How I Got My CHRP in Ontario

Author: Victoria Krstev on behalf of Inflo HR Ltd. Topic: CHRP in Ontario

Before we dive in. What Exactly Is the CHRP?

The CHRP or Certified Human Resources Professional is a designation achieved by human resources professionals in Ontario through the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA). It "validates your knowledge of HR, your workplace readiness, and your commitment to career-long learning."

Something I don't share with everyone. I didn't pass the first time. I actually had to take the exam a couple of times!

Failing The CHRP

I was working full time, which made it very difficult to study. Between long hours, nonstop e-mails, interviews, never-ending meetings and taking client calls, finding the time in the day to study started to become very difficult. I was entirely exhausted after work. It's almost a full-time job in itself! 

When I first went to school, I was actually completing a Bachelors's in Environmental Management (kind of crazy since it's not HR-related at all). I enjoyed my program but realized that it wasn't exactly what I wanted to be doing. I then went to Sheridan College and studied Human Resources Management. I was primarily taking online courses, which, as we all know, is not precisely the best way to learn something completely brand new. 

So now I found myself working full time, studying for school and studying for the CHRP! Not being the best note-taker to begin with, I struggled to know exactly what methods would help me succeed. When I first wrote the exam, I had no idea just how difficult it would be. Without dedicating the time and understanding exactly how I learn best, I did not pass my exam. 

I knew this was something that I wanted to receive, and once I put my mind to something, I know I can accomplish anything. I wanted to obtain the CHRP because previously working for a recruitment agency, I knew once I got the corporate experience, I had to have an HR designation under my belt for prospective clients to take me seriously when I launched my business. And yes, the goal of running my business transpired all the back in my early twenties!

Knowing that the CHRP would be more difficult than I had imagined, I actually sat down and talked to a therapist about it. She also happened to be a registered psychologist. While struggling with juggling work and studying, I found an online therapy platform that could work with my schedule. She was such a great help. We talked about what learning methods work best for me, and we managed to figure out that I am a visual learner through an assessment I had taken.

Staring at a bunch of words and writing them out a million times wasn't going to help me remember them. But seeing a picture or an acronym and bam, I instantly recognized it! With the help of my therapist, I was actually able to request accommodations where I would be allowed a memory aid. A memory aid is basically a resource that helped me recall the information I needed during the exam. As you can see below, the picture probably makes no sense to you, but I see it, and I can explain everything.

Learning With An Auto-Immune Disability 

Most of you may not know, but I actually have an autoimmune disability. Once we figured out that visuals would help me pass the CHRP, we spent several sessions making this visual aid that ultimately played a part in helping me obtain the CHRP! Not saying this is the reason why as I probably would have passed the first time using it, however, it certainly was a life-saver 😉

For someone with or without a disability, remembering every little detail and getting it all out on paper during a 3-hour exam is challenging. Also, you may not even know you are a Visual Learner versus another type of learner. If you can remember the 9 functional dimensions of the human resources professional competency framework off the top of your head, well, consider me impressed!

No matter what your situation is, just know if you are struggling, there may be accommodations for you. I hope I do not get in s*** for writing this blog post, and I went back and forth deciding on it but - cie la vie. 

Working While Studying 

I'll be honest with you, working a full-time job in corporate talent acquisition (aka 15 open positions at any given time across Canada!!) and studying is not a fun time. While trying to successfully recruit for roles such as Pharmacists, Pharmacy Managers, Senior Software Developers and more, and be a Team Lead for Employer Branding which included creating content for Instagram, Facebook and managing the corporate LinkedIn page, it's a lot. Your time is quickly consumed in work, and although studying is always at the back of your mind when you're feeling drained from work, it's hard to sit down for a couple of hours a day and study. 

Once we discovered that a visual aid was my best bet at passing the CHRP, I began to come up with a plan. Along with drafting the perfect visual support for myself, I did a few other things that might help you start studying:

1. I recorded myself reading all of my notes from each course. I constantly had it on as background noise, which helped me memorize it without realizing it! I just used the microphone app on my iPhone, and it was effortless.
2. I consistently did practise exams. I'd recommend doing a couple a week; these can be purchased online and are so worth it.
3. Ask for accommodations if you feel yourself struggling, speak with a Therapist about it. 
4. I created a schedule for myself. I hung a calendar up on the wall and recorded exactly how many hours a day I was studying. And looking back, I can definitely see I wasn't doing anywhere near enough hours the first time around. 

To be honest, at one point, I even debated giving up on the CHRP. Due to my confidence levels being completely diminished due to not passing this exam, I applied for my Masters of HR because I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable, intelligent, and so much more than a pass or fail mark of an exam. 

I happened to get in, so I went to York University to complete my Master's Degree in Human Resources Management. It was always a goal of mine to receive my Masters so I figured I might as well do it now. 

The more time I took, the easier it became for me to study. I think the biggest thing throughout it all for me is that I kept my eye on the prize no matter how many times I failed. I motivated myself, knowing that I needed to get it done for myself and for my future goal to launch a business. Which I did, and we currently have 3 staff members and its been almost 2 years up and running!

I genuinely believe that if you set your mind to something, and you put in the necessary amount of time and effort, and hey, getting help is totally okay (and encouraged!!)! If I can work crazy hours, be in school and receive my CHRP, you can do it too! And if you fail the first time, take it as a sign that you will only get better. It gets easier with time. You're not the only one to ever fail at something! 

I hope that this has helped you, even a little bit of encouragement, to succeed and pass the CHRP or CHRL!

I'm here to chat about anything HR or recruitment-related in the meantime, and watch out for a Youtube vid where I will go into this in further detail 🙂