The National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) has been a leader in education and certification for a half century. In advancing the importance of the professionalism and ethics in the staffing industry, NAPS has taken an “advocate” position on behalf of candidates and clients served by certificate holders---advancing education, certification and other credentialing activities that focus on consumer service and business excellence.

What does professional certification mean to the public? How are Certified Personnel Consultants (CPCs) and Certified Temporary Staffing-Specialists (CTSs) different from the others practicing recruiting and placement services? Consider the following.

Certification says to the public that the staffing professional has engaged in a thorough study of the laws governing the industry and gained a command of that knowledge. The laws guiding the practice of recruiters, consultants and others in the industry are of paramount importance in the promotion of access, fairness and opportunity.

But certification says more! It tells the candidate and client the certified professional has agreed to practice his or her work in accordance with a set of ethical standards developed by industry peers. Beyond the business etiquette associated with how a firm conducts it’s day-to-day activities, ethical standards represent the best thinking of the profession regarding such issues as relationships between recruiters and candidates, firms and employees, recruiters/firms and clients, advertising, fees and other important subjects.

Finally, those certified by NAPS since 1995 have also agreed to participate in relevant continuing education experiences in order to maintain the CPC or CTS certificate they have earned. This requirement promotes the importance of staying current and skilled in order to provide continued quality service to consumers.

How can the public learn more about the NAPS certification? One way would be to visit the NAPS sponsored National Registry of Certified Staffing Professionals (NRCSIP) at www.nrcsip.com. There the Internet visitor will find an explanation of certification and a registry where CPCs and CTSs have voluntarily elected to post the credential(s) they have earned.

Candidate and client advocacy is an important aspect of professional and business excellence. The certification of staffing professionals is a critical measure of that advocacy.