By Cheryl Newcombe

Consider the words of a recent CHRP graduate: “Sure, it was hard work and a lot of time away from family and my hobbies. Would I do it again? Definitely.”

Like many new professionals, ‘Susan’ chose to pursue her CHRP as a means to gain more credibility in her profession and open the door to potential promotions and advancement opportunities.

Accreditation Built on Academic Honour
Globally, the recognition of certifications, graduate credentials or other professional designations has been on the rise over the past 30 years. These types of non-government regulated credentials have their origins with the “academic honour societies” that became popular over 200 years ago in the USA, such as the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, the oldest honour society for liberal arts and sciences, that was established in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Having spread from the United States north to Canada, as well as to the United Kingdom and Europe, professional designations that are regulated by an independent regulatory boards have almost become a hiring requirement in the areas of banking, insurance, project management, risk management, engineering, law and finance.

With Certification Comes Prestige
The regulation and certification of these professions has brought with it a level of prestige and increased compensation for its practitioners. Inherent in these certifications is the recognition that designation-holders possess a certain level of professional knowledge and skill, are bound by a code of ethics and conduct and are obligated to update their professional knowledge on a regular and ongoing basis.

In the field of human resources, professional designations and certifications are relatively new. The Human Resource Certification Institute in the United States established the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) designations in 1976.

In Canada, the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation was established in 1994 and remains the gold-standard in HR certification across Canada. Each of these designations was established as a means to acknowledge an existing body of professional knowledge and establish Human Resources as a recognized profession.

CHRP Evolves to Meet CEO Demand
Today, the role of HR professionals is changing rapidly. A recent study by The Economist revealed that 70 per cent of the CEO’s surveyed wanted their Chief HR Officer to take on an increasingly strategic role and to actively participate at the leadership table.

In response to this changing landscape, the CHRP designation has transformed to reflect the shift in skills required for HR professionals to be effective in their roles. For example, this year, the Canadian Council of Human Resource Associations (CCHRA), the national governing organization, introduced the 2014 Competency Framework.

Updated Competency Framework Addresses HR Futures
The framework provides potential CHRP candidates, employers and the public with a realistic outline of the skills, knowledge and professional conduct they can expect from a CHRP designation holder. Built on the results of an evidence-based process, it outlines 44 professional competencies in nine functional areas of knowledge that CHRP holders must know to earn their certification—this includes new areas such as strategy and financial management. The framework also outlines five enabling competencies and a proficiency level at which each competency needs to be assessed in order to earn the CHRP.

Value of CHRP Pays Forward
For the young professional struggling to establish themselves in a new role at work and make their way in the profession, pursuit of the CHRP can be a daunting task. However, evidence dictates that the hard work translates directly into better financial and professional benefits.

A recent study by PayScale found that 45 per cent of HR generalists with the CHRP designation became HR managers within five years compared to only 21 per cent of HR generalists without the CHRP. At the same time, it was shown that earning the CHRP designation can translate into a pay increase of up to 16 per cent.

Today, as the variety of certifications and designations broadens, quality of the certification can also come into question. For human resource professionals in Canada, the consistency of the designation across the country and its transferability to most provinces is an added value to the designation.

Visit www.chrp.ca to find out more about pursuing the CHRP designation.

(PeopleTalk Winter 2014)