Maximizing Professional Associations

Photo Credit: Emily Giacomini

What resources in your tool kit allow you to deepen your knowledge of your field of expertise and network with like-minded professionals? If a professional association or two isn’t on your list, you may be missing out on some value to propel your career.

A professional association is a group of people working in a specific field, which could be organized by function (eg. product management, marketing, event planning), industry (eg. banking, technology, government) or roles (eg. CEO’s). It could also bring people together based on a certain geography, demographic (eg. age, sex, race) or even more than one identifier, such as Women in Technology.

Benefits

What are the advantages of aligning yourself with a professional association? All of the following may be reasons to join one:

·        Knowledge: staying on top of cutting edge changes in your field

·        Certifications: earning a certification to bolster your knowledge and professional credibility

·        Networking: engage with other professionals in the field to learn from their experience

·        New Perspective: gain new insight into challenges

·        Mentoring: take advantage of years of experience gained by your peers or to “pay it forward” to others in the community

·        Career opportunities: be notified of job openings that may be of interest

·        Brand building: become known in the community

Ways to Get Involved

·        Attend a conference the association sponsors.

·        Attend a local chapter event.

·        Attend a special interest group (SIG) within the professional association (or start one!) These focus on specific topics of interest eg. within the Association of Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T), you could join the Information and Learning Sciences or Visualization, Images and Sound SIGs.

·        Contribute to a group supporting a cause eg. within Women in International Trade (WIIT) you could become active in WIIT Charitable Trust to expand educational opportunities.

·        Volunteer on a team to plan an event. You may receive a reduced rate to attend and volunteering also gives you an active role to play. It’s a natural way to build connections and learn informally from peers in the industry as you work side-by-side. If you’re tasked with a project like recruiting panelists, you’ll have an organic reason to reach out to new people, both inside and outside the association, and expand your own network while making a contribution.

·        Join the board. This is a bigger commitment that’s rewarded with closer relationships to other professionals and the opportunity to influence the direction of the association.

·        Offer to lead a workshop to share an area of expertise you possess.

·        Serve as a panelist for an event.

·        Publish an article in an online newsletter.

·        Mentor someone or apply to be mentored.

·        Pursue a certification or continuing education credits through the association.

·        Follow the association on social media or request to be added to the email distribution list.

However you choose to be involved, listing the affiliation on your LinkedIn profile and resume shows you are active in the professional community. If you’re volunteering in some capacity it also identifies you as a contributor and team player, which may be appealing to hiring managers seeking initiative, collaboration and engagement as characteristics of their team members and therefore a plus when you are ready to pursue your next career step.

Finding Professional Associations

How can you locate relevant professional associations? These are some options:

·        Google relevant terms eg. “economist professional association dallas”

·        Ask for suggestions from your colleagues- where are they active?

·        Peruse the resources below which include lists of associations

·        Read relevant professional magazines and note which professional associations are mentioned

·        Search LinkedIn for well-known professionals in your industry and note their affiliations

Now that you’ve seen the benefits of getting involved in a professional association and are equipped with tools to find one and plug in, why not schedule time on your calendar to explore? The start of a new year is a perfect time to experiment as you invest in your professional growth.