Comparative Analysis of HR Consultant Job Descriptions: Canada & BC

This report provides a comparative analysis of HR consultant job descriptions, focusing on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) and the practices in British Columbia (BC). It outlines the core responsibilities of HR consultants, including developing and implementing HR policies, advising employers and employees, mediating disputes, and managing staffing, training, and compensation. The report highlights similarities and differences between the Canadian and BC approaches, such as the scope of HR professionals' tasks and employment regulations regarding termination. The analysis also covers educational and professional requirements for HR consultants, as defined by the NOC, and offers recommendations for improving job descriptions to clarify roles and emphasize the importance of HR professionals within organizations. References to relevant literature, including Jansen (2017), Kostoglou, Minos & Tsikritzis (2014), Nindl et al. (2013), Holtz & Harold (2013), and others, are included to support the analysis.

Running head: JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
HR Consultant Job Description by Canadian Government:
Canadian Government has a standardised language which is provided by its National
Occupational Classification. It describes the work performed by Canadians and also serves as a
framework which defines and collects statistics, manages the databases of the information and
more such things (Noe et al., 2015). Through this framework, the job role of Human Resources
Professionals is explained; the job description for Human Resources consultant is given in this
classification list. The NOC mentions that Human Resources professionals develop, evaluate and
implement human resources and also programs, policies and procedures related to the labours.
Along with this, they also advise the employees and the employers on the matters of human
resources.
The job duties of Human Resource Consultant include negotiating on behalf of the
workers or employers about any collective agreements; they are also expected to mediate
disputes between labours or any kind of grievances. HR Consultants have to provide advises
upon the relations between employees and labours. Their job role includes researching about
occupational classifications and other job descriptions and then preparing salary scales and other
competency appraisal systems or measures (Jansen, 2017). Human Resource Consultants also are
expected to administer and plan staffing, their training and development of career, their
compensation, equity of employment and also other action programs. Being a consultant of the
Human Resource department of an organization, it is of utmost significance that the training of
staff is overseen by them after doing their part in hiring them (Coetzee, Ferreira & Potgieter,
2015). The programs of employee performance appraisals are also co-ordinated by them along
with which this NOC also mentions that HR consultants or rather any job under the category of

2JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
HR professionals should research the health and safety practices and employee benefits after
which they can recommend any required changes.
HR Consultant Job Description by BC:
The growing economy of British Columbia is in requirement of workers who are highly
skilled and are also in high demand in their occupational fields. In British Columbia,
professionals in Human Resources department have to develop, evaluate and then implement the
human resources and also the policies, procedures and programs associated with labour relations.
The initial expectation of the job is similar to the expectations mentioned in the NOC of Canada
(Jansen, 2014). Human Resource Consultants in their career advise the employers, workers as
well as the managers on the matters of human resources. Human resources consultant can work
throughout the sectors of private and public organizations. They can also be self employed in
certain circumstances.
The duties of the Human Resources Consultants are almost the same as the ones
mentioned in the NOC like setting up and planning labour and staff relation strategies which
includes policies, procedures and programs to deal with the human resource needs of the
organization (Kostoglou, Minos & Tsikritzis, 2014). They have to oversee initiatives like
assistance programs of the employees and also the workplace diversity along with which they are
also responsible for drafting job descriptions, scales of salary and any classifications regarding
the occupation. The HR consultants not only have to hire employees by deciding on their
educational qualifications, they are also expected to lead the training programs appropriately.
Coordinating employee performance and programs of appraisals also falls under their
responsibilities just like the Canadian NOC instructs their HR consultants to do. The general job

3JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
expectations are similar to the job expectations that the Canadian NOC has set; however, there
are minute differences in the job roles but it does not change the definition of the job of Human
Resource professionals.
Differences in Job Description:
In the British Columbia, however, the Human Resource professionals are expected to do
more tasks than what is mentioned in Canadian National Occupational Classification for Human
Resource Professionals. The British Columbia states that their Human Resource professionals
will look over all the HR duties that are expected of them; but this happens in smaller
organizations. In larger organizations with broader work field, each one of the HR professionals
is assigned with specific tasks as per the individual’s specialization in their convenient area. The
reason behind doing so is a brilliant idea to manage the organization efficiently (Nindl et al.,
2013). Unlike the responsibilities mentioned in the NOC of Canadian Government, the British
Columbia also includes their professionals of the HR to develop and use their facts and figures of
Human Resources so that they can anticipate and evaluate their next responsibility and work in
accordance with a plan.
Difference can be stated in terms of termination of HRs or any other employees in
Canada versus in British Columbia. In Canada, every employee has the right regarding their
termination; for instance, Canadian employers are bound to provide prior notice or pay if they
are planning to terminate any employee; however, there are exceptions when the cause of
termination is just, such as attempting some serious misconduct or wilful disobedience. The BC
on the other hand, has its own Employment Act, according to which the terminated employees
will receive a written notice in advance but no compensation is required if the worker has

4JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
received prior notice that stated the eligibility of payment they will receive (Stone & Stone,
2013). This rule is applicable to all workers and not just the Human Resource Consultants.
Apart from the above points, it is seen that both the responsibilities mentioned by the
Canadian NOC and the British Columbia are very similar. The general duties that the Human
Resource Consultant has to perform in any organization situated in Canada are similar to the
duties that Human Resource Consultant of any organization situated in British Columbia has to
perform (Howarth & Jansen, 2014). The role of Human Resource professional is of extreme
importance to every organization especially the one which are newly established; it depends on
these HR Consultants that how they will establish the company policies and procedures in front
of the new workers. It is also their responsibility to keep every worker in the organization
motivated so that the productivity of the company is uniform and moving ahead.
Analysis of the Job role in NOC:
For being a Human Resource Consultant in Canada, the National Occupational
Classification states some employment requirements needed by the candidates. Every aspiring
candidate is required to have university degree or a college diploma in the management of
Human Resources or any other degree to a related field; for instance industrial relations,
commerce, business administration or even psychology (Holtz & Harold, 2013). Candidate is
also required to have completed any professional development program in the administration of
Human Resources. There are employers in Canada who may prefer the professionals of Human
Resources to hold a designation of CHRP or Certified Human Resources Professional.
The job tasks and all the sub tasks that are mentioned in the list provided by the National
Occupational Classification by the Canadian Government are indeed appropriate and it does

5JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
follow all the major duties that are expected to be performed by the Human Resources
professionals in Canada (Hasson et al., 2014). Their job expectations are mentioned in the
framework; they have the duty to implement the policies and procedures and they also have the
power to recommend changes or any kind of modifications that are needed to the pre-existing
policies in order to run the organization efficiently and also to ensure that the changing laws and
policies are abided by the organization as well with these modifications.
Recommendation:
There are no scopes to provide any such changes in the job description, however the job
description is too brief and thus it may create misconceptions about the role that a professional of
human resources has to play in the organization. Moreover, it might be better if the job
description also provided the importance of these roles and responsibilities in any organization.
The job description can also mention some positive career outcomes that the candidate can look
forward to when they are being selected for the job role. It is important for the HR professionals
as well to have training in their area of work; hence the job description can be updated in ways
that will make a reader understand the skills that are needed in order to efficiently perform their
duties as mentioned in the framework. Some instances can also be provided when certain roles
are mentioned; for example when it is said that the roles of the HR consultants include
overseeing the hiring and training process of the employees, it can be explained what factors they
have to oversee.

6JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
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7JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS
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