The future of the CHRP

The HRPA of Ontario is surveying its members regarding the future of the CHRP designation and the possibility of a new designation for seasoned HR professionals. Please make sure you participate in this discussion and make your voice heard. Much has changed at the HRPA of Ontario (aside from the acronym which used to be HRPAO). The Human Resource Professionals Association of Ontario is an excellent professional association which is active on behalf of HR professionals on a number of fronts and the association has grown in prestige over the last ten years.

Despite its effectiveness and the great variety of services it offers its members, the HRPA of Ontario is struggling to create an effective strategy going forward regarding its designations. Many of you will recall that the CHRP (Certified Human Resource Professional) designation had a lot more prestige a decade ago than it does now. This was rooted in the fact that it was much harder to obtain. You required significant experience as well as academic credentials and provincial exams to qualify. This has changed. Today almost every recent graduate has the privilege of being a CHRP Candidate - a title they are permitted to use on resumes and business cards. Professionals with limited leadership experience (administrative and non-management HR employees) can obtain their CHRP on the basis of academic achievements and exams alone if they can demonstrate via an application form that they in fact also possess some generalist work experience. It isn't easy to obtain your CHRP but it seems a lot easier.

Where does this leave those who have contributed to the field of Human Resource Management for many years, held senior positions and have grown professionally to be experts in the field? Regrettably, their CHRP designations have diminished in stature. Not to mention those seasoned experts who have chosen not to pursue their CHRP due to time constraints. They now find themselves surrounded by CHRP's or CHRP "Candidates" in our ever competitive job market. Surely, their efforts should be recognized by the association through some kind of designation that they have earned.

The debate is raging and all HRPA members are encouraged to participate and make their views known. After all, this is our association and we are its proud active membership.

HR Law Conference and new paralegal regulations in Ontario

Paralegals in Ontario are now regulated. HR professionals need to take heed as they may be affected by this new legislation if they provide employment law advice or counselling as part of their professional activities. Thankfully, an exemption has been made for those who are members in good standing of the HRPAO. Those who are not will need to take a closer look at the regulations to see if they are affected as they may be required to apply to the Law Society to obtain an exemption from the regulations if they wish to not fall under the new rules.

On a related note, the HR Law Conference, organized by the HRPAO, will be taking place on October 4, 2007. It's shaping up to be a very informative event featuring judges and lawyers who will be discussing important new employment law developments which affect all HR practitioners.

Status of this blog

After a lengthy hiatus, Human Resources Today has now been re-activated and will continue with regular updates for the remainder of this year.

New Hours of Service Regulations in Canada

The Canadian government has introduced new regulations to govern the hours of service of truck drivers across the country. The federal rules were quickly adopted by the provinces and merged with provincial rules. If you are employed in the transportation industry, you may want to take heed. In Ontario (and most provinces) the rules are already in place since January 1, 2007 but if you're concerned, rest easy. Enforcement will be light for the first six months to allow for an educational/transitional period. After that, 100% compliance is expected and remember, ignorance is no excuse.

To view the new federal rules online, click here.

Smoke Free Ontario Act

This law is taking effect on May 31, 2006 and is likely to affect your business so make sure you do your homework. Do you allow employees to smoke in company vehicles? Did you know that a company car or truck is considered an "enclosed workspace?" Did you know that businesses can be fined up to $300,000 and individuals up to $100,000 for violating the Smoke Free Ontario Act?

Click here to get all the information.

Site changes

Please be advised that Michael Filonienko's editorials on this site have been discontinued indefinitely due to other pressing projects and assignments and may return at a later time. If you wish to contact Michael Filonienko, you can continue to do so at filonienko@lycos.com. This site will remain operational.

"Let's emphasize the 'human' in Human Resources"

The Importance of References

One topic which comes up a lot during a job search is having references. A surprisingly large percentage of job applicants do not pay enough attention to this very important aspect of their application. A very popular misconception is that references do not matter as much as having a presentable resume or doing well at an interview.

Having good references is key to being successful in today's job market. While it is standard practice not to list your references on your resume (stating that they are available upon request is sufficient), having them ready is vital. The following are some important things to remember about references:

1. Have as many references as possible on hand and select a list of your top three references with the others are back-up references in case your prospective employer asks for more or someone in the top three is not available to provide a reference.

2. Make sure that the references you list are not people who may have a negative or neutral opinion of your performance. You want to make sure that you select people who have a favourable opinion of you.

3. Ensure that your references are people to whom you have reported directly or indirectly. You should use people such as your team leader, supervisor, manager or a senior manager or executive who oversaw the department you worked in and is able to talk about your performance. Listing "personal references" such as friends or even colleagues that you worked with is not recommended unless the employer specifically requests such references.

4. Stay in touch with your references. You want people to remember you. Sometimes you need to provide references with whom you have not worked for years and who have moved on to different jobs. It is important to stay in contact with them and to have their current contact information available.

5. You do not need to provide references from your current employer. If you are currently employed and job hunting, prospective employers do not expect you to provide references from your current employer because they realize that if your current employer finds out that you are applying elsewhere it can lead to an uncomfortable situation for you in the workplace.

