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Date: | Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:51:12 -0400 |
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There seem to be two fears at play here, at either ends of the spectrum. One
is the fear that there will be so many CRM's (because it's so easy to get) that
it means nothing to prospective employers. Two is the fear that there will be
so few CRM's (because it's so difficult to achieve) that awareness of the
designation disappears and ceases to be meaningful as a result.
With some exceptions, I believe that awareness of the CRM designation is
very low outside of the RIM community. In fact to most people CRM stands
for Customer Relations Management. I often have to explain what those
initials after my name stand for. If that's the case, then the difficulty of
obtaining the designation is moot - those making hiring decisions see "CRM"
merely as an additional tick on the "pro" side of the equation if it means
anything at all, and not as a process frought with difficulty and achievement.
If this change creates greater awareness of the credential, the results are
ONLY positive, because its value is more widely known. If the exams were
changed so that the only requirement was a 50% pass on 20 multiple choice
questions, I'd be concerned - but the exams cost a lot of money (no one
takes it just on a whim) and they are difficult to pass. It is unrealistic to
expect that we're now going to get a flood of 25-year old dummies with no
knowledge of records management into the field.
As to the question of experience: if I hire a lawyer with 2 months of
experience, I'm going to expect an amateurish result despite the fact that the
person has a law degree and passed the bar exam. I'd be stupid to expect
otherwise. With the designation, though, I can at least be assured that the
lawyer knows the basics and can help me with a certain standard of
knowledge. Conversely, I'll look for a lawyer with the same designation but
years of experience in the specific area of law I need if I'm facing a very
serious legal matter. My friends would scold me if I didn't. Why would we
expect it to be any more different with the CRM designation?
To conclude: given that the exam process is still very strenous, the first end
of the spectrum - too many CRM's - is simply not going to happen. We
elected the board to make decisions to advance our profession and
designation, and I think that's exactly what they've done here.
Wayne Hoff, CRM
Calgary, AB
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