The CHRP Designation - For What It's Worth
Andrew Layman, CHRP, RPR
Certified Human Resources Professional & Organizational Development Partner at Starbucks
Today, the human resources profession has continued to evolve, and as a result, so too have the demands for human resources professionals to level up their skill set to become more strategic business partners.
According to Hire Authority, the demand for the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation has been increasing every year and the proportion of job postings listing the CHRP designation as a requirement has jumped from "36 percent in 2007 to 70 percent in 2019".
In the world of business today, having letters behind one's name is a signal of both personal and professional achievement, helping one to "tell a story without having to actually say anything" (please, just save your breath).
For those of you who might be asking yourself what value the CHRP designation has in the world of business today, I'd like to remind you, "it's in the details".
Like any professional designation, there are qualifying steps that one must go through to earn the right to use those coveted f-o-u-r letters.
"think education, rigorous examinations and a commitment to lifelong learning"
Known as "The Course Work Requirement" to be eligible to write the CHRP certification exams, you will first need to complete (and have obtained an overall average of at least 70 %) in the following nine courses.
After completing the course work requirement, one should have a solid understanding of the various theories and concepts of human resources management. You can't build upon a foundation that doesn't exist.
For many professionals, obtaining your certificate in human resources is a great start and should give you some leverage when entering the field or growing within it. But let's get into the details to discuss what really differentiates a CHRP holder vs a non-CHRP holder (hint, it's in these next four steps).
Step 1 - The CHRP Knowledge Exam
The dreaded and scary CHRP Knowledge Exam. This exam gives people the hebe-jeebies, but with the right amount of studying you should be well-positioned to pass on your first (or maybe second try). As of June 2019, the pass rate was 57%.
This certification exam takes place three times per year and is designed to assess the knowledge required for HR professionals to perform at the CHRP level, testing an applicant's knowledge on all nine subject areas over the course of a 3.5-hour exam.
This exam is comprised of 175 multiple choice scenario questions broken down by each subject area (see chart below).
By passing the CHRP Knowledge Exam one is able to demonstrate to employers that they're competent in the nine foundational areas of human resources management, that they understand best practices set out by the Registered?Human Resources Professionals Act, 2013 and quite frankly, they've actually retained the stuff taught in school (that counts for something right)?
Common Question 1 - How long do you recommend studying to pass the CHRP Knowledge Exam?
Answer- I recommend studying over the course of at least four months. Personally (and I know others who have studied for this exam would agree) that four months is usually enough time. If you spend around 2 to 4 hours per day, 4 to 5 days per week studying you should be positioned for success.
"To prepare for this exam, pull out the text books, take tons of notes and most importantly, find your favourite coffee shop to settle in, it's going to be a long night".
Step 2 - The CHRP Employment Law Exam
If you were fortunate enough to pass the first exam (or didn’t give up if you needed to write it a second time) congratulations, you get to write another!
For me personally and professionally this exam (or should I say, the studying leading up to it) has provided me with the most value and bang for my professional buck!
Knowing theories and concepts is one thing, knowing how it could show up in real life (and being able to help mitigate costly litigation for your organization) is another.
The CHRP Employment Law Exam tests a professionals knowledge in real work scenarios, broken down in the following areas:
To be frank, I’ve seen many organizations that have HR professionals who have simply “moved up the corporate ladder” without any real formal education or training developing policies and this can prove costly real quick when things go left-field.?It’s one thing to learn about HR practices from others who have been "doing it one way for years" but to know how to "do it the right way" is completely different.
Simply put, passing your CHRP Employment Law Exam is the difference between "this is how it’s always been done vs doing it the right way ”.
Common Question 2 - How long do you recommend studying to pass the CHRP Law Exam?
Answer- I think four months to study for this exam is also reasonable, and I would strongly encourage any test takers to purchase the HRPA's Employment Law Exam Preparation Course. These modules break down all aspects of the exam into focused areas of studying and give you hundreds of practice questions to prepare for this exam.
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Once you finish your Employment Law Exam (and hopefully passed it), you should feel comfortable looking up, reviewing and interpreting Ontario legislation (look away lawyers, you aren't going to like this), and understand how it might impact the workplace and it's employees.
