far more productive than attempting an hour a week or five a month because you gain an ongoing momentum by chipping away at it bit by bit. But ultimately it comes down to what works best for you. Try different ways, talk to other candi- dates to see how they are approaching it.
Stay focused
see areas where you might like to reach out to the wider information community. Through capturing your reflections, you’ll also begin to see how you contribute to the goals of your organisation along with identifying areas for service improvement in your workplace. It’s also worth getting involved in a CILIP Regional Member Network or Special Interest Group. Technology makes it easier to reach out to people and through a wide variety of different channels of communi- cation. As well as meeting new people and gaining new skills, you’ll also build a lot of new evidence for Criteria2
.
Professional Registration is a brilliant way of demonstrating that you are committed to your own development and to working in the profession. It will enable you to stay ahead by keeping your skills up to date and retraining ahead of service needs. In addition, the reflective and evaluative skills at the heart of Professional Regis- tration are transferable to all walks of life. They’ll help you to step back for a moment, to pause, take stock and decide on your own course of action proactively, rather than reactively. You’ll also be gaining an award that is underpinned by Royal Charter, helping you stand out in the information community and beyond, accompanied by post nominal letters for as long as you remain a member of CILIP.
Engaged and proactive The value of Professional Registration from an employer perspective will undoubtedly vary, but there are certainly some intrinsic qualities that are beneficial to all organisations. It is a powerful way to show that you are engaged in proactive ongoing learning and development, thereby demonstrating why qualified infor- mation staff matter in an era of increasing de-professionalisation amongst some employers. Consequently, business and professional continuity will be enhanced through developing a new generation across every level of the workforce. Where your service forms part of a broader organisation, the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base can help
44 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
employers recognise the skills and aptitudes that information professionals need in the context of corporate appraisal processes. It will therefore enable the employer to more easily identify how you contribute to wider service and organisa- tional goals. Training and development programmes can then be refined, driving standards and innovation within your information service.
Set your own pace
Professional Registration will help you see what you value in your career at this point in time with greater clarity, and what you aspire to, in the months and years ahead. As there are no deadlines for submission, you can develop your application at the speed that suits you. The Professional Knowledge and Skills base supports you in this by providing a framework for you to map out new skills and opportunities for professional development and to horizon scan for your future development. Another benefit of Professional Regis- tration is the opportunity to work with a CILIP Career Mentor. You’ll gain valuable independent and objective advice across all three assessment criteria and support with thinking about your future career and someone to share that journey with. One of the best things about
Professional Registration is its flexibility in submission. Candidates can work at their own pace, but this can often be a challenge. This is where a mentor can be invaluable. They can help you with realistic timescales and have pre-arranged meetings to help you think about and plan your development for PR and your ongoing career. Establishing key stages and milestones makes all the difference. It’s easy to drift, and so setting aside clear blocks of time to work on it. Our lives are busy and professional development work can often be the first thing that can get squeezed into the background. This can be avoided in a number of different ways which can be tailored to each candidate. I’ve often found that committing 10 minutes a day across five days (preferably not at the end of your working day) can be
The PKSB is really a great place to get started. It forms the cornerstone of your development. It helps you to build a structure to your application early on. You may find that you identify lots of different areas initially that you wish to develop on. This is fine and gives you an ongoing career development plan. However focus on a selection of areas that are important at this time and focus on them for your portfolio. Remember it’s not about how much but the quality of the evidence you present. Remember you can look back as well as forward when building your portfolio. You may have already done a range of activities in relation to all three criteria that you’d like to build you application around. Don’t think you have to start with a blank sheet of paper. Organisation is key for your portfolio.
Less is definitely more. Choose evidence that shows how you meet the criteria. Ensure it reflects on your development. Try thinking about how the experience was:
l What did I do? l So what does that mean? l What should I do/happen next?
Remember you can use evidence to showcase more than one criteria as long as it addresses the criteria. Always remember there is help at hand!3
It’s easy to say but try to view prepar- ing your application as a constructive and enjoyable process rather than just something to get to the end of. It helps you to clarify and view what you value for your immediate development and existing role and your career beyond. There are so many exciting opportuni- ties and new perspectives that can arise through the course of preparing your portfolio. Keep an open mind and take advantage of what’s on offer. Use it as a stepping stone to the next stage of your career. IP
l Find out more about Professional Registration at
www.cilip.org.uk/Professional- Registration
References
1 These are also exemplified in IFLA’s Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development: Princi- ples and Best Practices.
www.ifla.org/publications/ node/11885
2,3 Professional Registration Candidates – CILIP: the library and information association.
www.cilip.
org.uk/ProfessionalRegistrationCandidates
July-August 2021
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