Careers corner: The value of professional bodies to developing your career – Part 2

Interview with Nick Poole, CEO, CILIP

Nick was appointed CEO in June 2015, he was previously CEO of the Collections Trust and was responsible for the strategic direction and management of the organization. In this role, Nick has been responsible for developing UK and international standards for information management, advising agencies on digital programmes and leading partnership initiatives with a range of leading digital companies.

Me: What does being part of a professional body mean to you?

I think being a part of a professional association helps give the profession a united voice and encourages us to share innovative ideas. Professional associations bridge the gap between the needs of industry and the skills of newly-qualified professionals. CILIP can help by validating people’s professional skills, helping them demonstrate to employers how their expertise contributes to business goals.

How many networks/bodies are you a part of?

I am personally a member of three organizations – Chartered Management Institute, a fellow of the RSA and of course CILIP. Generally I feel it is important to be a member of one organization that is directly related to developing your career and one that is directly related to your specialism.

How should you choose an organization?

Membership of organizations needs to be directly related to your career plan. Look at where you are and where you want to be and identify the organizations, networks or specialist groups that can help you get there.

CILIP has recently opened up all of our special interest groups to be open to all of our members, whatever specialist area they work in. It was a big step but has proved very beneficial. It has not diluted the specialism but opened up new dialogues and increased membership. It has also enabled individuals to learn more about a new sector, connect with others in the sector and potentially look at whether movement into a new sector might be something they would be interested in.

What are the benefits of being a part of CILIP?

Being a part of CILIP gives access to advice, support and networks. It provides a feeling of being connected and gives a sense of community especially for those who are the only information professional in their organization. The professional status that we offer provides extra validation of skills and professionalism. Our professional networks undertake research, produce position papers and provide advice to colleagues across a wide range of sectors.

We know that being a member of CILIP has a positive overall effect on lifetime earnings. It also facilitates career progression and enables individuals to stay motivated providing a mechanism through the chartership process to enable them to take a step and reflect on why they are doing what they are doing. Membership encourages individuals to broaden their horizons, keep their skills up to date and avoid skills becoming obsolete. We know at the moment the ‘life expectancy’ of a particular skill set has reduced from 20 years to 5 years so keeping your skills current has never been more important.

In considering and reflecting on her career, our keynote speaker at CILIP Conference this year, Sally Walker, (Scottish Librarian and Information Professional of the Year) said, ‘I’m exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing. That is peace’. I believe she was quoting a poem, but we haven’t been able to track the source.

CILIP has developed over the years in line with changes in the profession. We cover knowledge as well as information and librarianship now and are currently developing a data analyst and data scientist side. Future-proofing is as important to us as it is to our members. We are providing training and development in information and data and artificial intelligence and automation.

What advice would you give new professionals?

Joining a professional body is the best investment in yourself you can make. It provides opportunities for career development and future-proofing your skills, gives a sense of fun and community to your daily work life and finally facilitates the sharing of insights and expertise.

Interview with Jo Wood, Library and Information Services Manager at Cafcass

Jo has been working in libraries since 2003 and now manages a library and information service for social workers. She qualified in 2006 via the distance learning route at Aberystwyth University, Chartered in 2008 and has successfully undergone three cycles of Revalidation. Jo is currently pursuing Fellowship, is a Chartership mentor, and is Chair of the Association of Librarians and Information Professionals in the Social Sciences (ALISS).

What does being part of a professional body mean to you?

Beyond the job and qualifications being part of a professional body connects you with the rest of the profession. I completed my library qualification through distance learning and work in a library with a very small team which can feel very isolating. The professional body gives me the connections and opportunities to step out and connect with others not only in my sector but other sectors as well.

How many networks/bodies are you a part of?

I belong to CILIP and also ALISS.

What made you choose this/these?

ALISS – My library are corporate members of ALISS which is how I became a member. I have been on the committee for four years and have just been elected Chair.

I felt ALISS was very higher education focused though there were libraries that were connected with social science who were not a part of the higher education sector including mine. I raised this as a concern and was co-opted onto the committee. I have championed the interests of those that are not in the higher education sector and opened out ALISS further to those libraries with connections to social science.

CILIP – I became a member of CILIP when I was a graduate for the support they provided to students. Since qualifying and starting work I have tended to work in small and specialized libraries, I currently work in a library for social workers, CILIP as an organization has provided career structure that is not always present in smaller specialized libraries.

What are the benefits/how has it affected your career?

A big benefit for me was the chartership, it provided the opportunity to take a step back to reflect on and develop my qualifications. Externally, when speaking to peers and executives, the chartership status gives me a recognizable way to prove my qualifications and professionalism to them. I have sometimes not been able to revalidate. This happened because revalidation is optional, so there was no driver and no time for me to do it; however, I retained my Chartered status throughout. Revalidation had to take a back seat when I have been heavily involved in projects at work, for example, I was involved in the setting up of a new library and missed my revalidation deadline, but I have always gone back to revalidate and maintain my chartership as I find it a valuable tool to focus my learning where it will be of most benefit to me. Chartership has given me a confidence when talking to those outside my profession, particularly senior staff, and enabling me to validate my professional status with others in a way that they recognize and understand. I am now registered to do a CILIP fellowship.

I think it is important to get involved and give back to the profession too and I have been involved in a committee at CILIP handling the social media, mainly Twitter. I am also a mentor for those currently completing their chartership. I also do a podcast called Librarians with Lives, in which I interview information professionals at stages of their careers.

ALISS has given me opportunities to speak at conferences enabling me to develop and grow my public speaking skills. I have taken this forward and spoken at other professional events as a result. I have had the opportunity to visit other libraries to see how they work and to pick up best practices.

Both organizations have helped me to develop my networking skills and make connections with others in other sectors.

What advice would you give new professionals?

I would say that you get out what you put in – be involved, it’s not just about paying subs and reading materials. It is about a work–life balance, so choose to do what will most benefit you in how you want to progress your career now. Giving feedback, including negative feedback, is very important to a professional body; if you are going to do this, do it in a constructive way and direct it only to those people who can actually have an impact and make a change for you.