Key SHRM-CP terms in plain English. The exam tests HR knowledge alongside behavioural competencies, so it helps to know both the technical HR vocabulary and the language SHRM uses for competencies and judgement.
| term | definition |
|---|---|
| SHRM | The Society for Human Resource Management, the largest HR professional body in the US, which administers the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP. |
| SHRM-CP | The SHRM Certified Professional credential, aimed at early-to-mid-career HR professionals in operational roles. |
| SHRM-SCP | The SHRM Senior Certified Professional credential, the senior, strategy-focused counterpart to the SHRM-CP. |
| HR Knowledge Domain | One of three technical content areas tested by knowledge items: People, Organization and Workplace. |
| Behavioral competency | A skill in how HR professionals act and apply judgement, grouped into the Leadership, Interpersonal and Business clusters. |
| Situational-judgement item | A question that presents a workplace scenario and asks you to choose the most effective HR response. |
| People domain | The HR knowledge area covering talent acquisition, engagement, learning and development, and total rewards. |
| Organization domain | The HR knowledge area covering structure, workforce management, employee relations, technology and the global context. |
| Workplace domain | The HR knowledge area covering diversity and inclusion, risk, corporate social responsibility and employment law. |
| Talent acquisition | The process of finding, attracting and hiring the people an organisation needs. |
| Employee engagement | The degree to which employees feel committed to and motivated in their work and organisation. |
| Total rewards | The full mix of pay, benefits and non-monetary rewards an organisation offers employees. |
| Employee relations | The management of the relationship between an employer and its employees, including conflict and grievances. |
| Workforce management | Planning, scheduling and managing the supply of people to meet an organisation’s needs. |
| Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) | Practices that build a fair, varied workforce where all employees can participate and progress. |
| Business acumen | The ability to understand an organisation’s operations, finances and strategy and apply that to HR decisions. |
| Ethical practice | Acting with integrity and upholding professional and legal standards in HR. |
| Relationship management | The competency of building and maintaining effective working relationships across an organisation. |
| Consultation | The competency of advising and guiding stakeholders on HR matters. |
| Professional Development Credit (PDC) | The unit of continuing education used to recertify the SHRM-CP; 60 are needed per three-year cycle. |
| Recertification | Maintaining the credential by earning the required PDCs (or retaking the exam) within each cycle. |
| Scaled score | A standardised score (120-200 on the SHRM-CP) that allows results to be compared across exam versions. |
| Stakeholder | Anyone with an interest in an HR decision or outcome, such as employees, managers or leadership. |