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June 2007 Newsletter

The New Wave of Human Resources Professionals
by Emile Gallant

The year 2003 will probably go down in history as one of great importance for the Human Resources profession in Canada. This marked the first time that a national examination system was used to test the knowledge and competencies of people wanting to become HR certified professionals. The Human Resources profession is still in its infancy when we consider that the first New Brunswickers to receive the Certified Human Resources Professional designation, more commonly known as CHRP, did so in 1999. When we compare ourselves to many other professionals such as doctors, nurses, accountants, teachers, lawyers or pilots, this profession is almost brand new.

Prior to 2003 many of us were grandfathered into this certification through what we call grandfathering. We were permitted access by demonstrating that our education and past experiences warranted our certification. Most of us had suffered through many years of being blamed for everything HR and personnel so we don’t feel a bit guilty. Granted many of us would rather have gone this route than have to write yet another exam.

Today we find that the profession is bringing in a new wave of HR specialist. Many people, like me, had a business degree and probably had one full credit course in Human Resources as a result. This was and still is the limited knowledge to be gained in many business programs in university today.

What about this “new wave” of HR professionals? These people of all ages have decided to return to school and get an education in human resources. Many post-secondary institutions in Canada are now offering programs in human resources or human resources management. These people are finding themselves much better prepared to tackle the exams required for the professional HR certification. Although CHRP is the most commonly found HR professional certification in New Brunswick with 246 members and Canada, it is not the only one. These educational programs offer the students a specialization which wasn’t found in New Brunswick and in most of Canada, ten years ago.

As I mentioned earlier, the HR or Personnel department was staffed in the past by people who evolved through the rank and file of the company. Many organizations still practice and encourage this practice today. The problem is that in many organizations we want the people staffing the HR department to know the company first and foremost. The problem on the other hand is that these people may know the company inside-out but are not so well versed in human resources. This is where professional development must come into the picture.

People who decide to make human resources a career and who choose to get an education in the HR field are the new breed of HR professionals. They are the “new wave”! The importance of doing it right the first time is what we will expect from these people. Just yesterday one of my students made the remark that she was asked a question she could not answer during an interview for a work term placement. She was a bit flustered by the interviewer’s opinion that this person was surprised that she could not answer the question after having gone through the Human Resources Management Program. My answer to her was simple. You cannot be expected to know everything that there is to know about every subject included in HR. Some information will be particular to the organization. The other is the fact that not all people working in HR can be expected to be experts in all aspects of human resources. The fact is that today we are very much regulated and we almost need to weigh every word before we speak. The “new wave” HR professional is the one who may not immediately know the organization, but will be in the best position to provide solutions to the HR problems.