What Should You Look For in a Good Association?
- Membership Information. Usually, major associations will have a special membership category for students. Students get virtually all the same benefits as professional members, but the annual dues are a fraction of what the professionals pay. Once you join you will have access to the membership directory – a great database of potential networking contacts.
- Local Chapters. Good associations will have local chapters and they will be active, meaning they will have “professional development” meetings on a regular basis (usually monthly) from September through May. These meetings usually take the form of a lunch or dinner meeting. The real benefit of these meetings is that you get a chance to talk with people (network), then you get a lunch or a dinner (always a good thing!), which is usually followed by a guest speaker (note: you may learn something valuable), and then ends with more time to network with more people. For all of this you can expect to pay from absolutely nothing to about $30.
- TIP: A great person to have an informational meeting with in a local association is the person in charge of membership. He or she will be happy to meet with you as a new or prospective member and be more than willing to introduce you to other members.
- Job Board: It is increasingly common for associations to have a place on their websites for job postings. Oftentimes, they also have a place where members can post their résumés. Employers are quickly realizing the value of posting a job on a website where the ideal candidates for the position are visiting on a regular basis.
CareerSearch-Associations
Login as a returning user, or create an account if you are a new user. To create a new account, use ucd as the client referral code. Once you’ve logged in, look for the Business Information Resources link on the left.
Auraria Library Databases
asae and The Center: for association leadership
A more recent approach to networking is through social networking websites. Depending on the site, you can register, build a profile, and then ask people to join your network; that is where it usually ends for most people. To get the most out of these websites, follow the networking steps in the next section when using social networking sites to identify people to network with.
The two leading social networking sites for students and professionals are:
An excellent resource for learning how to get the most out of LinkedIn is a local company called Integrated Alliances. Founder Mike O’Neil conducts a variety of trainings and events. Check it out their website at www.integratedalliances.com.
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