Certification

Since 1961, the National Association of Personnel Services has awarded more than 10,000 professional credentials to recruiting and staffing professionals. Today NAPS awards 5 different professional credentials. Credentialing began with the Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) in 1961. The Certified Temporary-Staffing Specialists (CTS) was added in 1989.  NAPS now has over 300 professionals that are dually certified as CPC and CTS. The NAPS commitment to credentialing continues with its two most recent credentialing programs, Certified Employee Retention Specialist (CERS) introduced in 2006, and their first credentialing program specifically designed for staffing and recruiting companies. The NAPS Accredited Firm credential (NAF) was introduced in 2007. NAPS also offers the first staffing specialty certification designation, the Physician Recruiting Consultant (PRC).

Why earn professional credentials?

Professional credentialing is a statement to the business community and to your clients specifically, of your commitment to staffing and recruiting excellence. Fortune Magazine has reported that the best way to choose a recruiter is to ask them if they’ve been certified.  Buyers of our profession’s services want consultants, consultants who can lead them through the complexities of staffing, search and retention for their organization’s continuing success. Credentialing demonstrates your individual and organizational commitment to excellence to your clients, yourself and your organization.

NAPS credentialing isn’t static!

It's very important that the credentialed search and staffing professionals stay current with staffing and recruiting law, ethics, and best business practices. For this reason, NAPS requires continuing education for all its CPC, CTS, PRC and CERS credentialed professionals. NAPS Accredited Firms must renew their commitment to excellence on an annual basis.

Certification Eligibility

In recent months, the NAPS has made many changes to the certification eligibility requirements. It is the intent of the NAPS to first educate individuals in this profession so that they may best serve their customers, whether that customer is the client company hiring official, candidate, or even fellow recruiters. The CPC and the CTS examinations are available at any time. However, it is strongly suggested that the individual first obtain the study materials and become familiar with the content. Individuals seeking NAPS certification must first meet certain certification eligibility requirements:

  • CPC and PRC candidates should be experienced in direct hire placements. Position experience includes: owner, partner, manager, recruiter, placement consultant within a private firm; or corporate human resources or employee relations professional within a large corporation.
  • CTS and PRC candidates should be experienced in temporary staffing. Position experience includes: owner, partner, manager or staffing professional working full time in a temporary service business.
  • Candidates must agree to uphold the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Standards of Ethical Practices and certification program rules.
  • Candidates seeking the PRC designation must complete two exams to qualify. Candidates must pass either the CPC or CTS exam, along with the PRC exam.

Registration/Examination Fees

All registration fees include study material and are non-refundable. To register, visit: http://www.recruitinglife.com/EduCert/index.cfm

  • CPC/CTS 2-Hour Exam
    $350.00 member
    $440.00 non-member
  • PRC Exam
    $115.00 member
    $165.00 non-member
  • Retest Fees
    CPC/CTS 2-Hour Exam
    $160.00 member
    $220.00 non-member
  • PRC Exam
    $50.00 member
    $85.00 non-member

Certification Manuals

Individuals seeking the CPC, CTS or PRC designation must display their knowledge of the content of one of three manuals developed as a part of the NAPS certification program. These manuals can only be purchased through NAPS---they are not available in local bookstores.

The CPC examination will test candidates on employment law and regulations, business situations, standards of business practice and certification program rules(150 test questions).

The CTS examination will test candidates on discrimination law, family leave, ADA, drug testing, joint employee, contract issues, standards of business practices and certification program rules (150 test questions).

The PRC examination highlights physician training, licensing, credentialing and referencing of physician recruiting laws and regulations (50 test questions).

Study Guides

Study guides are intended to serve as a tool for the review of the training manuals and allow candidates for certification to prepare for the examination. It is not meant to be a substitute for the training manual. The examination questions within this study guide were developed independent of the actual test exam questions and are to be used as study aides, not as examples of actual questions. Individuals who fail to study and master the content in the manuals will seriously jeopardize their chanceThese s of obtaining a satisfactory score on the certification examination.

This study guide is being made available to members who are candidates for certification and to the network of state certification chairpersons and trainers who have volunteered their time and energy to assist those candidates in preparing for the examination.

Use of the above study guides below should not be viewed as a substitute for reading and gaining a command of the information contained in the official training materials.

For more information on fees & registration for any of the above exams, please visit:

http://www.recruitinglife.com/EduCert/index.cfm 

or contact:

Joe Madden, CPC/CTS
Director at Large – MAPS

Mobile: 617-596-9365
Email: Jmadden@hlsboston.com