Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal

Hendy, Nhung T.; Davison, H. Kristl

doi: 10.1007/s10672-026-09601-8pmid: N/A

Based on Human Capital theory and Signaling theory, we examined whether possessing a Human Resource (HR) certification influenced evaluative judgments during pre-employment screening and whether certification serves as a substitute for formal higher education credentials in assessments of qualification for an HR manager role. We conducted an online survey of working professionals recruited from a Qualtrics panel (final N = 199; 56.7% reported recruiting experience; mean age = 42.4 years). After reviewing a standardized HR manager job advertisement from the Society for Human Resource Management job board, participants rated candidate qualification profiles that varied by educational attainment/work experience, field of study, and HR certification status. Participants also indicated which type of HR certification was most relevant for the job, and how likely HR certification was to indicate mastery of HR knowledge. Certified candidate profiles received higher qualification ratings in nearly all education levels than non-certified profiles. Certification did not substitute for having a liberal arts degree in determining qualification for an HR manager role. Type of HR certification did not matter in terms of relevance for the role. Findings reflect evaluative judgments in a survey context rather than observed hiring behavior. Results suggest certification supports skill-based hiring by signaling incremental job-relevant competencies to formal degree attainment. This study clarifies the distinct human capital and signaling roles of certification relative to formal education in pre-employment screening decisions.