Picture a job seeker at the start of his or her job search. One of the most common things searched for is “top companies to work for in 20xx” (the current year) or “top companies in xx industry” (the industry of choice). And it makes complete sense to look for this – after all, a company’s reputation matters nowadays more than ever, and a massive majority of employees says it would not apply for a company that has a bad reputation among former or current employees, as a place to work for.

Branding efforts have typically concentrated on creating a compelling story for the brand and the portfolio of products and services offered by the company. There is relatively little – if any – effort on cultivating a powerful employer brand to attract and retain top talent. This is one area where talent management efforts often fall short.

Let us look at the top reasons why a good talent brand is important:

• Retain current talent: Existing employees need to be retained too, and good talent branding does not ignore this set. Branding efforts could focus on ensuring the fulfillment of promises made during the recruitment process. Set the expectations right and avoid any potential mismatches.

• Engage passive candidates: Not all skilled candidates are actively looking for jobs! They are estimated to make up a significant majority of the workforce, thus calling for more focus from the recruitment efforts.

• Control your public reputation: Employer review sites allow laid-off as well as other exiting employees a platform to vent their frustrations. A strong talent brand can help you offset negative comments with personal stories of happy employees.

• More employee referrals: Employees happy working for a company tend to be happy to tell others about their experience. Talent branding can encourage them to represent the company on social media, giving a boost to recruitment efforts.

Marketing to attract new talent is not too different than that expended on a potential client. HR professionals must focus on similar primary strategic components:

• Understand your audience well

• Create the right content

• Have a game plan leveraging modern marketing techniques

The above requires the talent management team to incorporate strong marketing competencies, along with a measurable process and purpose-built technology. A talent acquisition certification can work wonders in this regard. The team must look at every job opening as not just an opportunity to bring in new, good talent, but to in fact market the organization, share its goals and objectives and create compelling content. A well-crafted job description (JD) incorporating the above would be something that people would be encouraged to share on their social networks; the way many current JDs are drafted, though, would make people completely banish the thought of putting them up on their social media walls!

HR professionals must keep in mind a significant reason that compels people to leave their current role in search of a new one: allure. They want a job that attracts them with its brand, reputation, leadership team, size of operations, industry presence, the role at hand, or possibly any other factor. They come with notions in their head, which a JD can subtly turn from imagination into reality in the blink of an eye – or the typing of a statement, as it were. A JD must thus be looked at as more than just a document with detailed, boring statements; the effort should be to make every statement count. If the JD does not make the recruiter proud of the job on offer, it will in effect do a disservice to the company, and should thus not be put out at all.

Marketing and HR must thus work more closely – their outcomes are more closely aligned than could be imagined. Harmonize the value proposition of the employer and the company of choice!

Do you have an inclination toward the HR sector? Do you aspire to acquire an HR job and cater to the human aspect of an organization? If yes, here you will find the foremost formula to build a career in human resources.

If you have tried searching for an HR job in the market, you might have come across a wide range of job postings describing professional certification as a prerequisite to earning a job. And, that must have left you puzzled about whether pursuing an HR Certification program a wise move to make.

To tell the truth,professional certification is an option and not a mandate to get an HR job but it does provide several benefits, thereby boosting your job search efforts. HR certification enables you to showcase your utmost dedication toward your profession. They add credibility to your profile and opens the doors to many opportunities. As per the data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a majority of employers prefer hiring certified candidates, especially for coveted positions.

Therefore, owning a certification to seize a job in the HR industry would be a smart thing to do. So, here I am today to present you the list of best professional certification in HR.

1. Professional in Human Resources

This certification has been introduced by the HRCI and designed to suit the requirements of people aspiring to build an HR career in the United States. Its main focus in on helping professionals in learning how to implement programs, exhibit tactics and carry out operations in an organized manner. Acquiring PHR will help you develop the skill of running an HR department.

2. Senior Talent Management Practitioner

This certification is offered by TMI and it promotes Talent Management which is an essential element in human resources that advocates how important it is nurture and develop talent in an organizations and STMP has been introduced to help professionals practice the art of talent management by identifying candidates suiting the culture of an organization and supporting them in expanding their knowledge.

3. SHRM Certified Professional

Produced by the Society for Human Resource Management, SHRM - Certified Professional has been created to help the newcomers of the HR realm is swiftly climbing the success ladder. It provides candidateth the knowledge of building strategies and policies. This professional certification helps you act as a useful point of references for the company’s employees as well as stakeholders.

4. Global Talent Management Leader

This is a world-class professional certification that aims to enhance the capabilities of mid-level as well as senior-level HR professionals to help them become eligible for taking up the role of a global HR. The certification is a result of a strong association between the Talent Management Institute & the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Hence, GTML has an unparalleled reputation in the market.

5. Associate Professional in Human Resources

Another certification generated by the HRCI, APHR is a global program that focuses on enhancing the skills of the freshman of the HR industry. This certification course has been initiated to help HR disciples learn about handling complex, tactical as well as operational tasks.