Isla Larsen· Total Rewards Manager, Calibre Software
Asked in New Member Welcome ·
I am a total rewards specialist at a credit union in Manitoba, about 350 employees. I have been in the role for eighteen months after five years in HR administration.
I keep seeing the certification listed as preferred in job postings, and I would like to move to a larger organisation in the next couple of years. My employer has no training budget for it this year, so it would come out of my own pocket, and the full set of courses and exams is a real sum for me.
For those who have it: did it change what you could do, or mainly how your CV was read? And would you pay for it yourself again?
6 helpful · 2 insightful · 6 replies · 88 views · 6 following
Accepted answer· by Sofia Lindqvist
Both replies above are right, which is why I would split it. Take the two modules that match your gaps, usually market pricing and quantitative methods, and pay for those yourself. That is perhaps a third of the total cost and most of the learning. Then ask your employer again at budget time with a one-page case showing what you have already applied. If you move to a larger organisation before finishing, most will fund the remainder. Mine did.
Read in the conversation ↓
Job Architecture Lead, Bellwether Consulting
I paid for mine myself in 2019, one exam at a time over two years. It changed both. The quantitative methods module filled real gaps. And I went from no replies to interviews at larger employers, which I can only put down to the letters.
Maya GrantWWP
People Analytics Lead, Meridian Health Systems
Reward Partner, Nordvik Energy
Accepted answer
Both replies above are right, which is why I would split it. Take the two modules that match your gaps, usually market pricing and quantitative methods, and pay for those yourself. That is perhaps a third of the total cost and most of the learning. Then ask your employer again at budget time with a one-page case showing what you have already applied.
If you move to a larger organisation before finishing, most will fund the remainder. Mine did.
Sales Compensation Manager, Calibre Software
Check whether your membership tier includes exam discounts or a payment plan. I did not look until my third exam and was annoyed with myself.
Hana YilmazCBS
Reward Partner, Tidewater Utilities
From a different angle: I never certified, and after fifteen years I do not think it has held me back. But I started when fewer people had it. For someone eighteen months in and wanting to move, I would probably do it now.
Total Rewards Manager, Calibre Software
Thanks, this was more balanced than I expected. I have booked the market pricing module for the spring and will ask again in the autumn with something to show.
