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Professional Membership Frequently Asked Questions

What is Professional Membership?
What are the HRINZ HR Competencies?
Why Apply – What’s in it for Me?
Article on Professional Accreditation
When Should a Member Apply?
How do I Apply?
How Long Will it Take?
What are the Professional Membership Indicators?
Tell me More About the Application Process.
What Happens When HRINZ Receives my Application?


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What is Professional Membership?

Professional Membership of HRINZ denotes the achievement of a pre-requisite level of competence and experience, and is a qualification that is increasingly being seen as a highly regarded standard of professional attainment for HR practitioners.

This grade of membership adds value to both the institute and the individual. It demonstrates recognition of Human Resource Management as a profession, and at an individual level, enhances career opportunity.

There are three categories of professional membership:

  • Generalist - MHRINZ

  • Specialist - MHRINZ

  • Academic - MHRINZ

Application for Professional Membership is a formal process completed online. All applications are considered by the HRINZ Grading Panel or the HRINZ Academic Grading Panel.
The HRINZ Grading Panel is compromised of professional members and the HRINZ Academic Grading Panel is compromised of academic professional members. More information about Professional Membership can be found here.

To find out more information regading Academic Membership, please click here.

What are the HRINZ HR Competencies?

Five areas of competency have been identified as being crucial in the practice of Human Resources, they are:

  • Business Knowledge

  • HR Delivery

  • Personal Credibility

  • Strategic Contribution

  • Business Technology

More information about the HRINZ framework and the competencies in detail can be found here.

Why apply – what’s in it for me?

The main advantage of Professional Membership of HRINZ is recognition.

Professional Accreditation demonstrates that Academics and HR practitioners have satisfied the Institute that they have the particular qualifications, knowledge and experience as well as possessing an ongoing commitment to HR professionalism and excellence in a tertiary or workplace environment. Accreditation also provides a visual reminder to others that the member has advanced skills, knowledge and credibility in Human Resources Management.

HR Practitioners will be able to identify if there are any gaps in their experience or skills that could be holding them back. By recognising and giving attention to these gaps, you will be able to move ahead quicker with their HR career achieving the recognition they deserve.

Academics will gain the recognition for the Institute for their teaching and research outcomes which will benefit Human Resource Management in the New Zealand context.

When should a member apply?

The sooner the better!

  • Applicants applying for Generalist must have the minimum of eight years of Human Resources experience at Advisory level.
  • Applicants applying for Specialist must have the minimum of seven and a half years experience at Mastery level.
  • Applicants applying for Academics must hold a least a Masters Degree in HRM or a related field, have taught HRM courses at an effective level in a teritary environment for at least five years, with effectiveness evidenced by teaching quality assessments of an approperiate kind (typically some mix of peer and student review) and/or have spent some years in HRM managment at a relatively senior level.

    Naturally, the whole point of attaining Professional Membership is to recognise competency and competency takes time to develop - it doesn’t happen overnight!

How do I apply?

The whole process is undertaken online, by the approperiate HRINZ Grading Panel.

HRINZ would advise that applicants read through the professional membership criteria and steps before applying.

How long will it take?

Generalist & Specialist Applications

The actual application process may take you around 60 to 90 minutes to complete, although this will depend on whether you have an update CV on hand and how prepared you are when you begin the process, including completing the HRINZ CV Template and contacting your referees.

The HRINZ Grading process should take around four to eight weeks to complete, depending on how quickly your referees respond.

  • To find our more about the accreditation application process, please click here.
  • To find out more about the HRINZ grading process, please click here.

Academic Applications

Applicants should read the Academic criteria for professional membership and complete the academic online form for professional membership. The HRINZ Academic Grading Panel should take around four to eight weeks to process your application.

  • To find our more about the accreditation application process, please click (insert link)
  • To find out more about the HRINZ grading process, please click here.

What are the Professional Membership Indicators for hr practitioners applications?

Applications for Generalist and Specialist Professional Membership are assessed on the basis of three indicators:

  • A proven level of attainment of competency in the HRINZ competency framework
  • Length of time in an Advisory or Mastery HR role
  • Relevant qualifications

These indicators are assessed from evidence supplied by the applicant in their CV and in an online table (see the Application Process for details). In addition, the Grading Panel will seek verification from referees nominated by the applicant.

1. Level of Attainment of Competency in the HRINZ Competency Framework

Generalist- MHRINZ

A successful Generalist is expected to have proven attainment of either:

a) All five competencies (Business Knowledge, HR Delivery, Personal Credibility, Strategic Contribution, Business Technology) at a minimum of Advisory level.

Or

b) Four competencies which will include HR Delivery, Personal Credibility and Strategic Contribution, plus one other. At least one of the four competencies will be at Mastery level.

Specialist - MHRINZ offers an opportunity for HRINZ members to be recognised as professionals in their specialist field of expertise. This requires proven attainment of the following competencies:

a) Personal Credibility and Business Knowledge at a minimum of Advisory level

And

b) Mastery level in one specialist area of the HR Delivery competency from a choice of Recruitment/Staffing, Development/Training/Learning, Employment Relations, Remuneration, or Health and Safety. The HRINZ Competency Framework is accessed here.

2. Time employed in an Advisory or Mastery HR role

In addition to qualitative evidence supplied in the CV about the level of attainment of the HRINZ competencies, consideration is given to the length of time an applicant is employed in a Human Resource Management role where he/she has gained practical experience in the functional areas of HR, business technology and contributed to the organisation’s strategic objectives. The minimum period of time is measured in the following competencies:

Generalist MHRINZ:

  • HR Delivery Competency: Minimum total of five years at Advisory level.
  • Strategic Contribution Competency: Minimum total of three years at Advisory level

Experience is required in both of these competencies and could be gained concurrently, provided the minimum period of time is achieved.

