How do I become certified?

There are two options for workshops. First, you may attend a public Korn Ferry HR certification course. These courses are offered worldwide in numerous locations, and offer a consistent approach, regardless of which course or in which region you attend.

The second option is to become certified by a member of our Consulting Team or our Global Associate Network. Our consultants and associates conduct private HR certifications for organizations who wish to have the workshops conducted onsite.

What is the benefit of certification?

When you become certified in a tool suite, you are able to purchase restricted items from the suite and lead best practice applications in your organization. Certification enables you to apply the tool within your organization, and communicate and engage others in your efforts.

The certified individual in an organization is responsible for the proper use of the tool and protection of our copyrights and trademarks. Certification does not grant permission to copy from, reprint, or modify our products. All of these activities require an intellectual property license.

Please note that while you may educate others in your organization in the use of some applications and tools, certification results only from training by one of our facilitators. Certification does not allow you to certify others in the tools.

Why is certification required?

Our tool suites require certification to assure applied practice and knowledge transfer for advanced tools. When you become certified in a tool suite, you are able to purchase restricted items from the suite and lead best practice applications in your organization according to the uses outlined in your certification materials.

Note: clients may use the materials covered in Leadership Architect® 101 without certification, however this is a prerequisite course for our advanced competency certifications.

Is there any pre-work?

The Voices® 360 and the Learning Agility Assessments courses include a prerequisite for you to take the associated assessments prior to coming to the course. The viaEDGE® assessment, part of Learning Agility Assessment course, is a self-assessment that takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Voices® is a multi-rater assessment and requires participation from raters. The standard Voices® assessment is open for a two-week period to allow adequate time for feedback.

Completing the assessment prior to attending the course is required, and we do recommend registering several weeks in advance to allow enough time to initiate and complete the assessment prior to the course.

Pre-work is not required for any other courses.

I was certified with a different organization, a long time ago.  Do I need to be certified again?

Certification is provided to individuals rather than organizations. Should you become certified in a tool suite, you can bring your certification with you into future roles at other companies.*

Certifications do not expire. You are welcome to continue using the tools that you were certified in. Regardless of when/where your original certification took place, we recommend you spend some time on the product pages website to familiarize yourself with any updates to or broader usage of the materials, and refresh your own materials, if needed. If you would like to repeat a course you have already taken, please contact us.

*some exceptions apply to consultants – see consultant eligibility question below

Where are the HR certification courses held?

Our public certifications are offered throughout the year in a variety of locations. We usually hold sessions in a hotel so that you may also stay there if travel is required for you. See the KF link HR Certification Course Overview & Schedule for the most up to date public certifications. Location and hotel details for specific cities can be found on our registration site.

If I attend a public certification,where should I stay?

Each of our sessions will have a designated hotel where we have a negotiated rate for course attendees. See our registration site for accommodation details and booking instructions for specific cities. Attendees are responsible for booking their own accommodations. Please note that negotiated rates typically expire 3 weeks prior to the course dates, and in some cases may be depleted sooner.

What if I need to cancel?

Cancellation fees are assessed based on when a cancellation is received:

• 0 business days or more prior to the course: Full refund will be given, less a $25 processing fee.
• 6-10 business days prior to the course: $200 cancellation fee per course cancelled (1-day courses cancelled in this timeframe will be assessed a $100 cancellation fee).
• 5 business days or fewer from the start of the course: $300 cancellation fee per course (1-day courses cancelled in this timeframe will be assessed a $150 cancellation fee).
• No refunds will be given to clients who ultimately do not attend their session, without any prior communication.
• Note: When an attendee is registered for multiple courses, the cancellation date will be assessed in relation to start of the first day of the first course, not the first day of each course.

Substitutions of employees from within the same organization are welcome as long as they meet any pre-requisite requirements. Attendees may reschedule for a later session at the time of cancellation without penalty, provided the new session takes place within 6 months of the original course date.

What is included in my course fee?

Your course fee covers the cost of all session materials and books, as well as breakfast, lunch, and breaks. Attendees are responsible for all travel costs and shipping course materials home, if desired.

Can consultants become certified?

Certification opportunities are different for independent consultants and consulting organizations. Consultants can attend Korn Ferry Leadership Architect™ and Voices® 360. Certification in these product areas allows consultants to use the tools involved with all of their clients, and does not require that the consultant’s client is already using the tools.

For Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential and viaEDGE®, a consultant may only attend with a sponsoring client organization. Client sponsorship requires a letter of sponsorship from the client organization, as well as a representative from the client organization being certified as well, to ensure there is a knowledgeable internal resource embedded within the organization. The consultant’s certification in this course is valid only for work with the sponsoring client organization, and would not be considered certified if working with another client in those product lines.

When registering for certifications, consultants must inform us so we may process your registration within the above guidelines. Client letters of engagement for invited consultants must be provided at the time of registration.

I have experience with competency modeling.  Why is Leadership Architect® 101 a pre-requisite for advanced certification?

While we appreciate prior experience with competency modeling or the Leadership Architect competency library, Leadership Architect® 101 is a prerequisite for anyone attending an advanced certification to ensure that everyone has a solid foundation in the core of our competency library content and research. This improves the quality of advanced courses, as all attendees enter with a common talent language, common context, and a firm foundation in the research, terminology, and methodology.