Validation of Experience FAQ

General

1. Who reviews the Validation of Experience Applications?

The Experience Assessment Committee is the adjudicative committee that reviews Validation of Experience applications. They possess the expertise and authority to make decisions in regards to an applicant’s experience meeting the requirements. All members of the Experience Assessment Committee have their CHRL designation and work in various positions in the public and private sector, including university professors, consultants, HR Managers, etc.

2. How long should answers for the questionnaire portion be? What if more space is needed to complete the answers? Is there an online version of the form?

Each answer should be direct and to the point but should provide enough information to give the Experience Assessment Committee a clear picture of your daily responsibilities/duties. Point-form answers are preferred over paragraph style. If more space is required, a separate sheet can be used. You can type the questions into a Word document and then type out your answers there and submit these pages with your application.

3. What is the document size and should the pages be printed single or double-sided?

Submissions should be printed single-sided on 8½ X 11 paper, held together with one staple or clip.

Regarding Full-time / Part-time, Professional Level and in HR

1. How many hours a week is considered full-time work?

Both Statistics Canada and the Ontario government define “full-time” employment as 30 or more hours per week.

2. Can I submit part-time, professional level HR work for review?

Yes, those who are working part-time at the professional level in HR can apply to have their experience evaluated using the following criteria:

Part-time work must add up to a minimum of 36 months of professional level HR experience using the guide of a minimum of 30 hours per week = one week of work.

Regardless of how many hours are worked each week above 30 hours, one week = one week.  For example, if two part-time jobs add up to 50 hours per week, those 50 hours constitute one week and the applicant will be given credit for one week of experience.

Part-time work will be pro-rated accordingly based on how many hours/days of work/week and how much time is spent doing HR.  For example, at 2.5 days per week it takes two weeks to get one week of work experience.

Whether full-time or part-time, the position must be at least 51% in HR to be submitted.  For example, two days per week in a position that is 60% HR could be used, but a full-time position that is only 30% HR does not meet the requirement.

3. What is meant by work that is transactional?

Transactional work means work that is of an administrative or support function, meaning, there is no judgment, analysis or interpretation done to the data or information in the scope of your work. Transactional work is not considered to meet the professional level.​

4. Will my job title influence whether experience is at a professional level?

The Experience Assessment Committee makes determinations based on responsibilities, not title.

5. Does experience need to span all of the functional areas of HR to be counted, or can specialized HR experience count?

It does not matter whether one is working in a specialist position or a generalist position or if you are an independent practitioner or an employee of a company. If you determine that your work falls into one of the nine dimensions of HR and is at the required professional level, you can submit this experience for review. It is up to the Experience Assessment Committee to determine if it meets the requirements to be counted towards the 36 months of professional level HR experience.

6. Can I meet the experience requirement from teaching only, or do I need to have other HR experience?

Teaching experience can be used to accumulate all three years (36 months) of required professional level HR experience. In order to meet the requirement of being at the professional level in HR, courses taught must be:

• HPRA-approved courses (Please refer to our School Search Tool for a list of current HRPA approved courses), or
• HR courses taught at an accredited college or university.

If your course and corresponding academic institution are not currently pre-approved, you will need to complete an application​ through Comparative Education Services​ to determine if the college or university where you provided HR instruction was accredited at the time you were teaching. Once you have received the report from Comparative Education Services, you will need to send it in along with your application.

Teaching “full-time” means teaching a course load of at least three HR courses per semester. Faculty will need to send in a course outline so the committee can determine if the course is an HR course.​

HR instructors who are not teaching at least three HR courses per semester will have their time pro-rated as follows:

• Teaching one HR course per semester – 1/3 of 100%
• Teaching two HR courses per semester – 2/3 of 100%

No applicant can earn more than full-time credit for their HR experience. An applicant who is employed full-time as an HR professional and has additional part-time HR work will not be given credit for more than a full-time job (overtime or extra hours do not allow an applicant to earn more than one year of experience in a one-year timeframe). This means that an HR professional who has full-time HR employment and who teaches in addition to that employment will not get credit for more than a full-time job. However, part-time work in HR and part-time teaching can be combined to equal full-time HR experience. A minimum of 30 hours per week is defined as full-time to equal one week of work.

