What is the Experience Validation Assessment?

Author: Erica Blain, Director, Professional Standards, Registrar, CPHR Alberta

2023 is the perfect year to gain the CPHR designation! Make this year the year you complete your Experience Validation Assessment (EVA) and get your CPHR designation.

Candidate members with CPHR Alberta only have one more step to gain the CPHR. The Experience Validation Assessment is a process where the applicant writes about their HR experience and demonstrates that they have covered a variety of HR competencies within their experience. CPHR Canada has made some adjustments to the Competency Framework and to the EVA requirements over the years to make the designation process clearer and more straightforward. 

The requirements to pass the EVA are:

• Three years of HR experience where at least two years are at the advisory level (if you have a degree)
• Eight year of HR experience where at least five years are at the advisory level (if you have a diploma)
• Proficiency in eight of the 49 HR Competencies outlined in the CPHR Canada Competency Framework

The EVA can seem like a daunting process, but we have made it as simple as possible to complete. What is required?

• Job descriptions from roles the past 10 years
• Up to date resume
• Good written examples that show you have excellent experience in 8 of the 49 competencies

While some people go slowly and take months to complete their application, it is possible to get it all done in several weeks. Writing the examples is the most labour intensive part of the process but the competencies have been amended to be extremely clear and if you have been working in HR for at least three years, you will have no problem coming up with examples that help you to meet the requirement!

Writing examples for how you meet the competencies is made much simpler when you use the STAR method. This gives you a framework for writing the example which includes:

Situation – what was going on, what was at stake and what was your role.

Task – what was expected of you and what was needed.

Actions – how did you take action in the situation and why did you choose that action.

Results – what was the outcome of your actions and how did that resolve the situation.

When coming up with your examples for each competency you feel you meet, be sure to write about what you as an individual did in the situation. The assessors want to know your role personally in the situation rather than a general overview of the organization’s role. This way assessors can accurately evaluate your experience within that competency.

It can also be extremely helpful to get input from your supervisor while you write your examples. They may have insights on your skills and abilities that you have overlooked and they may remember examples of your work in a competency more readily than you can on your own. Get help when you can because it will make the application even simpler.

Get started now and submit your EVA for the next submission deadline. To help you prepare, these resources can help:

• Registration Manual
• EVA Guide
• CPHR Competency Framework

The next three deadlines to submit an EVA are as follows:

• May 31, 2023
• September 30, 2023
• January 30, 2024

A group of CPHR designated members review and assess the EVAs each session. These experienced HR professionals thoroughly review all the information provided by the applicants to make an assessment about whether they have met the requirements to gain the CPHR designation. Results of the Experience Validation Assessment are communicated within eight weeks of the submission deadline. 

CPHR Alberta staff are here to support you if you choose to take that final step towards the designation this year. Watch your inbox for invitations to Candidate Orientations and EVA Coaching sessions. Both of these options are a great way to get even more information about the EVA process and about how to submit a successful application.

If you start now, you could be a CPHR designated member by summer or end of the year! Having the CPHR designation can increase your earning potential and open job opportunities that may have been closed previously.