By Courtney Bousquet, Guest Contributor
Professional, academic or student associations. You always hear how their inclusion can enhance your resume, and act as a boon for your job search, but how much impact do they really have if you are a passive member? Not a whole lot. But imagine how much more value they add when you become an active member. Although this may be intimidating at first due to the large amount of seasoned professionals involved, if you can overcome this feeling of anxiety you will add value not only to the organization, but your resume too.
That is exactly what happened to me when I decided to become involved with my professional organization’s executive board. I have served as the co-conference chair for our annual fall conference for two year and have added many skills to my resume, such as event planning, budgeting and managing a team, that I do not regularly employ in my present position,. Additionally, I have been able to add contacts to my network and build my professional reputation in my field.
Many times there are additional benefits to belonging to a professional organization, like having the opportunity to participate in professional development courses or having access to ‘insider’ job opportunities. Many organizations also have a student rate allowing students to join organizations at a discounted rate. If you are looking for ways to add to your resume, gain professional contacts and build your reputation, consider getting involved in your organization of choice. Committees are a great way to get started as often times you can join without being elected or appointed. Use your participation in a committee as a way to get to know other professionals, make your name known in the field, and give back to the field. As you overcome the confidence gap and decide that you want to be more involved, you can run for a board position and build on the experience you’ve already accomplished. Do keep in mind, however, that it is important that you honor your commitment insofar as a failure to do so will reflect poorly on your character and, possibly, harm your professional reputation.
Do some research to find your professional ‘home’, and then look for ways to get involved. If you do not put your name out there, you may not know what you can gain! If you have areas that you’d like to gain experience in to make your applications more competitive consider becoming involved in a professional, academic or student organization! For help identifying organizations, please feel free to email careerservices@apus.edu.
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