By Stephanie Duff

As the Exam Coordinator of the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA), I am often contacted by potential candidates regarding the value of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation.

These inquiries, while often from Canadian residents and existing members of provincial human resources associations, also come from individuals looking to move to Canada from the United States, Britain, and even the Middle East and the Caribbean. It seems HR professionals all over the world are looking to increase their qualifications and want to know how the CHRP can add value to their career.

Employers will always seek a variety of experience and education from their prospective employees in order to best suit their organization. As a human resources professional, how do you set yourself apart? How do you provide additional value to your employer, as well as to yourself? Obtaining your CHRP designation can provide this opportunity.

Since the first step towards obtaining the CHRP designation is becoming a member of your provincial human resources association, potential CHRPs are immediately immersed in a professional community of their peers. For example, the British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA) provide countless services in a range of activities including workshops and conferences, recognition events, and preparation resources for the national exams.

Students, or junior professionals, just beginning their careers have opportunities to increase their professional knowledge through learning sessions, networking, and joining a mentorship program to work directly with other professionals on their skill sets. Mentors who have gone through the CHRP process may have good coaching tips for the national exams- if you’re looking to write, these would be good folks to connect with to learn about the exam experience!

Preparing for, and writing, the National Knowledge Exam® (NKE) is the next step in the journey: through preparations for this academic knowledge-based exam, potential CHRPs will re-familiarize themselves with basic concepts and theories of human resources, and prove acquired knowledge through successful completion of the NKE.

Before getting geared up to write the National Professional Practice Assessment® (NPPA), we recommend three to five years of practical human resources experience. This experience will help you to write the second exam, which uses a situational judgement test format to ask what an HR professional would do in different types of scenarios.

Work experience helps to differentiate between what could be done in each situation versus what should be done, and helps writers to take into account all of the aspects that should be considered when encountering a conflict or question within the professional environment.

A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required in order to register for the NPPA – this requirement, implemented in January 2011, will ensure that CHRPs continue to meet the needs of today’s competitive business environment. The strategic and critical thinking required in obtaining a bachelor’s degree helps CHRPs to manage the complexities of the professional environment of human resources. Requiring completion of a bachelor’s degree also more closely aligns the designation with global trends in certification, an important aspect as the world becomes ever smaller through increased use of technology in business operations.

Simply by working towards your designation, you may find opportunities for professional advancement or recognition. Employers admire individuals who value continued learning and professional development – by pursuing your CHRP, you are making the commitment to do just that. The study and work in pursuit of the designation, as well as the requirement for CHRPs to recertify every three years, indicates to employers that you are passionate about your profession and your positive development.

There are opportunities to contribute to the profession as well, as member associations and the CCHRA find great value in exam writer feedback, from preparations right through to results- by sharing your experience with your association, you can assist in fuelling improvements to the designation program.

And all of this can be just the beginning – once you have attained the CHRP designation, you will join a community of over 21,000 designated professionals nationwide, including an incredible 60 per cent of your BC HRMA members!

PeopleTalk: Summer 2011