7. Can volunteer or co-op experience apply?

Volunteer and co-op experience can be submitted if you determine that it was done on a full-time basis and is at the required level in HR. It is up to the Experience Assessment Committee to determine if it meets the requirements to be counted towards the 36 months of professional level HR experience.

8. If I held a position that had some professional responsibilities and some administrative responsibilities, would the committee take a % of that position towards the 36 months?

To be credited toward the experience requirement, fifty-one percent (51%) or more of an applicant’s time must be in human resources at the professional level. Beyond this, time will be credited proportionally. For instance, an applicant for whom seventy-five percent (75%) of their time is dedicated to human resources activities at the professional level will have their time multiplied by .75. It would take four years of experience in such a position to be equivalent to three years of professional experience in human resources.

9. In an executive level position, such as Vice President, does the HR component of the job need to be 51%?

To be credited toward the experience requirement, fifty-one percent (51%) or more of an applicant’s time must be in human resources.​

10. How does maternity leave or another leave from work affect the time limits you have to validate current experience (i.e. if you’re not currently working)?

It doesn’t. You have 10 years after passing the exam to submit and pass the Validation of Experience. If you need more time to meet the experience requirement, this period can be extended for another 10 years by re-writing and passing the exam before the end of this validity period. If you have a significant absence from work (not including vacations), you should note this absence on your application as time spent away from the job cannot be counted towards meeting the 36 months.

11. Do I need to have three years of HR experience consecutively or all from within my current role?

The requirement is three years of professional level HR experience within the last 10 years, of which a minimum of three months must have been completed within the last two years. It does not have to be done consecutively or all come from within one position.​

12. Do you have to be in an HR management role to be considered at the professional level?

Professional does not mean supervisory or managerial. Professional does not require that one has overall responsibility for the HR function.

13. Does international experience count?

Experience outside of Canada can be counted towards the three years if it falls within the parameters required. The requirement is three years of professional level HR experience within the last 10 years, of which a minimum of three months must have been completed within the last two years. ​

14. Can someone in the Office of the Registrar guide me as to whether or not my experience will count?

Office of the Registrar staff cannot comment on whether individual experience will be accepted, other than to use the guidelines provided on the Validation of Experience application form. HRPA’s Experience Assessment Committee experts have the authority to make decisions in regards to experience meeting the requirements.

Regarding Supporting Documentation (Resumes, Job Descriptions, Org. Charts and Classification Codes)

1. Should resumes only include HR positions?

Resumes should show employment history with start and finish dates, including both the month and year for each position held. Begin by listing your work history, with the most recent position listed first. Your resume should mirror that of a resume you would provide to a prospective employer. There is no limit on page length.​

2. What if the job description provided by an employer does not accurately represent the scope of my responsibilities or special projects? How can other responsibilities be accounted for?

You should review your job description before submitting to ensure that it is an accurate representation of your current job responsibilities, accountabilities and qualifications and if it’s not, have it updated to include any items that are not currently reflected, such as special projects.

Employer documents are preferred, but if they’re not available or are not up-to-date and you cannot get an updated version from your employer, you should develop your own job descriptions to be submitted with your application. Job descriptions are required to show the Experience Assessment Committee that all responsibilities line up to all of the other required supporting documents.​

3. If the company doesn’t have formal job descriptions or organization charts, or the department is currently re-structuring, can I create these documents myself?

Employer copies of documents are not required. Employer documents are preferred, but you can develop your own descriptions and organizational charts for consideration.

4. How detailed does the organizational chart need to be?

Organizational charts should detail what position you reported to and the position(s) reporting to you. Please include the size of the organization(s) and circle your position.

5. What if my company does not have job classification codes?

The classification codes are referring to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. If your organization does not use these codes, you may disregard this submission requirement.

