College students need to be pursuing a wide range of tactics for finding a good job after graduation. In a rough economy with more candidates than job slots, a great job opportunity immediately after graduation is no longer something to take for granted. Students need to use every asset at their disposal to position themselves
favorably for employment after graduating. Joining professional and industry associations is an often overlooked tactic that can be more effective than you might think.
Improve Your Success Potential
Why Industry Associations Matter
Joining an industry association doesn’t tend to be high on a student’s list of priorities. But it’s a great way to extend networking tentacles into your specific field and begin making contacts with influential people within the organizations in which you have the most interest. And whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate student or attending an online university using the resources of career services is important. But when you add the inside connections of influential industry-specific individuals to your job searching arsenal, you’re essentially supercharging your job prospects.
How is This Different from Traditional Networking?
Think of industry associations as a continuation of your existing networking. It’s a way to refine what you’re already doing. Many professional and industry associations require a membership fee, and this tends to scare people away. But the advantages that you can glean from membership far outweigh the initial cost. Most of these associations have membership discounts for students and sometimes students can join for free. And even if you have to pay a hundred dollars for a membership, think of the opportunity cost of not joining. Having occasional lunches, dinners, seminars and rubbing elbows with industry leaders is a pretty solid investment. These connections can often be leveraged later for good recommendations and can even result in job offers before you graduate.
Additional Benefits of Association Membership
If you join a professional or industry association, you’ll end up with far more than just an extension of your networking possibilities. Many associations offer insurance and valuable job listings, and some even offer free legal advice. You may have access to an industry journal, and some of the job listings that members receive are for members only. This is another tangible benefit that you won’t have access to if you don’t join.
Beef Up Your Resume
In addition to these benefits, most of these associations have professional development programs as well. Many of the activities you can take advantage of can pay off repeatedly. Not only do you gain important information and skills specific to your desired industry, but also much of what you learn can function as an excellent supplement to your resume. Remember, if most of your resume is essentially a litany of academic accomplishments, you need to supplement it as much as you can with industry-specific pursuits and activities. Think of it this way. If a prospective employer has three resumes and one job slot, a resume that shows deep industry interest and involvement in addition to a stellar academic record is going to stand out significantly. Active participation in an industry association can go a long way to getting the job you really want when the graduation party is over.