Your work experience, accomplishments, and education largely define your career as a human resources professional. But a competitive certification tucked in your title and resume can go a long way in positioning yourself as a true expert and leader.

Earning human resources certifications will equip you with the latest knowledge and validate your skills. What’s more, it’ll likely result in a boost in pay — 31.6% to be exact, according to research by PayScale.As a bonus, you’ll get access to professional communities of like-minded individuals who share your values and goals.

Earning a professional certification for educational and networking reasons is commendable. However, the investment won’t pay off if you’re not careful when shortlisting programs. It’s vital that whatever certifications you pick align with your goals and are well-recognized in the industry. This roundup of the best HR certifications will provide a firm starting point for your research and your path toward human resources superstardom.

Human resources entails a lot more than creating processes and systems to manage personnel. Training doesn’t mean anything if you’re only focused on the participation rate instead of its actual impact. Similarly, recruitment won’t do much if you’re just worried about reducing time-to-hire without improving the quality-of-hires. Today, HR needs to be a part of your overall business strategy, and human capital management (HCM) is the missing link!

Human capital management is the set of practices and tools that help a business manage and grow its most vital asset: its people. This management approach ties HR functions such as recruitment, training, compensation, and performance management to an organization’s strategic goals. In doing so, human capital management improves the overall business value of your workforce.

A business can make impressive leaps and bounds if it focuses on HCM and starts viewing its employees as investment opportunities.

Have you ever left a job fair feeling like your top accomplishment was the distribution of your company’s latest promo item (stress ball, anyone?) to people who will likely toss it the minute they get home?

In theory, exhibiting at job fairs provides a boost to the candidate search and hiring process. In reality, job fairs require thorough preparation and out-of-the-box tactics to be an effective recruiting strategy.

If you are planning to attend job fairs in 2019 and come away with more than empty boxes, these tips are for you.

Have you ever been on a first date and ended up playing Twenty Questions? As nerve-wracking and awkward as it can be, you have to forge through if you’re serious about getting to know someone better and decide if the relationship is worth pursuing. The same goes in your quest to find the right payroll company. You are making an important investment, so you’d better know to whom you’re entrusting your employee data and paychecks.

We compiled a list of questions to ask prospective providers that may feel a bit awkward to ask but will provide you with vital information to help you make the right choice.

The idea of compensation for injuries goes back as far as 2050 B.C. in ancient Sumeria.¹ Recorded on a clay tablet, the law of Ur instituted distinct payouts for specific injuries, such as a severed foot or nose. Through several millennia, injuries that occurred while performing work for another moved from the worker assuming most of the risk to primarily an employer liability.

Today in the United States, workers’ compensation is a standard type of business insurance and is a requirement for most employers. Each state regulates its own workers’ compensation program, and the federal government manages its own program for federal workers.

Too often, the human resource professional is so caught up in putting out daily fires that it can be difficult to take a big picture, 365-degree view of the industry. Taking the time to plan and prepare for the future is essential to a successful HR strategy long-term, and that’s why we sat down with two HR leaders to discuss their thoughts on the industry and the biggest opportunities for success and failure in 2018.

What are your HR goals for this year? Do you want to communicate better with employees? Recruit more talent? Offer more engaging training and content? Whatever size your company, a few more free tools in your toolbox could put you well on your way to reaching your goals this year!

We know that in your role, especially if your team is small, you likely wear many hats, from recruiter and trainer to compliance and governance. Below we’ve rounded up some of the most popular free tools and resources for HR professionals.

If you’ve received an official IRS notice, the likely response is to panic. But panicking is not really necessary. Notices are often just a matter of a clerical error or payment discrepancy that is easily resolved. Sometimes the required fixes are simple, and sometimes they are complex, but the important thing is to be active and transparent.

Streamlining processes, improving file management, avoiding duplication, empowering employees, and helping recruit new employees more efficiently sounds like an easy YES! But, before you sign up for human capital management software, consider your transition strategy. We’ve helped thousands of companies successfully implement payroll/HR platforms, and we’ve seen it all. Avoid these five mistakes for a smooth transition!