5 Best Free HR Certification Courses To Do in 2025

be a way to show your knowledge and understanding of HR.

You’ll find that most HR professionals have at least one certification, and it’s a great way to get promoted, as it shows that you know what you’re doing.

Furthermore, it shows that you’re willing to supplement your education and improve your knowledge on the subject.

Compared to someone without a certification, you’ll find that you’ll be a step above competitors and show that you’re serious about your career.

Even if you already have a job in the industry, a human resources certification can help you go further in your career.

Of course, if you have a university degree, then that should already help you find a career in HR.

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of free HR certification courses that can help give you a boost.

Alison

If you’re looking for 36 different certifications that can help you improve your career in HR, then Alison has you covered.

Many of the courses here cover the fundamentals so you can start your career.

Not only that, but they cover several other areas of human resources as well.

They cover numerous topics, so there’s no doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for here.

But if you’re uncertain, here is a list of subject areas that Alison covers:

• The Basics
• Recruitment and Selection
• Learning and Development
• Strategic Development
• Performance Management
• Managing Difficult Situations
• Health and Safety

All these subject areas involve courses that will give you a certification that you can obtain for a small fee.

However, if you’re overwhelmed with where to start, we recommend trying the Diploma in Human Resources (HR).

Diploma In Human Resources (HR)

Alison’s Diploma in Human Resources is a ten-hour course where you get an introduction to human resources management.

Some modules explain the recruitment process, selection process, training and development, managing employee performance, organizational culture, and employee motivation and retention.

Implemented in this course is a series of assessments proving that you’ve retained the information you’ve learned.

Human Resource Management Specialization From Coursera

There are hundreds of courses available on Coursera to help you get a certification in human resources.

So it’s difficult to narrow down which is the best option for you.

The best way to get the most out of the courses in Coursera is by taking a look at specializations.

These specializations offer you a chance to take part in several related courses.

In fact, the Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization consists of five different courses.

Preparing To Manage Human Resources

As the first part of the Human Resource Management specialization, this course takes roughly 18 hours to complete.

It is made of four modules containing various videos, readings, and quizzes.

In the first week, you learn about alternative approaches to managing human resources, which is essentially an introduction to the course.

The second week focuses on how money works as a motivator for employees, and it is followed by the third course, which focuses on non-monetary reasons.

The final module then focuses on the foundations of being a HR manager and the legal environment that allows you to go further than required.

Recruiting, Hiring, And Onboarding Employees

As the second part of the Human Resource Management specialization, this course takes roughly 20 hours to complete.

Each module varies in time, taking from 7 hours to 5, depending on each week.

In the first module, you’ll learn about workforce planning and aligning your recruitment and selection with your company’s strategy.

Following this is how you can find the best candidates through the recruitment process and continuing through the next week into the selection process.

Then, the course finishes its final week with onboarding techniques.

Managing Employee Performance

As the third part of the Human Resource Management specialization, this course should take roughly 15 hours to complete.

All of the modules take between 3 and 4 hours to complete, with the first week only taking 3.

The first week is an introduction to developing performance management systems, with the second week focusing on how you can implement them.

The third week will focus on the tools you can use for effective performance management, and the final week is about creating a positive performance culture.

Managing Employee Compensation

As the fourth part of the Human Resource Management specialization, this course should take roughly another 15 hours to complete.

The total amount of time taken will vary between 3 and 5 hours depending on each week.

The first week focuses on how you can determine pay and help you design a compensation strategy that translates into a payment structure.

Following this, you’ll learn more about pay for performance and how you should utilize short-term incentives, performance evaluations, and promotions.

In the third module, you’ll learn more about pay compliance, statutory benefits, and non-statutory ones.

Then finally, you’ll finish the course with an understanding of non-monetary rewards and what these are.

Human Resources Management Capstone: HR For People Managers

As the fifth and final module of the Human Resource Management specialization, it will only take 15 hours to complete.

Overall, it will cover seven weeks, with each module taking between 1 and 4 hours.

The first module will focus on an introduction to the project and inform you how the previous four courses have helped you.

