@SourceCon Lists Four Certifications. There's a Clear Winner

[Irina Shamaeva]

"I firmly believe the CPSP programs to be superior to AIRS." says one of the many comments on this SourceCon post, comparing the options for Talent Sourcers' certifications.

Jeremy Roberts, a friend and the new SourceCon editor, in his yesterday's post  Should a Talent Sourcer Be Certified? writes:

"In many industries, there is one certification that stands out as THE certification for the profession (PMP for project management, CFP for financial planning, SPHR and PHR for HR). Sourcing is still a relatively new function and there are numerous organizations in the race to establish themselves as the go-to sourcing and recruiting certification."

Jeremy has invited readers to cover existing certifications and share experiences.

That was amazing to me to see that in the "race", as Jeremy calls it, our People Sourcing Certification Program is a clear winner, based on the numerous comments on Jeremy's post. From the comments so far the Program is already valued much higher than the "industry standard" (up till now) AIRS. Take a look at the 11 (so far) comments. It feels overwhelming to me. Something to celebrate!

Several of our certification graduates wrote some wonderful feedback in the comments on the post and gave us praise. We certainly need it since we have been around less than 2 years and would love to spread the word! We find it satisfying and important to teach the program and are looking forward to the next round in October 2013.

Comments on the post include those from our happy graduates from PepsiCo, Capgemini, and Home Depot, among other companies.

You can read them at the post. The overwhelming majority of the people chose our program as "the o.... I would like to quote just one comment here.

[Kerryn Wilson] Having completed the AIRS Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) and a partial AIRS Advanced
Certified Internet Recruiter (ACIR), as well as the two People Sourcing
Certifications - CPSP-1 and CPSP-2, I firmly believe the CPSP programs to be
superior to AIRS. Why? CPSP is a better value product. It has a user friendly, interactive online delivery
structure, comprehensive and leading edge program content, challenging practice
tasks which are assessed with feedback provided, comprehensive examinations,
and most importantly unlimited online support to participants throughout the
4-5 week programs from the team of experts who conduct CPSP - notably Irina Shamaeva,
Dave Galley and George Glikman who all do an outstanding job to deliver a great
product and participant experience. If
you have Sourcers / Talent Researchers that you want to professionally develop
-- I highly recommend the CPSP programs.

Interested in getting your sourcing skills to the new level? Take a look at our Program materials available all year round (including two months of support) and, if you feel up for it,  join us for the next round in October 2013. Seating is limited, so register early to ensure your  space.

Thanks again to Jeremy for the post!

-Irina Shamaeva, People Sourcing Certification Program Founder and Teacher

[Chris Lyon]

I've interacted with AIRs people before. Nothing against AIRs I just haven't been blown away by it. 

[Irina Shamaeva]

I have nothing against AIRS either! We are just new kids on the block and AIRS is our main competitor. In fact, it is good and healthy to have competition.

I have met some great sourcers and recruiters with AIRS certifications.

We are trying to do some things differently. 

We have several points that have been a high priority and that make our program the program of choice:

1. Practice is Key. We include four weeks of guided hands-on practice, which is done by providing practice tasks, regular teacher "office hours", and unlimited online support for practice. In fact, our exams also serve as practice as well as for assessing the graduates's people sourcing skills.
2. Combine All Tools. We teach search engines, combined with LinkedIn and Social Networks, and Tools. To be productive, one needs to use all of them in combination.
3. Keep Up-To Date. Not only we teach up-to-date material, we explain concepts and ideas along with providing Tip Sheets and how-to step-by-step guides. This allows our graduates to remain just as productive when they switch the target searches and to stay on top of any news as things change.

[Mac]

I've learned a lot of invaluable information on this site and i'm going to sign up for a class in October.