SHRM-CP study guide
SHRM-CP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
SHRM-CP (SHRM Certified Professional) is a human resource credential offered by SHRM, the professional society that runs the SHRM certification program. It is aimed at HR practitioners who carry out HR work day to day rather than design it: generalists, coordinators, specialists and frontline HR managers whose roles include employee relations, recruiting, benefits and total rewards, compliance, and HR operations. The SHRM-CP study guide has 4 sections and about 1,366 words.
01People: Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and Total Rewards
The People domain follows the employee life cycle: talent acquisition, learning and development, and total rewards, with retention and engagement running through all three. Job analysis produces the job description (tasks, duties, responsibilities) and the job specification (knowledge, skills, abilities).
320 words, about 2 min02Organization: HR Function, Organizational Effectiveness, Workforce Management, and Employee Relations
This domain asks how work is structured, how the HR function itself is organized, how change is led, and how employee relations are managed. HR function structure.
364 words, about 2 min03Workplace: HR Technology, Health, Safety and Security, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This domain covers the environment in which work happens: the technology that enables it, the physical and psychological safety that sustains it, and the inclusion that makes it equitable. HRIS, applicant tracking, learning platforms, and analytics tools should be chosen from requirements, integration, security, and total cost - not from a vendor demo.
358 words, about 2 min04Strategy: HR Strategic Planning and Business Alignment
Strategy asks whether HR initiatives are derived from the organization's direction and whether their results are measured in business terms. Start with mission, vision, and values, then scan the environment (SWOT, PESTLE) and understand the competitive stance - Porter's cost leadership, differentiation, and focus, or Miles and Snow's prospector, defender, analyzer, reactor.
324 words, about 2 min