The Benefits of a CCP Certification

Compensation is one of many factors potential employees weigh when deciding where to work. Having a certified compensation or HR professional on the team can benefit any business’s efforts for recruiting new and retaining existing talent. This broad appeal underscores the need for individuals who see value in earning the CCP certification. Yet career opportunities aren’t the only reason to pursue this certification. 

Read on to learn the benefits of becoming CCP-certified, as well as how to do so and where it might lead.

What is the CCP certification?

WorldatWork offers the Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) credential, allowing you to demonstrate your expertise in the best practices regarding compensation. The certification requires you to take a series of exams to prove you have expertise in up to ten areas including developing pay policies, data analytics, and industry and regulatory compliance.

Who should get the CCP certification?

WorldatWork’s CCP designation is aimed at entry and mid-level rewards and compensation professionals seeking to strengthen their expertise in single-country compensation programs and best practices. The certification is also ideal for professionals collaborating with compensation consultants, analysts, or advisors.

Job expectations of a CCP-certified professional

A compensation manager with a CCP certification does more than determine salaries. That’s part of the job, of course. Yet, you can also expect to engage in:

• Determining appropriate salary levels for new job opportunities

• Evaluating pay internally and externally to benchmark competitiveness as well as equity

• Researching and designing pay structures that work for your unique business

• Calculating effective promotions and salary increases

• Managing holistic rewards and benefits programs to influence employee engagement

• Documenting and analyzing pay strategies 

• Overseeing compliance with compensation regulations

Furthermore, with a CCP designation, you can positively impact recruitment and selection, retention and engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Attributes of someone with a CCP

If you're working towards CCP certification, possessing the following skills can prove advantageous:

• Business acumen

• Analytical skills

• Mathematical proficiency

• Decision-making skills

• Effective communication 

• Negotiation skills

Why earn CCP certification?

An industry-recognized certification can help your career prospects. But that’s only one of the reasons to consider working toward this credential. Explore the benefits of CCP certification in more detail below.

1. Prove your skills.

Global Fortune 500 companies recognize WorldatWork’s CCP certification. The professional society claims its CCP “is backed by our 65+ years of experience in workplace rewards education and research [1].”

2. Gain practical expertise.

The coursework preparing you for the series of CCP exams provides industry expert insights into many important areas. You’ll cover rewards strategies, financial and legal risks, business finances, applied statistics, advancing equity, price analysis, strategic communications, and more.

3. Increase your salary. 

Certifications demonstrating that you have additional expertise in your role can lead to a higher salary. As a CCP-designated professional, you’ll also have the skills needed to negotiate the best compensation for your responsibilities.

Read more: What Is a Good Salary?

4. Expand your network.

Once you have a CCP, you’ll join a new community of peers with a shared interest in compensation strategy and best practices. It can help you develop as a compensation specialist and provide career opportunities.

Read more: 9 Networking Tips to Expand and Strengthen Your Network

5. Have global reach.

The work you do for the CCP exams nearly qualifies you for a Global Remuneration Professional (GRP) certification, another WorldatWork designation for professionals who want to expand their global compensation management expertise. If you aim to work internationally, this can be a valuable accreditation.

Getting your CCP designation

The Certified Compensation Professional designation can set you apart and build your confidence. For many people, it takes several years to earn the CCP accreditation. You can do coursework either online or in person through WorldatWork.

What’s on the CCP exam?

WorldatWork’s CCP certification requires you to pass a series of ten exams. The topics you'll need to master are as follows:

1. Total rewards management

2. Regulatory environments for compensation programs

3. Business acumen for compensation professionals

4. Quantitative principles in compensation management

5. Job analysis, documentation, and evaluation

6. Base pay administration and pay for performance

7. Market pricing: Conducting a competitive pay analysis

8. Variable pay-improving performance with variable pay

9. Accounting and finance for the HR professional

10. Strategic communication in total rewards management

Preparing for your CCP exams

You can prepare for these exams online, in person, or via self-study. You’ll typically do coursework and tests in each of the 10 topic areas. WorldatWork does allow you to take the test without taking the associated course, and it does not require prerequisites. 

Here is a cost breakdown for the CCP exam and resources:

• Cost for course and exam for WorldatWork non-members: $1,929 [1]

• Cost for membership: $350 per year with discounts for multiple-year memberships and renewals [2]

• Exam for members: $875

• Exam for nonmembers: $1,250 [3]

Note: You must score at least 75 percent on all exams to gain the full designation.

Retaining your CCP designation

You will not need to retest once you have earned the full CCP designation by passing all 10 exams. However, to uphold your WorldatWork certification, you must amass 12 recertification credits over three years [3]. You can acquire the credits through a diverse array of professional engagements. These may encompass participating in the following:

• Educational meetings and seminars

• Assuming leadership responsibilities

• Delivering presentations

• Creating educational content

Potential jobs and salaries for CCP-certified professionals

The average salary range for someone with a Certified Compensation Professional credential in the United States is between $118,462 and $229,517, with an average of $173,990, according to Salary.com [4]. Payscale calculates the average CCP pay as $106,000 [5]. 

Compensation professionals work across industries. Whether you are interested in education, health care, business, insurance, or technology, you can likely find a company interested in a compensation strategist. Typical job titles associated with the CCP certification and their average salaries include [5]:

• HR manager: $95,091

• Compensation analyst: $75,563

• Senior compensation analyst: $96,803

• Benefits and compensation manager: $103,548

• Compensation consultant: $111,700

• Payroll and benefits manager: $104,566

• Compensation manager: $121,986

• HR director: $126,460

• Compensation director: $148,747

• Benefits and compensation director: $163,922

What is the job outlook?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for a compensation and benefits manager is $131,380 per year [6]. However, it does not indicate how many of its samples have a CCP.

Getting started with Coursera

The CCP certification equips you with the necessary knowledge to develop and incorporate domestic compensation programs skillfully. Learn more about compensation and benefits with the University of Minnesota’s Managing Employee Compensation flexible, 15-hour program on Coursera. You can also learn about different benefit types as well as how to evaluate a pay system inHRCI’s Compensation and Benefits course on Coursera.