Over the past months I have started the journey toward the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Level 5 certification. So far, I have completed four of the seven assignments required for the qualification. As I mentioned this to colleagues and peers in HR, I began receiving the same questions repeatedly: Is it really worth it? Do you actually have time to do it alongside work?
Since these conversations kept coming up, I decided to put my thoughts into writing. What follows is a subjective reflection on the experience so far and on why, in my view, the answer to both questions is yes — it is worth the effort, and yes, it is possible to make the time for it.
Certification Review – Half there
There is a saying that theshoemaker should not be the one without shoes.
In learning and development, we often design programs, recommend certifications, and advise organisations on professional standards. At some point, however, it becomes important to experience these journeys ourselves.
Although I was already familiar with many of the ideas and frameworks intellectually, I wanted to understand what the experience of the program actually feels like from the inside.
For that reason, over the past months I have been working toward the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Level 5 certification, one of the most recognised professional qualifications in the HR field.
This article is not meant to be a formal review.
Rather, it is a personal reflection on the experience so far: what feels surprisingly straightforward and what I find genuinely challenging.
For HR professionals considering a CIPD certification, these nuances often matter more than the official program descriptions.
A Learning Structure Designed for Certification
One of the most noticeable aspects of the program is how clearly structured the learning journey is.
The lectures, readings and assignments are carefully aligned with the competencies required for certification. Each assignment has a clear structure and evaluation criteria, which means that if you follow the guidance and understand what is being asked, the path toward completing the qualification becomes predictable.
For many HR professionals who are used to more loosely structured training programs, this CIPD clarity can be refreshing.
When Theory Challenges HR Practice
Where the experience becomes more demanding is at the intersection between theory and practice.
In many organisations, HR practices evolve through experience, tradition, or simply because “this is how things are usually done”. However, once you start reading the research behind HR practices, you realise that some widely used tools are more contested than we might expect.
For example:
- the use of forced distributions or the Gaussian curve in performance management
- the continued reliance on the 9-box grid for talent mapping
- performance systems that persist more because of organisational inertia than evidence
The program invites you to confront these practices with research and to question assumptions that may have become routine in organisational life.
For many HR professionals, this is both the most challenging and the most valuable part of the experience.
The Real Effort Behind the Assignments
The assignments themselves are not necessarily difficult, but they require discipline and reading.
In my own experience:
- the first assignment took about three days (around 3 hours per day)
- the second assignment took roughly 3 hours in total
- the third assignment around 4 hours
Once you understand the structure expected by the assessors, the process becomes significantly faster. The CIPD standards ask that each answer to a problem to have at least 2 credible sources of information: articles, studies, and references. And that’s not that much reading.
However, the real work lies in reading and integrating research insights into your arguments.
Writing with Precision
You are encouraged to write clearly, concisely and with purpose.
Each paragraph must add a relevant argument supported by evidence or references.
For many HR professionals, this becomes more than an academic exercise. It trains a skill that is essential in organisational life: structuring your thinking clearly when speaking with senior leaders or stakeholders who may not share the same interest in HR topics.
When conversations move to the boardroom, long explanations rarely help. What matters is the ability to articulate the problem, the evidence, and the recommended action in a clear and concise way.
This type of disciplined writing gradually sharpens that capability. It helps you identify what truly matters in an argument and focus on the actions that are most likely to produce results.
In practice, it also changes how you read research. After engaging with a strong study or framework, it becomes difficult not to immediately think about how those insights translate into concrete organisational decisions or projects
A Different Kind of Peer Learning
One of the most valuable parts of the program happens during peer learning sessions.
Unlike typical conferences or professional events where participants share polished success stories, these discussions operate differently.
Participants present real organisational cases, including:
- what worked
- what did not work
- the limitations of certain interventions
The conversations are grounded in theoretical frameworks that originate in research, which means the discussion goes beyond exchanging experiences.
Another important difference is the format. The groups are intentionally small, allowing participants to explore situations in depth. Instead of listening to a sequence of PRistical presentations, participants engage in analytical discussions about real organisational dilemmas.
This creates a learning environment where practice and theory meet in a much more meaningful way.
Why HR Certifications Matter For Me
For me, the real value of this journey lies in something deeper.
It creates the opportunity to examine everyday HR practices through the lens of research and to connect professional intuition with evidence-based thinking.
I believe that in a field where decisions influence organisational culture, employee experience and long-term performance, this balance between practice and evidence becomes increasingly important. Especially where we need to move fast and we don’t always have the luxury to learn from mistakes.
From what I’ve seen, most HR professionals rely primarily on experience. What this kind of learning process does is add another layer: it invites reflection, questions assumptions, and helps you understand not only what works, but also why it works.
For me, this reflection is perhaps the most valuable part of the experience.