SHRM-SCP study guide
SHRM-SCP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) is the senior-level credential in SHRM's two-tier certification program, positioned for HR practitioners who lead strategy rather than execute day-to-day operations. Eligibility requires at least three years of strategic HR experience or three years holding the SHRM-CP. The SHRM-SCP study guide has 8 sections and about 2,606 words.
01HR Strategy
HR strategy is the set of choices about how the people system - work design, staffing, rewards, development, and culture - delivers the organization's competitive position. Candidates must distinguish mission (why we exist), vision (what we aspire to be), values (how we behave), and strategy (where we will play and how we will win).
331 words, about 2 min02Talent Acquisition
Talent acquisition starts with workforce planning: translating the strategic plan into demand (how many, what skills, where) and supply options (build, buy, borrow, bot, redeploy). Job analysis produces the job description (tasks, duties, responsibilities) and the job specification (knowledge, skills, abilities, other characteristics) - a frequent distractor swap on exams.
316 words, about 2 min03Employee Engagement and Retention
Engagement is discretionary effort plus emotional commitment - the willingness to invest. Satisfaction is contentment; a satisfied employee can be passive and coasting.
301 words, about 2 min04Learning and Development
Training design begins with a needs assessment at three levels: organizational (where the business needs capability), task (what the job requires, via job analysis and competency models), and person (who needs what). Skip this and you produce well-made training that changes nothing.
307 words, about 2 min05Total Rewards
Total rewards = compensation (base, variable, equity) + benefits + the intangible deal (development, flexibility, recognition, culture). Build the structure in order: job analysis and job evaluation (ranking, classification, or point-factor) establish internal equity; market surveys establish external competitiveness; the two are blended into pay grades with ranges, a midpoint, and a spread.
323 words, about 2 min06Employee and Labor Relations
Private-sector labor relations run on the National Labor Relations Act. Section 7 protects concerted activity - employees acting together about wages, hours, and working conditions, whether or not a union exists.
344 words, about 2 min07Employment Law and Regulations
Title VII (15+ employees) prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex - including pregnancy and, per Bostock, sexual orientation and gender identity - and national origin. The ADEA protects workers 40 and older (20+ employees).
359 words, about 2 min08HR Operations
Operations is where HR becomes a system: technology (HRIS, applicant tracking, LMS, payroll), process design, data governance, compliance administration, and service delivery. The Ulrich-derived model separates strategic HR business partners (embedded with business units), centers of expertise (compensation, talent, analytics), and shared services (transactional support, often tiered through self-service and a service center).
325 words, about 2 min