Professional associations focus on individual members with similar professional backgrounds and work experience. Trade associations represent corporations within an industry sector or with a common policy agenda.

Associations, Professional Societies, and other organizations are an important element in any Management, Professional or Executive job search.

Networking Resources

Association web sites are an excellent source of career & job search networking contacts. Many web sites include membership lists. Often the national site will have links or directories of the local chapter sites and you can target you networking efforts to your geographic area. Most communities have a local Chamber of Commerce and they usually print a member directory as an aid to members doing business with other members.

Virtually every association offers local or regional meetings for their members to network and build professional skills. Meetings are often open to nonmembers as well, providing a great way to learn more about an association before joining.

If you elect to join an association, consider joining or participating in one of the association's committees. It will give you visibility with everyone in the organization and the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and establish a good reputation. The program and membership committees offer you a good excuse to call potential employers and get contact names.

Industry Research

A key element of your job search will be preparing for interviews and association sites are an excellent source of information on professional trends, and industry developments. Trade association web sites typically provide extensive information on the industry, and its membership lists include the major companies in the sector.

Professional Development

If you are looking to break into a new field or add new professional skills to your resume, the association may offer courses on specialized topics for your profession. Members often receive a discounted rate, and courses provide another resource to build your network with the faculty and students.

Many web sites include lists of conferences and trade shows. Obtain a list of vendors, presenters, and conference sponsors to understand the organizations operating within the sector. As a member, you may elect to attend the events or obtain program materials from presentations and a list of attendees.

Job Postings & Resume Database

Many professional and trade associations have their own job boards where you can search for job openings specifically targeted for members of that association by other members, by sponsors, or just by employers who need someone with the knowledge and skills that association members would have. Often these job postings are not widely distributed and the competition for the positions is much lower than the jobs posted on the large job sites.

Many professional and trade associations have their own resume database where members can post resumes and advertise their availability. The number of resumes in an association database is relatively small and your resume has an excellent chance of being noticed by a potential employer.

Tips for Your Job Search

Most online job seekers do not use or visit association web sites. The sites are often difficult to find using traditional search engines and most job seekers concentrate their efforts on the large commercial job sites. Since these sites are under utilized, the sophisticated manager, professional or executive job seeker will take full advantage of these resources. Use the Association Directory to locate the associations and organizations that could be useful in your job search. Investigate that material and resources available on each site for immediate use or for future reference.

Responding to jobs of interest and adding your resume to the database should be a priority due to the low competition factor. Don't forget to add your association memberships and affiliations to your resume. Association names or abbreviations are often keywords used to search resume databases and professional affiliations look good to potential employers.