A Comprehensive Review of PHR/SPHR: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide — Anne Bogardus
02. Jun, 2010 
6 Comments
Introduction:
The PHR/SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide was written by Anne Bogardus.
This review focuses on the third edition of the book.
About The Author:
(From Amazon.com)
Anne M. Bogardus, SPHR, began her human resources career in compensation at a public multinational corporation, Castle & Cooke, owner of the Dole food brand, and later at First Nationwide Bank. Currently she is founder and principal of S.T.A.R. HR in northern California, which specializes in building human resource functions that serve strategic business needs. Her practice includes small- to medium-sized businesses in a wide range of industries including biotechnology, mortgage lending, high technology, public relations, retail, nonprofit, and construction. Ms. Bogardus is also the author of an introductory book for non-HR business professionals, Human Resource Jumpstart, also published by Sybex.
Background of the Certification
The PHR certification has become a mainstay in the world of Human Resources management. At the time of this review, over 100,000 HR professionals have qualified for certification.
Being certified has a lot of advantages for HR professionals; a few of these advantages are as follows:
• certification is proof that you are knowledgeable about the current and core practices of Human Resource Management
• professionals with certification are highly favored over those without
• certification puts you on a higher level compared to your non-certified colleagues
• certification is a concrete statement that you are competent and serious about your profession
Over the years, the standards for the test have been raised higher and higher, a move which has resulted in a rising failure rate.
The good news is that the benefit of certification for the HR professional has risen as well.
Hence, it was with this thought in mind that I decided to write this review. My intention is to provide my own evaluation of this resource in order to guide prospective examinees who are looking for resources that will enable them to get their certification.
Overview of the Book
The first edition of the PHR/SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide was released in 2004 and it was very well received. It was instrumental in helping examinees then to get their certification.
However, since there were many changes in the exam, the author Ms. Bogardus, decided to release a second edition in order to keep the guide current. This was in 2008.
Then in order to address the quicker pace of change in the exams, this third edition was released and was completely revised and enhanced for the 2009 exams.
The Table of Contents of the Study Guide
Before going into the meat of the review, here is the table of contents of the book.
Contents At A Glance:
• Chapter 1 – Certifying Human Resource Professionals
• Chapter 2 – Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals
• Chapter 3 – Strategic Management
• Chapter 4 – Workforce Planning and Employment
• Chapter 5 – Human Resource Development
• Chapter 6 – Total Rewards
• Chapter 7 – Employee and Labor Relations
• Chapter 8 – Risk Management
• Appendix A – About the Companion CD
• Appendix B – Case Study
• Appendix C – Federal Employment Legislation and Case Law
• Appendix D – Resources
• Glossary
Important features of the book
If I were to pick the most important feature of the book, it would be the extensive usage of real world scenarios which made it easy for me to connect the concepts with my actual day to day HR management.
These scenarios made the comprehension process easier because of the concrete examples that mimicked my day to day experiences. It was this linkage that enhanced my comprehension and retention of the study matter.
A close second would be the review questions given for each chapter. Unlike many review books where the questions would be giveaway items, the questions in the Bogardus book are quite difficult and in some cases, were more difficult than the actual exam.
Then there is also the comprehensive coverage of the test itself. In my experience, one of the biggest hurdles that confront examinees is the fear of the exam itself. It’s really the fear of the unknown, so when you are presented with what is essentially a model of the exam, the unknown becomes known and you are able to overcome the most substantial hurdle.
Of course the points above are not by any means the only merits of the book. That would be doing the author a disservice. There are many other good points to it so in order to facilitate comprehension; I will just enumerate the good and bad points of this work.
Strong and Weak Points of This Study Guide
Strong Points
• concepts are presented in a manner that allows the reader to link them to real world scenarios
• pertinent laws are presented in a systematic and comprehensive manner
• very useful chapter review questions
• excellent coverage of the test and the manner in which it is conducted
• information is timely and updated
• resources for further information are conveniently provided
• the companion CD which contains flash cards and practice tests is very useful
Weak Points
• much too bulky to carry around
• gives great value for money when compared to review programs
• the book could use more sample questions
• increasing complexity of and difference between PHR and SPHR may call for having separate guides for future editions
The Verdict:
The direction that the PHR/SPHR exams are taking today underlines the need for prospective examinees to really know their stuff. In the end, everyone benefits from a higher standard for certification.
Given the higher difficulty levels, many examinees turn to the more expensive study programs which can cost upwards of $700. However, this option is not a feasible one for many examinees
On the other hand, based on my experience, the use of this study guide, coupled with a few more study materials and substantial working experience with HR can provide the elements necessary to pass the exam just as well as the expensive programs.
One valuable additional resource would be sample exams that will have as many questions as the actual exam. Just this resource alone, combined with the book, can suffice for your reviewing needs.
So based on my experience and given the excellent value for money that this book provides, I give it the following rating:
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I purchased this book as my first step to preparing for my SPHR certification. I do not agree with the blogger regarding the satisfaction of this as a preparation tool. I would not recommend this as your only tool. The questions provide a D) all of the above answer. We all know that the certification test has none of these answers. Therefore, this is a lazy way to write test questions. A great deal of the book talks about the way the test is put together and the author’s impression of the entire certification process. That is useless! Anyway, I thought my review would be helpful. I understand that not everyone has the money to spend on the SHRM Learning System of $895 or so. I think it is important to keep in mind that you are investing in the rest of your life! If you, like me, don’t have a degree but have been working in the field forever it is an investment in your future and provides credibility to you in your position. I have this book and disk barely used if someone is interested in purchasing. Please contact me. Good luck with your tests!
Thank you very much for your insight. You are right in saying this book alone is not sufficient for test preparation. However, I review this book based on the premise that this book can give the examinee the basic information and knowledge he/she may need for the exam preparation and it is not a stand-alone resource. While we respect your views about the book and how the contents and questions were presented, I know where you are coming from. My readers are of diverse experience and we cannot have a common denominator as to what specific knowledge each one is lacking or have already acquired and this book is basic—it gives the readers all the bits of information in a nutshell. For the price of less than USD40, I can say this quality book is worth more than that considering that it has an accompanying CD with practice questions, flashcards, and Book Reader version. Your feedback about this book opens another door —I’ll review the SHRM Learning System which is forthcoming. Again, thank you for dropping by and for sharing us your experience.
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