Maximize Your IABC Membership with the International Web Site
By A.J. Schneider
Too often, we get so wrapped up in our jobs that we spend little time thinking about our careers or learning how to do our jobs better. As members of IABC, we hold the key to valuable resources that can help us with both.
One of those resources is iabc.com, the official Web site of IABC. The site provides members with solid information about a variety of subjects directly related to career advancement, membership, event schedules and a plethora of other information.
Following is a brief description of several particularly useful areas of the site. IABC members everywhere are encouraged to explore all of the online tools provided by the site. The site's basic information is complete and informs visitors about the organization's mission, vision, structure and code of ethics among other items. Especially useful are district and regional links that can help you easily find a member or chapter.
It's also possible to search the site by key work if you don't have precise information.
If it's a career direction you seek, then IABC's Career Builder section is for you. One of the sections most interesting links connects to a knowledge and personality survey designed to guide the survey-taker toward a particular aspect of the communications industry based on the answers given.
The survey addresses such issues as listening skills, people skills, knowledge of employee communications, budget development, program management and asks such questions as: "Do you possess the critical success factors for your chosen field of domain?"
The IABC Fellows link provides more direct advice about everything from the types of jobs you should look for to how to handle tricky political situations.
Established communications professionals provide answers and advice to general questions. For example, one piece of advice reads: "Be a Swiss Army Knife, not a caviar spreader." In other words, developing yourself as a generalist in the field of communications is generally more valuable than specializing in a very specific niche.
While the Fellows area isn't real time interactive, the answers are useful and thought provoking. Other links in the Career Builder section include those that hook you up to educational institutions, executive recruiting firms and chapter job postings.
An important - and lengthy- subsection of the Career Builder area discusses all aspects of IABC accreditation. You'll find explanations of why you should pursue accreditation, how to go about getting it, sample applications, sample written and oral examinations and what kinds of things should appear in your application portfolio.
The IABC Leader Centre section of the site provides information and useful links that deal with chapter management and leadership, including financial management, membership development and volunteerism.
Whether its professional development, information about a certain IABC chapter or chapter development, the IABC Web site is a wealth of information that too many of us overlook. It's often said that you don't need to know everything; you just need to know how to find out the answers. Here they are.
[Source: IABC/Indianapolis' "Deadline"]
