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Have you been pondering joining a professional membership? Stop pondering! The benefits for most do outweigh the costs to join. You can find many free memberships. Here is a list of top 6 reasons to join at least one.
- Find job opportunities – There are exclusive listings that other professional members provide.
- Mentorship – If you are a startup or new to the industry, there are many mentorship opportunities available to you. This is better than paying a consultant!
- Professional development opportunities – Many organizations host seminars, workshops, and provide whitepapers to help you develop professionally. They also provide you with discounts to other important seminars.
- Networking opportunities – How many times have you ended up at an event and gotten nowhere with your leads? Well, being a member of a professional organization places you in a room full of like-minded business individuals.
- Have exposure to many educational pieces – How does access to major industry newsletters and magazines sound to you? Professional memberships give you access to free publications and discounts on videos and journals. By becoming a member, you will have outstanding privileges. You can stay on top of the issues that matter such as keeping abreast of industry standards, new statistics, receiving updates on policies, and best practices.
- Show your social impact – As a small business, you may not have the time or resources to show your social commitment. You may want to participate in community activities or sponsor charitable events, but unable to now. Associating your business with a professional organization that does engage in charitable events is a great look for your business.
The mentorship from members of professional organisations I joined was invaluable. Many shared so much insight and knowledge in the forums and they just gave it away for free when you asked. The one piece of advice I’d give is that, once you’ve joined, don’t be a passive member. Ask questions, evaluate the advice you are give and if it’s sound, implement it,. Don’t get into the trap of being a perpetual student or not using the resources available to you through the organisation.
Oh, I’ve them all! That means I’m on the right track! Thanks, Taya… 🙂
It’s definitely beneficial to belong to these, and if there isn’t one that’s relevant to you, start one. Gaynor Paynter co founder Transcriptionists and Virtual Assistants of South Africa (TAVASA)
These are all excellent reasons to join an association. Too often I hear people say “it will give you credibility if you join XXX” but let’s be honest, clients don’t really care what organizations we belong to, and in many cases, they won’t have heard of them anyway. And joining to get an online profile isn’t much better – you only get out of your association what you put into it. The real benefits come from the networking, learning, mentoring, and so on – working together with colleagues to help one another grow professionally and even personally.
So true. There are many organizations I still must look up to determine if they are even credible!