Sandra M. Reed - PHR / SPHR Exam For Dummies

PHR/SPHR Exam For Dummies

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Copyright 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015938260

ISBN 978-1-118-60362-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-72291-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-72290-1 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

I wrote this book for the all HR professionals who are intent on leaving no stone unturned on their quest for the PHR or SPHR designation. It rounds out the edges of the preparation process, seeking to keep you on track and focused on the steps necessary to pass.

PHR/SPHR Exam For Dummies also is a reminder that its not about what you know at this stage in the process, but rather what you dont know that requires your full attention.

This book is for the tenacious and the curious and the self-deprecating, possibly because I find humility an attractive trait in individuals getting ready for a tough test. Those traits can keep your mind open and eyes alert. Resolute curiosity can force you to grab a thread and follow it all the way to the end, which is the absolute best way to master and apply the information that youre about to discover while getting ready for these exams.

The focus of PHR/SPHR Exam For Dummies is to orient you, the experienced HR professional to the task at hand: getting ready to become professionally certified. With pass rates low and nerves high, this guidebook takes you on your preparation journey, serving as a resource to get you organized and introduce you to key elements of these tests. In no other preparation resource will you find

• An advanced discussion of the exam bodies of knowledge (BOK) and their importance
• A review of how the knowledge and objectives work together
• Information on how to use the Internet to enhance your efforts
• A study of the HR Certification Institutes (HRCI) website ( www.hrci.org ) and the exam BOK for content markers

Furthermore, adult learners tend to do better when they understand how information applies to them. In this case, taking a 50,000-foot view of key exam concepts and exam preparation activities allows you to take control of the exam prep process. As with anything worth doing, a haphazard, unstructured approach to preparation wont serve a positive outcome. Just as a true career isnt an accident, neither is successful certification it takes both planning and strategic execution.

The primary purpose of your exam preparation activities is to successfully pass a fairly difficult test. For this reason, I include two sample tests in this book one for the PHR and one for the SPHR. Similar to the exam that youll see on test day, 175 questions and content are directly related to the content of the exams. Although I provide bubble sheets for easy use, consider also putting your answers on a blank piece of paper so you can use the tests again.

Assumptions are simply things that I think I already know about you, my dear reader, that guided my decisions on what to include in this book. For the PHR and SPHR exams, they are as follows:

• Youre an experienced HR professional. Because exam eligibility is based on years of practical experience, even with a bit of education, I know that you know the basics of HR.
• Youre preparing for an exam, not looking for HR in a jar. This book is about what you need to do to prepare to take a test about HR. It doesnt teach you all you need to know about the field of human resources. In fact, the purpose of this book is to guide you to multiple resources for exam preparation.
• You have a baseline knowledge of business and management principles. Corporate America, small businesses, and nonprofits all have shared HR and business needs. I assume that youre a working professional in one of these categories and understand business terms such as strategy and organizational structure.
• You know how to conduct an Internet research. So much of what you need to pass the tests can be found online, and I encourage you throughout the book to do so.

Probably the most impressive assumption I make about you is that youre self-motivated, driven, and determined. Successful performers arent generally satisfied with the status quo. If youre reaching out to take one of these tests, youre among those individuals that demand more out of themselves and by extension, your preparation resources. For this reason in this book, I recommend adding study time, admonish you to take an expanded view of a topic, and encourage you to create other dimensions to the content. You must find it and touch it and interpret it yourself to fully grasp the nuances of the exam content. This process requires that you take control of your study time and resources. Leaving it to a single author or only your past work experience isnt enough to get you through. I need you to tap into that drive and commit to doing what it takes to pass the first time around, or at least be a heck of a lot better for it after the process.