Emerging Professionals
Emerging professionals are defined as those with less than 5 years of HR work experience and are not presently taking post-secondary studies. Most are either looking for opportunities to start and grow their career in Human Resources or have already begun working within the profession.
This page is constantly being updated. For any additional inquiries, please reach out to Quinne Davey, Senior Member Relations Manager.
CPHR BC & Yukon has identified, with the help of a focus group of emerging professionals, the following key areas that are helpful for navigating career development at this stage of your journey:
Professional Engagement
Connect with professionals, alumni and other emerging professionals who can offer guidance, mentorship, and potential career opportunities all while building your community. These include, but are not limited to:
Professional Engagement – Online
- HR Student & Grad Summit – event exclusively for students and emerging professionals, featuring a panel of speakers, focused on career development for those who are just entering HR.
- Peer Exchanges – great for general HR topic discussion and peer-to-peer learning. These include the HR Book Club, HR Huddle, Generalist group, HR Water Cooler, Wind Down and Wake Up HR, HR Industry Night and more.
- 101 Practice Exchanges – discuss and learn about HR competencies at a 101-level, including labor relations, recruiting and coaching.
- Communities of Practice – if you are working in HR within a specific industry, you can join a community of practice to share best practices with others who work in similar organizations. You must apply first to become an approved CoP member.
Professional Engagement – In-Person
Many in-person events are held throughout the province and territory, and vary from region to region. Taking place at a variety of times, days and locations, they are a wonderful way to connect face-to-face, in real life. These include, but are not limited to: In-Person HR Industry Night, Social Events, HR Connects, HR Gathers, HR Community Showcases, HR Meet Ups, and Rise & Share Breakfasts.
Where to Find More Information
To find Professional Engagement sessions and register, visit our calendar.
Career Resources
Gain access to resources, career development tools, and mentors that can help level up your skill set and prepare you to excel in your field.
- CPHR BC & Yukon Mentoring Program (for members only)
- Access to contact list of Career Coaches in our Consultant Directory
- Job Board (for members only)
- Career Advancement Network & Newcomers Career Advancement Network (for members only) where we discuss topics like Informational Interviews, Cover Letters & Resumes, Effective Job Searches, Getting Experience and Getting Your Foot in the Door
- Third-Party Career Path Resources:
- HR Career Path: Everything You Need to Know | AIHR
- Is Human Resources a Good Career in Canada? | Indeed.com Canada
- What Is an HR Career Path? (Job Types, Salary, and Duties) | Indeed.com Canada
- Career options in the people profession | CIPD
- The Best HR Jobs for 2024 | Randstad Canada
- Human resources professionals | WorkBC
- The HR Mentor Podcast
Professional Development Resources
Be informed and stay ahead of the curve by attending webinars, seminars, and lectures delivered by industry experts.
- Free Professional Development (PD) webinars/lunch & learns for members.
- PD On-Demand – a wealth of on-demand sessions that cover a wide range of topics, available 24/7 through the PD On-demand platform. More than 65% of these are free or discounted to members.
- In-person and virtual symposiums – accessible to anyone; discounted for members.
- HR Conference & Expo – discounted registration for members.
Published Resources
- HR Resource Centre – The HR Resource Centre can help expand your knowledge and build your human resources skill set with a comprehensive collection of HR checklists and templates in a single location. Download and edit the documents to suit your business needs. (for members only)
- Surveys, research reports, and other resources (some are for members only)
- Stay informed with PeopleTalk Magazine – in print (for members only) and online
- Read our blog, PeopleTalk Online – a curated selection of articles and updates
Volunteering
Gain access to member-only volunteering within the association, as well as opportunities across the community.
Volunteer positions at CPHR BC & Yukon that are suitable for emerging professionals may include:
- Assistance with professional engagement sessions – virtual or in-person
- Post-secondary portfolio leads – to support students and student ambassador volunteers
- Panel speaker – speak at a variety of post-secondary institution events
- Mentoring – join our professional mentoring program and consider mentoring a student or someone junior to you.
- Write for us – members have opportunities to submit content for consideration in PeopleTalk Magazine and PeopleTalk Online
- Conference – consider applying to support our conference as an on-site volunteer
CPHR Designation
Join over 4,500 CPHR-designated members in BC & Yukon with the only nationally recognized level of achievement within the field of human resources. Earn more and get promoted faster.
Live info sessions are held regularly throughout the year. Check our calendar for upcoming dates.
- Beginners Guide to the CPHR Designation
- Claim Your NKE Waiver: Student and New Grad Info Session
- Validate Your Experience: CPHR Candidate to CPHR Info Session