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Steve Johnson currently serves as Director of School Programs for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. His number one piece of advice, "You need to go to the places where you meet people. Just showing up indicates an enthusiasm for the field even if you haven't done much in the field yet yourself." He recently hired a student who kept showing up at the Center's seminars, asked good questions and made himself known.

Wondering where you can "just show up" and meet people in your career field? Try professional associations.

Professional associations are organizations of people who share a common background in a particular career area. These organizations are typically nonprofit, cooperative and voluntary and exist to serve their members in a variety of ways, providing networking and social events, professional development activities, and career services. They also compile and disseminate information about the field and may lobby for legislation that is sympathetic to their particular cause.

Implicit in most associations' missions is the commitment to attract and support people interested in entering the field. This can include scholarship or internship programs, job shadowing, and mentoring activities for college students. It is also an open invitation to attend association events.

Career Center (CC): Would students be welcome at your association meetings?

Wayne Phillips (WP): [President of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators]    We are committed to strengthening the position of Blacks within the field of public administration. Students interested in public service and public policy are critical to our survival and student outreach is a crucial component of meeting the specific objectives of our organization. We are firmly committed to fostering mentoring relationships that will increase career opportunities for the next generation of black public managers.

Michaela Hayes (MH): [Cal alum and member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)]    I would strongly encourage students to consider professional organizations. They are set up to provide formal means for networking and for meeting others in the field. People expect that students are wanting to conduct informational interviews, and are very willing to take the time to answer questions. [You can read her profile in our article archives.]

CC: What are the benefits of professional associations?

WP: A significant benefit is the opportunity to be connected to a powerful network of African American Public Administrators drawn from across the United States. The ability to stay connected with colleagues, to seek and give counsel, to share information, news and opportunities, to give and obtain career and employment information are but a small part of the benefits you receive.

MH: It's a way to keep current in the field, in addition to meeting others in the field. The IABC website contains a large amount of information on the communications field, so not only are meetings and colleagues important sources of information, but this online library is very useful as well. I also did some volunteer work developing a membership brochure and writing articles for the Chapter newsletter, which gave me opportunities to be published. I ended up with nice writing samples to show prospective clients. I believe it has been an additional "door-opener" to be able to put this professional affiliation on my resume, as it indicates to people that I am concerned with my professional development, and also with giving back to the field.

CC: How can a student make contact with a professional association?

MH:

• Do your homework. Check out the organization's website to determine if it focuses on the area you are interested in.

• Attend a meeting. Before you go, contact the organization's Membership Chair or whoever is the contact person on the website. Tell them you are interested in coming to the meeting and are wondering if they or someone else on the Board will be there.

• Introduce yourself to that person when you arrive; they will help you to meet others.

• If your reason for attending the meeting is to learn more about the field, make contact and ask people if you can follow up with them to conduct an informational interview. Make it clear that you aren't looking for a job, but rather just trying to learn about the field.

• If your main reason for attending the meeting is to make contacts for potential jobs, don't focus on this. Ask people about what they do and show a genuine interest. Think of ways you may be able to provide "value" to them, not just how they may be able to help you with your job search. Get business cards. Rather than calling to ask people about job opportunities, provide value by sending the person an interesting article that relates to a topic you discussed.

• If you decide you'd like to join the association, ask if they have special rates for students or recent grads who aren't yet working.

Use the resources below or talk to a career counselor to identify professional associations in your field. A national organization will, in most cases, have a local chapter or may be planning to hold a conference in the area.

Routinely ask people in your field which professional associations they belong to and make contact with those organizations. From the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, professionals are leaving their individual offices and coming together as members of professional associations. It's a perfect place for students to "just show up."

Additional Resources

Online Directories of Professional Associations

Career Fields contain professional association information specific to each field

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