A number of milestones then follow, with the first one focusing on identifying internal and external conflict.

The second milestone focuses on the recruitment and selection process and how you would handle it.

Following behind with the third milestone, you will have to imagine how you would manage employee performance successfully.

Then, the fourth milestone will be about employee compensation and rewards.

Then the final week will be evaluating the project and submitting it to be graded by other learners.

The entire specialization should only take six months to complete, and you’re suggested to work on it for approximately a minimum of four hours per week.

It’s a great way to get more experience, and as you evaluate others’ work at the end, you can see how well you perform alongside other learners.

Human Resources Foundations On LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning isn’t completely free, but you can take advantage of this course if you have a free trial month.

This course has three distinct modules: management, development, and global human resources.

In the Human Resources Management module, you learn about what it means to do administrative HR, strategic HR, talent management, and diversity.

In the Human Resources Development module, you can get an understanding of HR competencies.

You’ll also learn more about how you can develop employees through training, organizational development, and performance management.

Finally, the Global Human Resources module will give you a better understanding of global cultures and how HR differs internationally.

You’ll even find out how you can better compensate international employees.

By the end of the course, you’ll gain a certificate that you can print out and place on your LinkedIn profile.

HR Fundamentals On FutureLearn

While FutureLearn isn’t necessarily free, you can get limited access to the HR Fundamentals course on the site.

You can still access the course materials, but you won’t get a certificate unless you pay for the full course or access it through FutureLearn Unlimited.

It’s a five-week course that you can enroll in at any point. Over the weeks, you’ll learn more about HR and how to understand it best.

Let’s go into some more detail about what you can expect from the detailed breakdowns.

The first week is about discovering what HR means and why professionalism is so important.

Following this, the second week talks about the evolution of the profession and what good HR is.

You’ll also better understand why data is so important and the impact great HR has on your business.

The third week is about people’s importance and why they matter to your company.

You’ll delve into how you can develop a strategy that works for your HR and the people around you.

Following this, you’ll see why it’s important to plan your workforce and how it can help your company meet its future objectives.

In your fourth week, you’ll find out how you can improve performance at work and how you can reward your team.

Find out how you can manage your team and engage with your team successfully to bring about the best in them.

Following on from these weeks, you’ll learn about how you can tie everything you learned together.

You can explore what prospective hires want in a company and how you can use everything you learned so far to bring new hires into the organization.

Certification Prep: Professional In Human Resources (PHR)

Found on LinkedIn Learning, you’ll find that the certification prep for the PHR is only free when you have a month-long free trial.

However, it could be of interest to anyone looking at this list to understand HR better to take the PHR test.

You’ll learn more about the technical and operational aspects of HR and be guided over five key topics that you’ll see covered on exam day.

Here are some of the modules that you’ll be learning about to prepare for the PHR. These topics include:

• Business Management
• Talent Planning and Acquisition
• Learning and Development
• Total Rewards
• Employee and Labor Relations

Upon completing the modules in the course; you’ll be given ideas behind a study plan to help you succeed in the PHR.

Of course, you need to stick to it to really succeed.

Further Certifications

If you find that these free certifications don’t help you as much, consider taking the chance to delve even further into your career.

We briefly touched upon the PHR, which is a type of HRCI HR certification. In fact, here are some of the options that you can look at if you want to learn more.

• Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR)
• Associate Professional in Human Resources – International (aPHRI)
• Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
• Professional in Human Resources – California (PHRca)
• Professional in Human Resources – International (PHRi)
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
• Senior Professional in Human Resources – International (SPHRi)
• Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR)

There are also SHRM HR certifications that are rewarded by the Society for Human Resource Management.

These certifications are more limited but are held in just as high regard. These include

• SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
• SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

However, you’ll find that many of these certifications are more expensive and should be researched before you take part.

Conclusion

As you can see, HR certifications are in high demand, but many of them are very expensive.

Most of the free HR certifications included here are ones that serve as an introduction.

These can be a great addition to your LinkedIn profile, but other certifications have a bigger influence on an employer’s decision.

However, it shows that you want to learn, and many employers prefer employees who take the initiative to improve their knowledge.