Specialist - MHRINZ:

  • A minimum of seven and a half years at Mastery level should be spent in the specialist area of the HR Delivery competency.
  • The length of time criterion is recorded by the applicant in an online table and compared with established HRINZ experience benchmarks which relate to the required number of months of experience expected of a Professional Member at “Advisory” and “Mastery” levels.

3. Relevant Qualifications

In addition to practical experience in the HRINZ competencies, Generalist members are expected to have a tertiary qualification in HR either as a major or in HR related papers as part of a relevant qualification, which is included in the total benchmark score.

Specialist members are expected to have a tertiary qualification that covers their specialist area of expertise in addition to experience.

Qualifications include: PhD, Master’s Degree, Post Graduate Diploma, Undergraduate Degree, Diploma and Certificate. The level of qualification is allocated as a credit in terms of months.

Any applicant with no qualifications will need to have an extra three years of experience in the relevant competencies.

Please note some HRINZ courses will be credited at certificate level.

applying FOR PROFEsSIONAL MEMBERSHIP - Generalist or specialist

To apply for professional accreditation you will need to complete three easy steps:

1. To read the HRINZ Competencies and Accreditation Process

HRINZ recommends that any member looking to apply for Professional Accreditation should read through and understand the HRINZ Competencies, Accreditation Process and check out the HRINZ ‘Experience Benchmarks’ listed in the Members Only area of the website.

This will ensure that you understand what the Grading Panel application criteria is, and what information you will need to supply with your Professional Accreditation application.

2. Online Self Assessment Table

Using the online self assessment table will allow you to compare your own career experience with the competency framework. To complete the online self assessment table you will need to:

  • Select which level of professional accreditation you will be applying for, Generalist or Specialist.
  • List the title of positions held (most recent first).
  • Calculate the number of months spent in each position at either the Advisory or Mastery level against each competency.
  • Enter your highest completed HR qualification and months spent studying each competency.
  • Click Submit.

The system will automatically calculate your total months of experience for the competencies, show the HRINZ benchmark scores for Generalist and Specialist for comparison, and add your qualification score to your total experience scores. At a glance you will be able to see if your experience and qualifications match or exceed the HRINZ Competency Benchmarks listed for MHRINZ or SHRINZ.

If your experience and qualifications met or exceed the HRINZ competencies benchmark.

3. Completing the CV Template

Your CV template should demonstrate specific examples of how your experience directly relates to the Advisory or Mastery level descriptors in your chosen competencies.
Included within your CV application should be the contact details of three work related referees:

  • One of which must be your current manager/client or immediate past manager/client.
  • All your referees must have their position listed, or the nature of your reporting/working relationship and be contactable by phone or email.
  • All applicants must give their referees the authority to discuss your work experience with a member of the Grading Panel, who will contact the referees as part of the institute's application verification process.


Generalist Applications:

Once your CV has been drafted, calculate the number of months spent at either the Advisory or Mastery level in each of the competencies for each position listed in your CV. (The easiest way to do this is to consider the “context statement” for each competency level and estimate the proportion of time spent at the Advisory or Mastery level as a whole rather than calculating how much time was spent on each competency descriptor).

The final stage is to submit your online assessment and attach your completed CV template document.

Specialist Applications:

Once your CV is drafted, calculate the number of months spent at the Mastery level of your specialist area in the HR Delivery competency. If you are satisfied that you meet the minimum required accreditation indicators listed above, you are ready to complete the final stage.

The final stage is to submit your online assessment and attach your completed CV template document. Click here to view the online accreditation application form

What happens when to my Professional Membership application after submission?

  • The approperiate Grading Panel (Practitioner Panel or the Academic Panel) will review your application and follows up reference checks from your nominated referees.
  • A member of the National Office will contact you to keep you informed of progress and may request further clarification.
  • Both Grading Panel's decisions are recommended to the HRINZ Board for ratification. The period of time from receipt of your application to final decision typically takes four to eight weeks, depending on the availability of referees (for practitioners only) and the completeness of your application.
  • If your application is successful, you will be informed of the decision by letter from the HRINZ National President.
  • If your application is unsuccessful, the approperiate Grading Panel will provide you with feedback regarding your application.
    Please note that the HRINZ Grading Panel and HRINZ Academic Grading Panel's comments (subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993) as well as feedback and suggestions on career development to assist you with a successful application in the future.
  • Privacy: All personal information received by HRINZ and the HRINZ Grading Panel and HRINZ Academic Grading Panel relating to a member’s application for Professional Membership will be collected, used and stored in compliance with the Privacy Act 1993.
    The HRINZ Grading Panel and HRINZ Academic Grading Panel members comments contain the opinion of each individual Grading Panel member compiled for the purpose of determining a member's suitability and eligibilty for accreditation of HRINZ's professional award. These comments are evaluative material supplied under a promise of confidentiality to the Grading Panel members to protect each individual Grading Panel's identity. Therefore, any comments will be supplied to a member only in summary where and to such an extent that, the comments are not capable of being attributed to any identifiable Grading Panel member.
  • HR Practitioners professional membership enquiries should be directed to the HR Careers & Education Manager, at HRINZ National Office.
  • Academic professional membership enquiries should be directed to the Education Endorsement Manager, at HRINZ National Office

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