The same scenario may be in play for those workers who have fallen behind the times, not keeping their skills fresh in a fast-moving world.

Therefore, it is quite important to keep current with trends and skills pertaining to your profession. Once way of doing this is to join one or more of the professional associations which support your particular line of work and/or your business sector.

To give an example, in my position as a project manager, the Project Management Institute (PMI) is recognized as the predominant association for the practice, and provides for local chapter meetings, training and professional development opportunities, conferences, and certifications.

A simple web search may help you to find associations which represent your field, as illustrated above. You can then leverage the value of professional associations to take advantage of the following possible opportunities:

1. Networking
   • Attending chapter meetings, annual conferences, training or study groups will provide significant chances to meet others in your field of interest to network with
2. Certification
   • Professional certifications, such as PMI’s Project Managment Professional (PMP) designation, lend additional credibility to your candidacy by showing that you took the initiative to become certified.
   • Many certifications also require a specific minimum number of continuing education hours as well.  These provide added incentive to practice networking, and perhaps to develop new friendships in your chosen field.
3. Resume Enhancement
   • If you begin study for a recognized certification, and you indicate this on your resume, this can add value, as many automated resume scanning software will most likely key in on the term.  Just be sure to indicate that the cert is ‘In Progress’ or ‘Expected’ so as not to mislead.
   • Many certifications also require a specific minimum number of continuing education hours as well.  These provide added incentive to practice networking, and perhaps to develop new friendships in your chosen field.
4. Gravitas
   • Many workers consider their employment as just showing up, performing simply what is specified, and collecting a paycheck.  (That’s not you, right?)
   • By joining a professional association, you demonstrate that you have a greater commitment to your craft, in that you are interested in developing your expertise, perhaps by attending many of the events listed in the first bullet (above).
5. Volunteerism
   • Professional associations are mostly staffed by volunteers, who may be looking for additional help to ease their burden.
   • A great way to meet new people in your field would be to volunteer to help the membership committee, maybe even as a greeter at the sign-in table at local chapter meetings.
6. Sharing your expertise
   • As an offshoot of volunteering, you may consider presenting at a local meeting or writing an article for the chapter’s newsletter or website.
   • This also will blend well with resume enhancement, as you could then list your speaking or writing experience beneath your entry for the professional association, or even under a separate section titled ‘Additional Experience’ or ‘Additional Qualifications’.

Search the web for associations which cover your field or sector. Select a nearby chapter, and commit to attend an upcoming meeting.  Agree to make at least one new contact there.

In order to inspire other readers with your action(s), please be sure to add a comment, celebrating your successes.

It’s called a T-letter because it contains a table which lists job requirements in one column, and how your experience and skills match the requirements in another column.  When complete, the end result looks a bit like the actual example below.

The real value of the T-letter is that it makes it very easy for the first-level HR reviewer to avoid placing your resume package into the reject pile.

And, if the company uses a computer application to screen instead, it can work just as well.  Why, you may wonder?  Well, since you’re including the responsibilities and requirements taken directly from the job req, the screening program is likely to score your higher with these keywords in your cover letter.  Makes sense, right?

This blog is all about giving you actionable ideas, tips and techniques, to help make your job search more effective, and to get you to your next job quicker.  But what worked for me, may not work for you.

On the next job posting, which you directly apply to with a cover, try creating a T-style letter instead.  It may help you with questions on the initial phone interview, too.

So, give the T-letter a try, and let me know your results is the blogpost comment section.  Your feedback may help your fellow job hunters, and also will make the community stronger.