CHRP reader survey

In August, Canadian HR Reporter conducted an online poll to find out what HR professionals think about HR designations, especially the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation.

More than 860 people took the time to fill out the survey and many of them added their own comments. Feelings about HR designations varried from full support to complete derision.

Below are the survey questions with links to the comments, which will be live by the end of the day on Sept. 8.

1. What designations, if any, are must-haves for a successful career in HR? Please check all that apply.

Answers:

40%	There are no must-have designations
10%	CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist)
8%	Other specialist designation
2%	GRP (Global Remuneration Professional)
N/A	CCP (Certified Compensation Professional)
N/A	CHRP (Certified Human Resources Professional)

Unfortunately there was a problem with this question and answers for the CCP and the CHRP were not recorded.

For a look at what other designations respondents think are must-haves, click here

Comments about this question are available here.

2. What designations do you have?

There were 840 respondents for this question.

Answers:

52%	None
34%	CHRP
17%	Other specialist designation
1.6%	CCP
1.3%	CEBS
0.22%	GRP

For a look at what other designations respondents have, click here.

4. How important is it to have the CHRP designation for a successful career in HR?

There were 856 respondents for this question.

Answers:

34%	Relatively important
33%	Very important
19%	Not important
9.9%	Crucial
3.9%	Completely irrelevant

Commments about this question are available here.

5. Which of the following statements best represents your attitude towards the CHRP?

There were 850 respondents for this question.

Answers:

36%	The CHRP designation indicates a level of commitment to the HR profession.
16%	The CHRP is a good indicator of a fully competent HR practitioner.
14%	The CHRP designation is a good idea in theory, but I don't think that, in it's current form, it is an effective indication of an HR practitioner's competence.
14%	The CHRP designation is less useful as an indicator of HR competence than HR training coupled with a wider business background.
10%	The CHRP does not indicate whether the practitioner has the HR skills needed in practice.
10%	The CHRP is merely a grounding for a career in HR.

6. When you are recruiting an HR practitioner what do you look for in candidates? (Respondents ranked the answers in order of importance.)

There were 834 respondents for this question.

The lower the weight the greater the overall ranking.

Weight	Answer
2001	Relevant experience
2110	Good fit for the organization
2407	Specific HR competencies
3266	Post-secondary education in HR
3733	CHRP
3997	Post-graduate education in HR

Good fit for the organization

Rank	Per cent
1	33%
2	21%
3	21%
4	14%
5	7.5%
6	3.6%

Post-graduate education in HR

Rank	Per cent
1	5.1%
2	6.3%
3	6.7%
4	12%
5	26%
6	44%

Specific HR competencies

Rank	Per cent
1	18%
2	24%
3	26%
4	18%
5	10%
6	3.3%

CHRP

Rank	Per cent
1	5.3%
2	7%
3	9.8%
4	18%
5	31%
6	28%

Relevant experience

Rank	Per cent
1	29%
2	31%
3	22%
4	11%
5	5%
6	2.4%

Post-secondary education in HR

Rank	Per cent
1	9.4%
2	11%
3	14%
4	27%
5	20%
6	18%

7. When your organization is hiring an HR practitioner, a CHRP designation is considered:

There were 841 respondents for this question.

Answers:

50%	An asset, but not a requirement
21%	A nice-to-have
18%	A requirement, but not one that is strictly enforced
6.9%	An irrelevant concern
4.2%	An absolute requirement

8. What kind of assistance does your organization provide to support HR employees through the certification process?

There were 837 respondents for this question.

Answers:

68%	Reimbursement for further education/tuition fees
59%	Reimbursement for professional association membership fees
44%	Reimbursement for certification exam fees
20%	Paid time off
19%	No support is provided
5.3%	Other support

For a look at what other kind of support organizations provide, click here.

9. What is your job title?

There were 854 respondents for this question.

Answers:

26%	Manager of HR
18%	HR Generalist
11%	Director of HR
11%	HR Specialist (i.e. Compensation Specialist, Recruitment Specialist)
7.8%	HR Assistant/Administrative Staff
7.1%	HR student
5.2%	External HR Specialist/Consultant
3.4%	I\'m not in HR but I am interested in HR issues
3%	Other senior executive
2.9%	Vice President of HR
2%	President/CEO
1.5%	Payroll Manager/Specialist
1.2%	Owner/Operator
0.12%	CFO/Director of Finance

Click here for general comments from respondents.