When Britney MacInnis graduated from the University of Victoria business program in 2009 it was with distinction. MacInnis maintained that acumen when she went to work for the Legislative Assembly of BC as a legislative assistant, research officer and constituency assistant until 2013. All along, she held an interest in HR, and pursued that interest as a career by completing the BCIT Human Resources Management certificate.  

Shortly thereafter, in June 2014, MacInnis sat down to write the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) for the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation and distinguished herself once more—with the highest score across Canada.  She currently works as the assistant to the associate dean of natural resources at BCIT.

What spurred your interest in HR?
I took HR courses while completing my business program (at the University of Victoria) and found them very interesting. I see HR as the backbone of any successful organization. An organization can be doing many things right, but if good HR practices aren’t in place, it will affect the organization’s ability to attract and retain talent, and to function effectively in general.

How did you get your start in the profession?
Given that I’m at the start of my career, my goal was to put together my ‘toolkit’—which included a bachelor of commerce degree, a certificate in human resources management and CHRP candidacy—while taking on as many HR functions as I can in my  job, including coordinating the department’s recruitment and selection process. I’ve accomplished this goal and would like to leverage this to gain more experience.

Why did you decide to pursue the CHRP designation?
I pursued the CHRP designation to learn, but also to demonstrate to employers that I had the knowledge and skills they were looking for, and that this knowledge was tested by a regulatory body. To get a job you need experience, but to get experience you need a job; working towards the CHRP designation was my way of showing I was committed and knowledgeable.

How did you prepare for the exam?
I gave myself a number of months to cover the material and to test myself. I took the NKE prep course offered by HRMA, which laid out what I needed to know and provided a list of the resources. This helped me identify my gaps in knowledge. In terms of materials, I already owned many textbooks from school, but for those subjects for which I didn’t, I found the BCIT library was a great source and a money saver.

I read, took notes and tested myself using textbook companion sites, sample exams from the HRMA NKE study guide, and resources passed on from people who had previously taken the exam.

Any tips for those studying for the next exam session?

• Give yourself time to study;
• Study actively and test yourself;
• Take notes on all of the questions you got wrong on sample exams;
• Do a little each day and make studying a routine; and
• Talk to as many people as you can who have already taken the exam. They are generally happy to pass on their knowledge and resources.

What do you see as the current hot-button issues for HR?

Given the demographic trends, I see current issues being workforce planning, managing a variety of generational needs in terms of employee expectations, competition for talent, the importance of metrics and analytics, and work-life balance with increased access to work and email.

How do you see HR evolving in the next five years?
HR is continuing to evolve from a transactional function to a strategic business partner.  Businesses cannot enact their strategies without HR programs and practices and I think businesses are recognizing that.

What part of HR would you like to focus on? Is there a particular industry you would like to work in?
Given that I’m in the early stages of my career, I would like to soak up knowledge in a wide array of areas. However I’ve always been interested in recruitment and selection.