Careers in Communications and IABC Student Membership

Last week at the Wilfrid Laurier University Careers in Communications event, I gave a presentation to a group of students about the benefits of IABC membership.

As always, it was a pleasure to be back on campus (though I’m still struggling with the Career Centre building being on the other side of King Street!), connecting with students and giving them advice that I hoped they could use.

I told them that IABC is a wonderful organization for people looking to grow as communicators, who wish to connect with others in the field and stay current with the latest tools and techniques in the world of communications.

I shared a list of IABC membership benefits that I thought would be most important to a student or young professional:

• Job bank (great for uncovering the hidden job market)
• Professional development (local, national and international sessions)
• Networking and volunteering (great for finding mentors and making a contribution)
• CW Magazine (learning from the successes of over 15,000 members)
• Print and online resources

And of course I mentioned that student members receive all this and more for a fraction of the cost of regular membership!

In closing, I told the students that perhaps the two most important actions they could take for their career success are:

1. Making helpful connections and
2. Constantly upgrading their skills and knowledge

For a career in communications, I can’t think of a better way to accomplish both goals than to become an active member in IABC. You’ll note I said “active” and also that this advice isn’t limited to student members.

In the Q&A session, the students asked the panelists about the value of continuing their education beyond their undergraduate degrees and whether there is a right or wrong time to do a post graduate program. They asked about LinkedIn and how best to use it as a tool to find jobs which led to a discussion about the need we all have to manage our “digital footprints” and control our online brand.

I was impressed by the student turnout and their engagement during the panel discussion and networking that followed the event. These students and others like them are the future of our industry and I think we have a lot to look forward to when they’re out of school and working in our organizations.

Something tells me they will also make great IABC members.