Back again… However, it is interesting that I have probably had more people start to follow my blog in my absence that I think I had sign up while I was actively posting. Or, maybe I’ve just been watching it more. In any case, now that I have started at my new company and am “back in the game” again, I am hoping to get back on top of current issues and keep the posts coming.

Top of mind for me right now is the flip flop that that HRPA is doing regarding practical qualifications for the CHRP designation. It is top of mind for me because I just wrote the May 2009 NPPA then read shortly after that the HRPA, after two more NPPA sittings, will be reverting back to the experience related practical requirement. While I understand that as a provincial professional body the HRPA went to the NPPA for national standardization, I would assume over the short time that the examination was in place, that a lot of controversy was raised regarding the validity of the designation based entirely on written examinations.

While in theory, the NPPA exam is based on practical experience, it is possible to write and pass that component having only studied and never held a position in a human resources function. So, let the debate begin… I’ve been in some recent forums dedicating bandwidth to both sides of this topic and there are two leading conversations happening – first, the experienced professionals agreeing with the move back to a practical assessment of professional experience; and, second, generally more junior individuals now clamouring to write one of the next two NPPA sittings to get the certification before an experiential requirement comes back into effect.

From a designation perspective, and providing a professional standard that employers and non-HR professionals can have confidence in, I think I lean more towards an assessed experiential requirement versus the written NPPA exam. While I understand the desire for individuals entering the HR professional to get a designation behind his/her name, I don’t think that in the long run the profession is gaining any ground by so easily granting designations without experience. Would you want a surgeon that has only studied textbooks and has not done internships and residencies? Would you want an engineer to design our skyscrapers when he/she does not have practical experience? What about chartered accountants having experience, your real estate lawyer having written prior contracts or the person who wired your house having gone through an apprenticeship program? I believe that the reputation of certified HR professionals have a standard to live up to and an obligation to employers to have a certain experience base that comes along with the designation. That is not to say that HR professionals without a designation are not valuable, but rather that a minimum of required professional experience be shown to ensure certified professionals bring the level of confidence that one would have of a doctor, a CA or a lawyer.

So… As the HRPA reintroduces the practical requirement to the CHRP, and I spew my comments and opinions above, let’s start the discussion on practical versus written.

Last week I attended the annual (or, I think maybe even semi-annual) HRPAH and Sheridan College (or is it now Sheridan Institute of Advanced Learning and Technology?) joint networking event. Basically, an informal evening event that takes place over wine, cheese and crackers to allow local Halton chapter members to network with each other and with students. It’s hosted at Sheridan and sponsored mainly by the Halton HRPA chapter. As always, IMHO, this event was a huge success.

Personally, I caught up with some old acquaintances, connected with some new peers, and shared experiences with a large number of students in their second or final year. Additionally, although I am not hiring at my present company, it is a great opportunity for me to start connecting with up and coming HR talent for future entry level positions – especially those now in their second year!

And, I must say, that this years “crop” of students is very well spoken, well education, well dressed and genuinely interested in the HR profession. Almost every single student I spoke with was eager to hear about “real life” experiences and was seeking advice about how to best approach that first job, where to specialize or what skills they will really use in the workplace – or as I think I read it… “which classes do I really need to pay attention in, and which ones can I coast through”. But, I may have misinterpreted that notion. Either way, I told them to avoid John Hardisty like the plague! (Just kidding John – I told them they probably wouldn’t make it out alive if they didn’t keep up in your classes)

So, a couple of observations. My first is a bit of a pet peeve as it relates to modern networking events and a complete lack of effort – not just this one, but other recent events as well. Although I believe many of the students at this particular event are intelligent and appeared enthusiastic, they seemed to fall short when the rubber hit the road. To any student I spoke with, I left business cards and an open invite to connect and offered to be an ear or a resource even for classroom assignments and projects. I stressed the importance of building relationships NOW and fostering them for the future – not just pulling that business card out of a dark drawer in two years and making contact to only ask for a job. So, why a peeve? Well… how many e-mails or LinkedIn and Facebook invites do you think I got the next day, or even in the past couple days now that it has been almost a week?

Two!

Yes, that’s right. Two. Now, it could be me. I may have offended them, or left a bad impression. Honestly, maybe I did completely alienate on one or two of the very impressionable young students. But for the others, I’m not sure what’s up. Whether it’s apathy, laziness, busy-ness or something else going on in their lives. My advice for any up and coming HR professionals out there looking to connect and network - my door is always open and there’s always a coffee shop on the corner (at least in Southern Ontario anyways – I can see 3 from my office window right now). Take the opportunity to connect early and continue sharing knowledge and experiences.

And, until the next event – don’t disappoint. Maximize your effectiveness and build valuable relationships. Oh, and I will give honourable mention to John Freeman of Sheridan. Not only did he impress me with his honestly, intelligence, eagerness and a clear grasp on his goals in life – but he is also one of the few who took the time to connect with me last week! It was also great hearing from John about current course content and how cirriculum has changed since I took the program.