If you work for a government agency, please note that the job classification code for your position(s) needs to be at or above one of the following to be considered at the professional level:

• AS 05
• APL 17, or APL 16 if it is the highest HR person in a region
• PE 03
• MP 4

6. Do I need to submit work samples with my application?

Work samples are not required for the application. The only documentation required for a complete application is the questionnaire, job descriptions and organizational charts for each position being submitted, as well as a chronological resume and the completed reference, declaration and payment information. You may also wish to submit supporting documents such as a letter from your employer

Regarding the Payment and Declaration on the Form

1. Is the $525 fee on top of my annual HRPA membership fee?

The cost for the Validation of Experience Application is separate from other costs.  The cost for the validation of experience conducted by the Experience Assessment Committee is $525 plus HST. However the $525.00 fee is broken down into two parts. Each applicant must pay an initial application fee of $100.00 plus HST and, should the 36 months or three years be granted, the applicant will be required to pay the remaining $425.00 plus HST prior to fully achieving the experience requirement. The remaining $425.00 balance can be paid as one lump sum or in installments. Should the experience fall short and not be deemed eligible by the Experience Assessment Committee, the applicant will not incur any further cost at that time. Please see the section below “Regarding Results” for information about submitting a revised application and associated fees.

2. Will I be contacted by the Experience Assessment Committee for an interview or further information if they have questions?

Applicants for the Validation of Experience must attest that all information provided is accurate and complete. Applicants will not be contacted for further information.

3. Can I submit a reference letter supporting my Validation of Experience application, such as from a stakeholder I worked closely with on a related HR project, or a VP?

You may submit a reference letter, but it is not required and cannot be submitted in place of any of the other required documents.

Regarding Timing and Sequencing for Submission

1. Can the Validation of Experience application be submitted at any time, or only at certain times in the year?

The Validation of Experience application can be submitted at any time and will be included with the next submission deadline batch. Submission deadlines are the last business day of each month.

2. How long does it take for the Validation of Experience applications to be reviewed?

The turnaround time for results of the Validation of Experience application is eight to ten weeks from the submission deadline.

3. Can experience prior to passing the exam count?

There is a requirement to complete the experience requirement within 10 years after passing the exam, however, experience prior to writing the exam can be counted towards the three years. All experience submitted to the Experience Assessment Committee has to be within the last 10 years, with at least three months of experience occurring within the last two years.

Regarding Results and Submitting a Revised Application

1. If an application is not approved, is the applicant provided with reasons why?

Yes. In the e-mail you receive with the results of your application it will state how much time you were granted for your experience (if any) and why some or all of your experience did not meet the requirements of being at the professional level or in HR.

2. If my initial Validation of Experience application didn’t provide enough information to be successful but I wish to submit a revised application to provide more information, will my initial application be viewed as well?

If any part of your original application was successful, it will be submitted with the new application with a note to the Experience Assessment Committee as to what experience was previously approved. However, if you do not wish to have your previous application as part of your revised submission, it does not have to be included.

3. How much does it cost to submit a revised application?

Submitting a revised application costs $100 plus HST. If your application is successful, you would then be required to pay the remaining $400  plus HST balance.

Regarding the Early Assessment Opinion

1. What is the Early Assessment Opinion application?

The Early Assessment Opinion application can be completed by members who have at least one year but less than three years of HR experience and would like to receive feedback from the Experience Assessment Committee as to whether their experience is at the professional level.

2. What is the cost and timing for the Early Assessment Opinion application?

The Early Assessment Opinion is a separate service and thus it is an extra cost for those who wish to take advantage of it. The cost to submit the application is $100 plus HST. The timing of it is the same as it is for the Validation of Experience application in that it has the same submission deadline dates and the same turnaround time for results of six to eight weeks from the submission deadline.

3. If I pass the Early Assessment Opinion, do I need to submit this information again when I apply for the Validation of Experience?

No, any positions that were already approved do not need to be submitted again. If you have stayed in the same position that was already approved, an email stating so will suffice, and your previous documents can be used.

However, you will still need to complete the payment and declaration section of the Validation of Experience application form. If you have changed jobs, the documentation for this will need to be submitted, along with the payment and declaration information for the Validation of Experience application. The Validation of Experience fees are separate from the Early Assessment Opinion application and fees.

For more information: Please review the Guide to the Validation of Experience (PDF).

Applications can be submitted by mail or email to:​

HRPA – Office of the Registrar
150 Bloor Street West, Suite 200
Toronto, ON  M5S 2X9
Email: registrar@hrpa.ca