Joining a professional association not only gives you an opportunity to become known in the industry and/or community, but it can also help build your brand, expand your business contacts, and most beneficially can enhance your job prospects. The latter is of most value to job seekers, as it is just one more way to tap into the hidden job market. The meetings themselves are usually filled with employees, managers and executives in the specific industry, and allows for chances to mingle and network. I have found professional associations to be valuable also in that you can share ideas, to ask for advice, volunteer to be a speaker or become a member of a committee. You also have an opportunity to communicate with others who may also be looking to share and learn new information, and if you are lucky you may even gain a new mentor.
Let me just throw out this piece of advice to follow when you are at a networking function such as this – strive for quality over quantity when it comes to contacts. Don’t be “that guy” who shows up and annoys every single person in the room for 10-15 seconds, business cards in tow. The only thing that is memorable about him is the mental not I have made to avoid him at the next meeting. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he wasn’t received too positively by anyone else in attendance either. Rather, focus on striking up meaningful conversations and developing productive contacts with one or two people. One job seeker who I spoke to recently told me how showing up to one meeting, and making meaningful contacts with two people have literally led her to double her business in a short period of time. She didn’t talk to the entire crowd, because she didn’t need to. I speak from both personal experience as well as the experience of others when I say that making just a few contacts each time is the most productive method.
In the preceding discussion I have spoken more about the benefits derived from attending meetings, but there are also many perks from just being a member. One of these is the membership-only job listings a number have, either online or in print, and available only to members. It makes sense to advertise this way, because in theory the best candidates should be found among current industry professionals. I have also seen many associations that offer additional professional development options in the form of seminars, training or certification classes. Most often these classes and trainings can be completed through webcasts or podcasts, making it easy for you to do in the comfort of your own home. And don’t limit yourself to joining only associations exclusively in your area. There are numerous opportunities to join associations on social media sites such as LinkedIn, and now Twellow. If you aren’t taking advantage of participating in forums, chat groups or discussion boards on LinkedIn, you are not fully utilizing potential avenues that could lead to new employment.
There are associations for nearly every profession or area of interest, and many have national, state and regional chapters. To find associations that are of interest to you, simply go to Google and conduct a search. Three other resources that I have found very helpful:
Associations Unlimited - a database comprised profiles of approximately 460,000 international and U.S. national, regional, state, and local nonprofit membership organizations in all fields,
Weddle's Guide to Associations - http://www.weddles.com/associations/index.cfm
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Gateway to Associations Directory - http://www.asaecenter.org/Community/Directories/AssociationSearch.cfm
Finally, listing your association membership on your resume is a way to demonstrate to potential employers that you are dedicated to staying connected in your profession. In some cases, it shows you are dedicated to staying in the industry, period. This is especially true when job applicants have two or more career paths, and it otherwise could be uncertain which path they want to continue on. If I can see a current membership in an industry specific association, it makes me feel a bit more assured of the intent. Along the same lines, don’t list previous memberships that are unrelated to the career path you want to pursue as they can bring unnecessary questions or concerns.
No comments:
Post a Comment