I’m fortunate that at the retained search firm I work for we get several HR positions (at all levels…Generalist, Manager, Business Partner, Director, VP, CHRO..) in the non-profit and for-profit arena to work on in any given year. I enjoy them quite a bit and it’s interesting to me to hear the answer to this question I always ask of hiring managers…
Do you want your future hire to have a PHR, SPHR or MBA?
Now, I do this for a very selfish reason. When I xray LinkedIn for candidates I can use this search:
site:linkedin.com (intitle:phr|intitle:sphr|intitle:mba) “human resources”
Add a location, use a not statement to remove the job and directory results and it’s golden and fast.
More often than not, I don’t just get a straight answer of PHR, SPHR or MBA. I get a discussion on which has more merit. Typical answers?
PHR – wanted because it shows they’ve put in the study time and have acquired a base knowledge of employment laws and processes.
SPHR – wanted because it shows time in field and the PHR know how.
MBA – they’re a strategic thinker, not just cow-towing to an organization like SHRM and what it says should be known. Broad in scope they can sit and have a really valid conversation with the CEO, CFO and Board.
And then lastly… Who Cares? I want Work Experience…
I’m a numbers gal, so I went to Indeed and ran these searches…which will only give me a ballpark but a ballpark would help:
phr AND NOT sphr AND “human resources” (US based) (1,005 results on May 15)
sphr AND “human resources” (US based) (2, 444 results on May 15)
mba AND “human resources (US based) (2, 366 results on May 15)
Okay…so PHR is not as in demand as perhaps SPHR or MBA…and there’s definitely more to be done to these searches.
But what do you think? Either as someone hiring an HR Pro or an HR Pro…I’d love to hear your thoughts…hit me in the comments or weigh in on this LinkedIn Poll.
Kelly is the Recruitment Manager for Westat, a leading social science research organization headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.