Abstract

Human Resources (HR) professionals can practice in their profession without being certified. However, every year, the number of HR professionals becoming certified is increasing. While the main purpose of the HR certification is to encourage HR professionals to remain up to date on the newest trends and regulations in the industry, there is a lack of research investigating whether the certification indeed has this effect. The purpose of this paper was therefore to examine the impact of the HR certification on HR professionals’ level of motivation to learn and be proactive, while including individual (goal orientation (GO) and age) and contextual (leader-member exchange (LMX)) moderating factors for further insights into this important relationship. Guided by the proactive motivation theory (Parker et al., 2010), this correlational study consists of 192 HR professionals in various industries across Canada who completed an online survey. The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression. Results revealed that the HR certification marginally impacts an HR professional’s motivation to learn and proactive behavior. Further, this relationship is stronger among more junior HR professionals and as the supportive environment from their leader decreases. Companies should consider encouraging HR certification for all of their professionals and leaders should understand the impact that the certification can have on their employee’s career development and desire to make changes.