Human resources specialist
with federal diploma

To be admitted to the federal examination, the following conditions must be met at the time of the examination :

The examination requires a Federal Certificate of Proficiency (CFC), a Maturité or an equivalent certificate, as well as successful completion of the HRSE HR Manager Certificate examination.

For the’Option A: Personnel management 4 years' professional experience following CFC or equivalent qualification, including at least 2 years' qualified experience in human resources.

For the’Option B: Public placement and personnel consultancy 4 years of practical experience, including at least 2 years of employment under the LACI.

For the’Option C: Private placement and service leasing 4 years' practical experience, including at least 1 year in private placement and service leasing.

The professional examination is aimed at qualified individuals from the private sector or public administration who have a good knowledge of personnel management in companies or personnel placement.

In practical terms, this course is for you if you :

• Already hold an HR position (generalist, HR assistant, coordinator, personnel adviser)
• Would like to progress to a position as HR Manager or senior specialist
• Work in the private, public or semi-public sector in Switzerland
• Have obtained your HR Manager certificate and want to go further
• Seek official validation of expertise acquired in the field

The professional examination for HR Specialists is organised by HRSE and takes place at the following locations once a year, usually in autumn. Registrations open at the beginning of the year (February-March) for a session in September/October. Examination venues are located throughout Switzerland (Berne, Geneva, Zurich and other cities depending on availability).

The exact dates and the registration portal are available directly on the official website: www.hrse.ch

This course can be fully customised (content, format, language). Contact us for a free quote.

The course is priced at CHF 12 900., excluding federal examination fees.

The good news is that the Confederation can reimburse up to 50 % of your training costs. Since 2018, the Confederation has reimbursed 50 % of the costs of courses preparing for a federal certificate, up to a maximum of CHF 9,500, provided that the candidate sits the federal examination after the course. Entitlement to the subsidy is independent of the examination result. 

In concrete terms, for a course costing CHF 12,900, you can receive a reimbursement of CHF 6 450.00, bringing your net investment to CHF 6 450.00.

Qualifying conditions:

• Attend a course on the SEFRI list of preparatory courses, pay the course fees yourself and be legally resident in Switzerland at the time of taking the exam.
• The grant application is submitted after passing the federal examination, by submitting invoices and proof of payment via the SEFRI online portal.

For more information on the federal grant:  here.

You should also bear in mind that the price of the exam is not included in the preparation. It depends on the examination centre, and costs around CHF 2,000.

The professional examination for HR specialists is held once a year.
It is organised by HRSE and comprises 3 parts:

Part 1 -> General HR knowledge (common core) This is a 3-hour written test, consisting of single- or multiple-choice questions, matching questions and open questions. 

Part 2 -> Case studies Two tests: a written case study lasting 210 minutes, then an oral case study followed by a discussion with the experts (50 minutes preparation, 10 minutes presentation, 20 minutes discussion).

Part 3 -> Professional behaviour Two tests: oral mini-cases based on complex HR situations (30 minutes), and an interview based on a video interview situation (40 minutes).

Rating : The marking system ranges from 1 to 6. To pass the exam, candidates must obtain a minimum overall mark of 4. If they fail, they are allowed to retake the exam twice.