6. Before you hand over your list of references, make sure that you contact each one so that they know to expect a call. Tell them who may be calling and what position you are being considered for. This will help them prepare for questions they may be asked.

Future topic: Background checks you may face when applying for a job.

filonienko@lycos.com

The Goods on Headhunters (Recruiters)

Despite what you might have seen in the Christian Slater TV-movie "Pursued", headhunters are not likely to terrorize your family in order to recruit you away from your current job. However, there definitely are positives and negatives when employing headhunters while looking for a new position. Here are three tips when dealing with headhunters that you may find useful:

1. Don't call them "headhunters": Headhunters do not like to be referred to as such. They prefer "recruiters", "recruitment firms", "search firms", "executive search firms" or "placement firms." Although the term "headhunter" is widely-used, you may not want to use it when you're actually talking to one. To assist you in this mind-shift, I will use the term "recruiter" for the remainder of this article.

2. Build relationships: The most common mistake people make is calling recruiters only when they need them. For example, when they're out of a job and require assistance. This amounts to weak planning and networking. When you need them, they may simply not be able to assist you. Do you know how some people say that there's never a police officer around when you actually need one? This is often the case with recruiters. They usually contact you (sometimes quite often) when you're happily employed and don't require their assistance but when you do want to talk to one, they don't return your calls. If this happens to you, it's because you haven't build a relationship with the recruiter. When you're called at work, talk to them, take down the person's contact information and promise to talk to them again in a few months, even when you're happy in your job at the time! Maintaining a continuous relationship with the recruiter will prove to be immensely useful when you do need to turn to them at some point.

3. Watch out for the bad apples: Unfortunately, as in any profession, the recruiting world has those who are not great at what they do.

(A) Be weary of recruiters who do not provide adequate information about an opportunity because they're hiding something or because they didn't care enough to get this information from their client. A good recruiter will provide you with a job description, short and long term objectives of the position, a salary range and other compensation information, and general information about the company and about why the position is available.

(B) Stay away from recruiters who use "close the deal" pressure tactics. You're not buying a used car - you're making a career decision which will impact your professional and personal/family life. If you don't have all the information you need or you're not comfortable making the move after having been interviewed, don't take the risk. Go back and get the information you require. Do not be intimidated by the recruiter. Remember, you are in charge of your life.

filonienko@lycos.com

The Five "Be's" of Job Hunting

Over the last several months, I have heard some very interesting discussions about the experience of looking for a job in the city of Toronto. In addition, "human interest" pieces about job hunting have appeared in national newspapers like the National Post and the Globe & Mail. For those in this position the job hunt can be a frustrating experience and HR professionals are usually portrayed in a negative light. Applicants complain that HR people ask irrelevant questions, are notorious procrastinators when getting back to you about the position, and make you "jump through hoops" during the interview process.

It's easy to form such an opinion if you are not aware of the internal workings of human resource departments at most organizations. The following are a few helpful steps when dealing with HR recruiters. I call these the five "Be's." Please note that by HR recruiters, I am not referring to headhunters or agency recruiters, but internal HR staff who process your application when you apply for a job with an organization.

1. Be persistent: HR recruiters are typically incredibly busy and, while twenty years ago it was seen as proper business etiquette for HR professionals to respond to every job inquiry, this is no longer expected. Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter (who probably also has many other HR responsibilities in addition to recruitment) - would you be able to personally respond to every telephone, e-mail or fax inquiry about a job when you have 400 resumes for that position sitting on your desk or in your Microsoft Outlook inbox?

Do not wait until they get back to you. Be polite and professional, but be persistent and call every week to inquire about the status of your application and to let them know that you are still interested. Discontinue calling only when you actually hear them say that your application will not be pursued further or that the position has been filled.

2. Be patient: While it is true that certain interview questions may appear irrelevant to the position you are seeking, there may be a method to the recruiter's madness. Some questions are specifically designed to test if you are quick on your feet or how effective your communication skills are when you're faced with an unexpected situation. Answer these questions to the best of your ability - sometimes there is no right or wrong answer!

3. Be prepared: Be prepared to discuss everything that you presented on your resume. Why is the recruiter asking about a job you had fifteen years ago when you were in high school? Because it is listed on your resume and this means that you want your prospective employer to consider this part of your life when making a hiring decision. If you do not, please leave it off your resume. Otherwise, you may be asked about it.

4. Be professional: The worst mistake that you can make during an interview (whether in-person or via telephone) is to lose your temper or demonstrate a negative attitude through a sarcastic remark, inappropriate humour or other such behaviour. If you do this, you will lose any chance you may have had to obtain the position. Stay cool, friendly, and professional. Dress professionally and arrive ten minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.

5. Be confident but not cocky or nervous: No one likes an applicant who is overconfident ("If it wasn't for me, my last employer's sales revenue would have never recovered") but confidence is key to success. There is no reason to be nervous at a job interview. If you are someone who gets nervous at interviews, here's an important tip: maintain zero expectations. Just because you have been granted an interview doesn't mean anything. Tell yourself that you will not be getting this job. This way you won't be nervous about "messing up" or saying the wrong thing.

Next time, we will talk about how to get the most out of search firms/headhunters and agencies.

filonienko@lycos.com