3 Tips to Elevate Member Career Advancement Opportunities

When it comes to attracting and retaining members, career advancement is a big factor. Really big. 

Research shows that job opportunities and career development benefits are an essential offering and are becoming increasingly important to association members. Studies also show that these benefits are especially valued by members who are early in their careers. Emphasizing career development support provides greater value to members. 

Since job opportunities and career advancement benefits are particularly important to those early in their careers, offering career-building opportunities is a great way to attract young members to your association. 

These findings indicate that elevating career advancement opportunities for your members is a great way to provide greater member value and ultimately attract and retain more members. 

Three Ways To Elevate Career Advancement Opportunities For Your Members 

With the right technology and proven approaches, you can create an online career center that supports members’ career planning and development. Here are three tips and some powerful resources to help you elevate career advancement opportunities for your members: 

1. Take Your Online Career Center To The Next Level 

If you think about your online career center as just a place for job postings, then it’s time to think again. Your online career center also offers a great opportunity to engage more with members and provide them with the career-building resources they want. So, be sure to provide more than just a job board by also offering a variety of career advancement resources. 

Here are some examples of career content and resources that you can add to your YM Careers-powered online career center to give members the support and know-how they’re seeking: 

• Résumé review. Offer free résumé critique through your career center. 

• Job seeker articles, tips, and recommendations. Offer articles and other content with career advice, including résumé writing tips, interview techniques, job search ideas, and tips on social networking. 

• Career coaching. Connect members with career coaches to help with things like career direction, job search strategies, and interview tips. 

• Industry career insights. Provide career data to help job seekers learn more about their current career stage and possible future roles, including information on qualifications, education, certification requirements, expected salary, and more. 

• Career path mapping. Give your members an online tool to map out their career paths based on the jobs they want, providing them with a well-defined path to get there, including the skills, learning, and job titles they need to reach their goals. 

Of course, offering job opportunities and career advancement resources is just one part of the equation. It’s also important to ensure members are aware of the career resources you offer. 

The challenge is breaking through the ads and emails that compete for your members’ attention. But there are effective ways to do it. For example: 

• Send personalized emails to educate members about available resources based on their career stage. 

• Host informational videos on your website and social media channels to build brand recognition as an online career destination for professionals in your industry. 

• Post a jobs widget on your organization’s home page to share relevant jobs with people visiting your website and drive awareness for your association’s online career center. 

• Share social media posts about the career resources available on your association’s job board. Newly posted jobs can also be automatically posted on your social media feeds to deliver relevant content for followers. 

2. Invest In Your Association’s Training And Certification Programs 

Take time to review your association’s training and certification programs, and be sure to include career advancement opportunities in your meetings and conferences. At the same time, remember that it’s important to engage members in a variety of year-round learning opportunities that address their budgets, schedules, educational and certification needs, and learning preferences. 

3. Keep Networking Alive And Thriving 

Your members are seeking networking opportunities to advance their careers. So, be sure to offer networking events and other opportunities, and promote them in your member recruitment and onboarding activities. You’ll attract new members to your organization and get members more involved for years to come. Here are some ideas to help members connect throughout the year: 

• Plan networking events. These career events can be happy hours, lunches, discussion groups, career fairs, or any other type of event focused on connecting members with thought leaders in your industry, with hiring managers, and with your organization’s staff. 

• Get social. Integrate your career center with social media so job seekers who view a job on your job board can see any LinkedIn connections who work at the company. This is a useful technology integration that can help them open doors to new opportunities. 

• Offer an online member community. Become part of your members’ daily social networking habits by providing an online community where members can find industry information, network with your organization and other members, and share ideas. Look for technology that supports a modern online experience and includes tools to help you keep members engaged. 

• Don’t forget your annual conference. Your annual conference is a great opportunity for members to connect with one another and with others in your industry. Set aside specific times in your conference schedule for networking activities. 

More Ways To Offer Career Advancement Opportunities For Your Members 

By elevating career advancement opportunities, your association can offer members the tools, resources, and insights they need to research, plan, and develop their careers. Discover more tips and insights for offering career advancement opportunities to your members: Read the guide, How to Give Your Members the Career Resources They Want.