In recent columns, I have mentioned professional associations as good places to invest both your time and your money during job search. Having said that, I want to provide more detail about these organizations, as not everyone has had experience with them.
First, to clarify, I use the term “professional association” to describe groups that organize themselves around a particular profession or trade. I also include certain types of user groups in my definition, because aficionados of specific software or tools often share professional advice while discussing their common interests.
The groups vary widely in their offerings. Some are very sophisticated operations with dozens of staff members and numerous conferences throughout the nation. These large associations may employ lobbyists, publicists and others to represent the industry, while also providing services to members, such as journals, certifications and webinars.
On the other end of the spectrum are mom-and-pop shops that operate with a volunteer board and offer little more than monthly meetings with unpaid speakers.
When it comes to job search, you might expect the best prospects would come from the larger groups. I’m not so sure about that. On the one hand, the large associations have more members and such perks as online job listings; on the other hand, their meetings can be too large to afford good networking. The smaller groups sometimes build stronger bonds among their members, even though there are fewer of them.
Regardless of the group you favor, I recommend joining at least one and attending the meetings regularly, while also sampling other groups.
You could argue that membership is too expensive for a person who isn’t working, and you’d have my agreement there. Some associations do seem to price themselves out of the market. They redeem themselves somewhat when they offer discounts for students and the unemployed, but those that don’t really make me wonder. Just what is their membership development plan?
In any case, if you can’t afford the membership, you can request a discount or scholarship, ask to earn your membership by volunteering for the organization, or ask to attend on a per-meeting basis. You also might be able to attend as someone else’s guest.
However you gain entrance to the meeting, the effort will be wasted if you don’t have a plan.
As a rule, I recommend job seekers attend meetings to learn more about the profession and current practices; to meet others in the field and learn about their companies; and to become known to others as a “person of interest” who might be available for work.
One thing I advise job seekers not to expect are actual job leads.
Nor are the meetings the place to hand off your resume.
The trick is to let your job interests be known without dominating the conversation. Networking for work can be compared to asking for a loan. The best time for both is when you don’t actually need what you’re asking for.
Of course, that’s not very helpful when you’re unemployed and under-networked. Not to worry — you will catch up on your networking as soon as you begin attending some of these sessions. Once there, just focus your attention on others as much as possible, with the goal of setting later meetings for coffee with those who might be open to further conversation.
If you’re wondering how to find these groups in your area, here are a few ideas to try:
Check your newspaper’s business listings for local meetings; use an online search engine with your industry name and city in the search request; ask your reference librarian for tips; or ask others in your field. LinkedIn and online chat groups also can be mined for this information. Once you get started, I think you’ll be amazed at the number of groups and meetings available to you.
