Certified Resume Strategist Credentialing Program

Certified Resume Strategist (CRS) Testing Process

 

In order to obtain and maintain your Certified Resume Strategist (CRS) designation, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• Complete and pass an on-line CRS Challenge Exam. (PART 1)
• Submit by e-mail and pass an evaluation of four sample documents. (PART 2)
• Maintain a current membership with Career Professionals of Canada.

 

How the CRS Program Works 

The CRS program is a self-study program that validates your expertise as a resume strategist.

You complete the program on your schedule. Once you have paid for the program, received your CRS Certification Study Guide (ebook), and started your CRS credentialing program, you have up to one full year to study, prepare, and complete the 2-part testing process.

The complete process operates remotely on-line and through the internet. You can study and complete the program in your office or at home.

Career Professionals of Canada operates on a “trust” basis. As an ethical professional, you must ensure that you complete both parts of the 2-part testing process on your own and without any assistance from others. 

PART 1 (CRS Challenge Exam)

The CRS Challenge Exam is designed to test your competencies as a professional resume strategist. You will write an online, open-book exam based on the material in the CRS Certification Study Guide (ebook).

The CRS Challenge Exam is performed remotely at your home or office.  The online system is timed. You will have two hours to write the exam. If you feel that your experience sufficiently prepares you for the challenge exam and you have studied the CRS Certification Study Guide, it is not mandatory to complete a course in order to take the challenge exam.

Once you are ready to write your online challenge exam, you must e-mail info@CareerProCanada.ca with subject line "CRS Challenge Exam Request" to request a user name and password.  Your username, password, and further instructions will then be e-mailed directly to you. From that point on, you can feel free to connect when you are ready. Your access will be available for one full week, but remember, once you start the exam, you’ll have two hours to complete the exam.

The CRS Challenge Exam consists of an on-line test that consists of two sections:

• Section 1 consists of 25 multiple-choice questions.
• Section 2 consists of 25 true and false questions.

The exam is open-book, so make sure to keep your CRS Certification Study Guide handy. You can write this exam anytime during your day, but make sure that you schedule enough time for yourself. You’ll need to work in a quiet place, where you have no interruptions or distractions.

Your CRS Challenge Exam will be marked by an automated system and verified by CPC staff. To pass PART 1 of the testing process, you must achieve a grade of 60% or above on the online CRS Challenge Exam. You will be notified of your status for PART 1 within three business days of exam completion.

You have one month to place any inquiries on your exam. After this, your exam results will be kept on file for 3 months. After that, the exam itself will be removed from our systems.

PART 2 (Independent Evaluation)

To ensure that you can effectively use the concepts you have learned, you must pass an Independent Evaluation of documents you have developed.

When you are ready to start PART 2 of the 2-part certification process, you will provide us with three sample resumes and one sample cover letter, which you have personally written/re-written – each with a one-page strategy statement. E-mail your documents in Microsoft Word format directly to info@CareerProCanada.ca with subject line “CRS Evaluation Submission.”

The strategy statements for the four documents submitted must be no more than 400 words each. The statements must adequately discuss the following:

• Identify and define your client’s Value Proposition.
• Explain how you overcame any challenges or obstacles related to your client’s background.
• Discuss the structure and identify anything that you purposefully included or excluded.
• Outline any areas where you have chosen to depart from the “norm” and explain why.
• Explain how you have made this document creative, authentic, and readable.

 

Three independent Assessors will evaluate your documents. Each Assessor will evaluate you on a grading form that provides a uniform set of standards covering the following broad categories.

• Overall Strategy
• Spelling & Grammar
• Document Structure
• Formatting & Design

 
To pass PART 2 of the testing process, you must achieve an average grade of 60% or more on the evaluation of your submission. You will be notified of your status for PART 2 within four (4) weeks of your submission.

 

Once you have achieved your CRS certification, your designation is valid as long as you remain an active member of Career Professionals of Canada. There is no recertification fee.

 

Next Steps: MCRS Certification