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EMBERS of CILIP RPG have been looking at ideas for keeping your professional


development continuous – from the start of your career and beyond.


Identify and develop transferable skills


Every role and situation can help you develop core skills and not just those in the workplace.


As you develop your career you develop as a person: good communication skills are key.


Other important skills to be aware of in yourself and to make a point of developing:


l Ability to work independently; l Customer-service outlook;


l Getting things done on time and to budget; l Focus on quality and detail;


l Ability to juggle tasks and priorities.


You need to be able to fight your corner on resources which means understanding how to use numbers and interpreting data. Top tip: see CILIP’s Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) to identify your personal strengths and weaknesses and find career opportunities – https://tinyurl.com/ pksb2021.


Professional Registration gives you the professional recognition you deserve for keeping your skills up-to- date – https://tinyurl.com/revalidate2021


Find a mentor


Once you have identified what skills you’re seeking help with or questions about a specific industry, sector or subject field, look at the community around you to find a potential mentor. The CILIP network, including RPG, can help you to build your connections, engineer introductions and find a mentor. If you are working on Chartership, Certification or Fellowship you can access the CILIP register of mentors.


July-August 2021


As you develop your career you develop as a person: good communication skills are key.


As well as finding a mentor you should look at opportunities such as training courses, academic study, conferences and webinars.


Social media: keep it consistent and professional


Every industry, sector and


organisation has its own approach and unique language. Use your network to learn the language and keep up to date. Explore your interests and turn them into research activities: share any insights with colleagues by blogging and publishing articles.


Keep your profile consistent and professional across social media.


Professional membership


associations: join and volunteer Money is tight, especially for those who are early in their careers. Why spend precious resources, which could be used in so many other ways, on joining an association?


Past-Chair of CILIP’s Knowledge & Information Management Special Interest Group Denise Carter explains what she gets out of her memberships: “Firstly, it is definitely the sense of being part of a community. A community that shares my work goals, aspirations, ethics and values. Secondly, it is about the practical assistance that association can give me – training, webinars, resources, mentoring, networking. And lastly, but no less importantly, it recognises and champions me as a professional in my chosen career.” The key to getting the most value out of professional membership associations is not just to join but take every opportunity to volunteer and get involved.


Multi directional careers


Careers no longer need to follow linear trajectories ‘up the ladder’ in one specific sector or organisation. It is now much easier to transfer skills as a library, information or knowledge professional from one sector to another, embracing any opportunity to branch out into different environments, or to stay in the same sector or organisation to build on your experience and


specialise further.


Some other professional development ideas:


l Read professional journals, books, research papers, articles etc;


l Train others and give presentations or speak at a conference;


l Spend time with other departments, customers, suppliers, trade bodies or stakeholders;


l Look for apprenticeships, internships, work shadowing and secondments;


l Put yourself forward for industry awards, bursaries or scholarships.


Build your network


As a CILIP member you can join any or all of the regional networks, devolved nations and special interest groups (including RPG) free of charge: a great way to build your network and explore opportunities. See the list of CILIP groups that you can join at: https://tinyurl.com/ Cilipgroups (login to CILIP website required).


There is a separate process for signing up to receive email updates from CILIP groups and you can find the updates subscription page at: https://tinyurl.com/Cilipupdates RPG welcomes feedback and questions from across CILIP and beyond: https://tinyurl.com/CILIPRPG – chair.rpg@cilip.org.uk IP


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 47


Valerie Bearne is a former public librarian who founded and chaired the Bristol Area Social Inclusion Network. She is link person between CILIP RPG and CILIP South West. Since retiring she has re-purposed professional skills and now supports those in the self-build sector. Contact the group at chair.rpg@cilip.org.uk


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