If you've spent any time recruiting within HR, you'll probably have noticed that some organisations place a huge emphasis on candidates being CIPD qualified. It's a question I'm often asked by both candidates and hiring managers:
"Why is CIPD so important?"
Recently, I've been working with a global software company where CIPD study or qualification is a consistent requirement across all their HR vacancies, no matter what level of role. It got me thinking about why some businesses see it as essential, while others are much more flexible.
The reality is, it's sometimes about the company's legal structure or whether they're a PLC, but it can be as simple as being down to the way the business operates and the level of consistency they're looking for within their HR function.
For larger, global organisations, CIPD can provide reassurance that HR professionals have a solid grounding in UK employment law, employee relations, policies, compliance and HR best practice. When you're supporting multiple stakeholders, complex business units or international operations, having a recognised professional qualification can help create consistency across the team.
However, that's certainly not the case everywhere.
Throughout my career, I've worked with many organisations that are more than happy to hire qualified-by-experience HR professionals. In fact, some of the very best HR people I've placed haven't held a CIPD qualification at all. What they did have was years of hands-on experience, excellent commercial awareness, strong stakeholder management skills and the confidence to advise managers on complex people matters.
In my experience, these businesses are often smaller organisations or SMEs. They tend to place greater value on what you've actually done rather than how you've gained your knowledge. They know that practical experience, good judgement and the ability to build relationships can be just as valuable as a qualification.
Neither approach is right or wrong.
For larger businesses, CIPD can be a useful benchmark when recruiting at scale and ensuring consistency across the HR function. For smaller organisations, the emphasis is often on finding someone who can roll their sleeves up, adapt quickly and make an immediate impact, regardless of whether they've studied for a formal qualification.
As recruiters, one of our biggest jobs is understanding what sits behind a hiring requirement. Sometimes a manager says they "need CIPD", but after a conversation, it becomes clear they're actually looking for someone with confidence handling employee relations, strong employment law knowledge and the ability to influence stakeholders. Those qualities don't always come with letters after your name.
The best recruitment outcomes happen when we look beyond a tick-box exercise and focus on capability, potential and proven experience.