Affiliate Disclosure and Top Picks
HR University now features our Top Picks—the tools, courses, and resources we personally use (and pay for), or those we confidently recommend to our students and HR community. Every month, thousands of HR professionals visit our site to make smarter decisions about their careers, certifications, and people-management strategies.
What do we look for?
We highlight resources that are:
- Built for modern HR teams and people operations
- Designed with strong UX and practical usability
- Genuinely helpful for real-world HR scenarios
- Innovative in how they solve workplace and talent challenges
Our goal is to be clear and opinionated so you can make better decisions, faster. Think of us as a practical guide for HR professionals—not a directory of “maybe this works.”
What you won’t find here
You won’t find vague reviews that end with:
“At the end of the day, choose what’s best for you.”
If something is truly good (or bad) for HR professionals, we’ll say so—and we’ll explain why.
Let’s be honest: how objective is a platform when it ranks itself on its own “best tools” list? Large companies often have the marketing power to put themselves at the top. That doesn’t help HR professionals make informed choices.
You deserve clearer guidance than that.
We’ve also seen many review sites avoid strong opinions because:
- They don’t want to upset partners or affiliates
- Some affiliate programs discourage honest criticism
- They try to appeal to everyone
Broad advice helps no one. HR professionals have specific needs, and that’s our focus. We stay in the HR and talent development lane because that’s where our experience is.
Let’s Talk About the Money
We built HR University’s content to be:
- Free to access
- Honest and independent
- Practical and actionable
So how do we make money?
Education & Training
Our certifications, courses, and training programs fund most of our work. These help HR professionals build job-ready skills, credentials, and confidence.
Affiliate Links
Some recommended tools offer affiliate programs. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission—at no additional cost to you. Not every recommendation has an affiliate relationship, and payouts never determine rankings.
We occasionally secure discounts for our readers as well.
Industry Research & Consulting
Because we’re deeply involved in the HR space, organizations sometimes consult us on people strategy, HR tech, and workplace trends. That research often turns into free content for our audience.
Sponsorships (Clearly Labeled)
If content is sponsored, it will be clearly labeled. If it’s not labeled, it’s not sponsored. We don’t accept payment for positive reviews, and sponsorships don’t shape our opinions.
Video & Platform Ads
Ads help support the free educational resources we produce for HR professionals worldwide.
These models allow us to stay independent and keep our content free for the HR community.
We’re here to offer clarity—not polite ambiguity.
Vague reviews are out.
Practical, honest insights are here to stay.
— Josh Fechter and The HR University Team
Any questions?
We value open and honest communication with our readers. Feel free to reach out at [email protected]
