introductory trainings I have ever been to, both in terms of content and the quality of the instructions. There was a great balance between lecture, exercise, facilitated discussions and participants' experiences being shared."
-Fall 2006 Participant

"Great course. Great materials (textbook and workbook). Answered many questions that I and others had; instructors offered many resources for future research, including their own contact info."
-Summer 2006 Participant

"Provided excellent examples/situations to gain better perspective of HR functions. Instructors very well versed in subject areas in subject and provided extensive real life examples."
-Summer 2006 Participant