Step 3 - Job Ready Program
This last step is a crash course on what it means to be ethical, and what your responsibilities are as a human resources professional in the workplace today. It is essentially a mandate that you will leverage your CHRP to do right by others, work within your professional influence to make a change when you identify poor workplace practices, and a commitment to represent the HR profession positively, always.
"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so helps me g-d"
Step 4 - Commitment to Continuous Professional Development
In conjunction with everything mentioned above, this is a big one for me and should be for organizations too. When you pass both certification exams, complete the job ready program and eventually get your CHRP designation, you must now commit to lifelong learning, a total of 66.67 hours of professional development activities every three years (yes, for the rest of your professional life).
We have seen far too often, HR professionals who have been in the role for years, never taking any outside courses to stay relevant and future proof, quickly falling behind with the latest trends.
Learning from others within the four walls of your organization is always great but might not always be the most innovative, future-looking, diverse, or cutting edge. For CHRP holders, you must not only learn from within your current organization but you are also expected to keep abreast of the newest HR practices (through formal education, professional conferences, HR seminars, and workshops).
Eligibility + Member Dues - Why the push back?
When you ask some HR professionals what they think about the CHRP designation (or HRPA even) you might hear (whispered under one's breath) that they believe it to be a cash grab. It is expensive, make no mistake.
When you break it down, in order to get your CHRP you will need to invest around 2-3 years of your time spent between post-secondary studies and in the writing of your exams and yes, you will need to fork over some cash. Does this rub some people the wrong way, it certainly does, but I don't think it should.
Broken Down, What's The Cost?
Course Work Requirement (for all nine courses) one should expect to spend anywhere between $6,000-$8,000 (for me, I spent $6,800). This really depends on where you choose to study so make sure to shop around before enrolling in your university or college program of choice.
CHRP Knowledge Exam will cost $290.00 + tax. If you choose to also purchase the CHRP Knowledge Exam prep course, this will cost you another $325.00 + tax.
CHRP Employment Law Exam will cost $240.00 + tax. If you choose to also purchase the CHRP Employment Law Exam prep course, this will cost you another $225.00 + tax.
HRPA Member Dues will cost $455.00 per annual.
Grand total approximately $7,535 to $10,535.00 (not including tax).
The fees going to the Human Resources Professionals Association are used to help inform and update HR professionals on legislative changes, attend professional conferences and webinars, promote the HR profession and protect the public. If you ask me, this isn't a bad thing.
Like any professional associations (think CPA, CFA, PMP, you get the point) there is a cost.
To compare the cost of the HRPA member dues to other professional associations, take a look below.
The Verdict
Businesses today are looking for professionals who help bring strategic value, and ultimately grow the company's profitability.
As the department of human resources continues to move away from being the "policy police" or the "paper pushers" of yesterday, human resources professionals today are positioned to keep your most important assets (think people) engaged. We do this through the implementation of formal total rewards programs (including compensation, benefits, and RRSP matching), through hiring and sourcing the best external talent, and by helping to keep the workplace safe, fair, and compliant.
So the next time you see someone with the four letters (C-H-R-P) behind their name, understand the work that was invested into getting this professional designation.
Like an accountant, you don't need a CPA listed in your email signature or business card to work as an accountant per se, but one should certainly feel more confident knowing that these professionals have formal education, passed rigorous examinations, and have committed themselves to lifelong learning all in the name of public safety and to improve your company's bottom line. The CHRP is no different.
So to finally answer the big question,
“What value does the CHRP designation hold in the world of business today?”
My Answer: It's in the details, duh.
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2 年Andrew Layman, CHRP, RPR I was wondering if you know how long you have after you have completed your 9 course requirements to write the knowledge exam? A year? Is there a time frame associated with writing the exam before you might then become ineligible? Thank you
Certified Human Resources Professional & Organizational Development Partner at Starbucks
2 年Carolina Tavares take a look!
Connecting Talent with Opportunity | Human Resource | Recruiter
2 年I have a question like if I have completed my graduation and having no experience in HR than I have to go with hrpa course provided by the colleges in canada or for CHRP certification?
Candidate
3 年How long does it take to complete the CHRP overall and obtain the certificate? I'm researching online and it's saying 10 years...
Human Resources | People and Culture
3 年Thank you Andrew Layman, CHRP, RPR, this is very insightful. Could you suggest any additional ways to prep for this exam? (apart from the exam prep course)