Power to the PARW/CC: Joining a Professional Organization

Today I submitted my application to the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Yes, joining an organization such as this may sound sort of lame, but it is actually an honor to be affiliated with a professional organization that provides a credentialing process and validity to my craft. A true professional knows the power of a good resume. A good resume can help increase one's salary by as much as $20,000 a year if written properly. If you don't believe me , check out this website: http: www.provenresumes.com. The website offers a free online resume writing seminar that you can use to enhance your resume writing skills. As an aspiring teacher, writer, and career coach, I often encounter people who ask me for career advice or to look over their resumes. One thing that I always notice is the lack of involvement with some professional organization. As individuals seeking employment opportunities or who would like to continue rising through the ranks at their current jobs, networking is important. Joining a professional organization provides you with opportunity to get to know people in your specialty/interest area (network), a support network, growth opportunity, etc. Many times these organizations will offer some credentialing process that will allow you to become certified in your career field. For example, joining PARW/CC is the first step to obtaining my resume writing certification. So you are probably wondering, why is a resume writing certification or any other certification so important? Well, the answer is simple. Look at it from the standpoint of an employer. If you were interviewing someone for a job position, you would want the most qualified applicant. In this case lets use the resume writing scenario. If I were to apply for a position working at a college career center. My certification combined with my experience will make me more marketable. I have been a member of several professional organizations over the years, for example: the Society for Human Resource Management, Toastmasters International, and the National Career Development Association. While I am no longer a member of the latter two, both organizations offered scholarships and credentialing services. I am currently a member of the National Career Development Association, NAACP, the Association of Community Health Improvement, and the PARW/CC (soon to be!). Each one of these organizations provide me with mentorship and growth opportunities through networking events and leadership enhancement seminars. It is important to consider the organization's goals before joining in order to ensure that they align with your goals as well. For individuals seeking entry level employment or money for college, these organizations will not only provide you with growth opportunity, but also the chance to win scholarship money or compete for an internship. And just as important, the experience of being apart of a professional organization will place you one step ahead of your competition. Finding the right organization to join is simply a matter of doing the proper research. The link below may be of some help:

http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Organizations/Professional/?skw=list+of+professional+organizations



For a free resume critique, simply copy and paste your resume into an email and send it to mentorship@careeritch.com