As the New Year approaches, it's natural to think about what new opportunities might lie ahead. As the famous cookbook author Ina Garten titled her recently released memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” or in other words, be prepared for when opportunities present themselves.
Joining a trade association can help you learn about a new industry or field. A trade association is an organization funded by businesses in a specific industry to promote their interests through advocacy, education, networking, and standards.
If you aspire to get your foot in the door or for professional advancement in a specific field or industry, these strategies can help you make a name for yourself.
- Join the trade or professional association for the field in which you want to work. Google the name of your industry and include the word association in the search bar. You should see a number of different organizations included in the search results. If you want to work in Artificial Intelligence, join groups such as the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (aaai.org) or North America Artificial Intelligence (AI) Association (https://na-aia.org/). Many colleges and universities may have their own AI club or student group, or chapters of these larger entities. Membership fees in the NA-AIA, for example, are very reasonable and range from $15 per year for a student, to $30 per year for an individual, and $100 per year for a corporation.
- Subscribe to and regularly read the trade association email newsletters, magazines, and research journals. There are usually many different publications to choose from ranging from daily email newsletters containing news headlines for that industry to peer-reviewed, academic research journals. Having access to this information puts you ahead of the game in terms of your job search, because you’ll know the latest news and developments in the field, and can speak about them knowledgeably if you study the news and prepare yourself to converse on those topics.
- Raise your hand, and volunteer to serve on Committees. Large trade industry associations can have dozens of different committees of volunteers who work on the organization’s behalf to organize trade shows and conferences, conduct research or surveys, track and analyze trends, or even to write content for their website. These volunteer positions are usually desirable and can become stepping stones to networking with executives and leaders in the field. Sadly, very few people step up to participate, but this lack of participation presents an opportunity. This can be your chance to shine – but beware, if you volunteer to do something, be sure to follow-through and complete your tasks, or you risk developing an industry-wide reputation as a flake.
- Complete and Contribute to Industry Research. Many organizations regularly survey their membership to gauge their feelings or attitudes towards news, trends, and developments in the field. You may receive an email asking you to participate in an opinion survey or a salary survey. Be sure to click on the link and complete the survey! The questions you’ll see in the survey provide an indication of the overall health and wellness of the industry. After you complete the survey, there may be a question such as, “Would you like to share any other information?” or “Would you like someone to contact you to follow up?” If you have a strong feeling or opinion about something happening in your industry, fill out this request to speak with a researcher after you’ve done the survey. You may be asked to participate in future focus groups, which often provide some type of gratuity for your time ranging from a cash payment to a gift card.
- Volunteer to Speak at Conferences. People go to conferences to hear their trusted colleagues speak and provide opinions and recommendations on the latest news and trends in the industry. If you’re new to the field or not confident you have enough experience to contribute in a meaningful way, you can start small – step up to the microphone during a Q&A session. Introduce yourself and then present your question to the panel or speakers. For example, you can say, “Thank you for taking my question. My name is Sam, and I’m new and still learning about this industry. What do you think about ___________?” and insert a hot topic into your question. Asking a question during a Q&A session gives you a sense of what it's like to speak in public, without taking any major risks.
- Attend affordable and accessible local and regional conferences. National conferences often require travel to a large city, and come with hefty registration fees, hotel and travel expenses. If your company isn’t able to send you to a national conference, scour event websites to learn about association conferences being held on the topic at local levels, ranging from Chamber of Commerce events to college campus symposia or conferences to state chapters of the national association. Local and regional events can provide you with access to local experts, with registration fees at a fraction of the cost of national conferences.
- Send a follow up email to people you meet at the event. If you collect a business card, send an email to that person about a week after the conference with a brief note, such as, “It was great to meet you at the conference last week. Since we live in the same town, I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee and learn more about the industry from a leader such as yourself.” Many people in manager positions and above are often happy to share their story and provide advice to new entrants to the industry. They may even have inside information about new job opportunities coming up in the near future. These contacts can be invaluable, both as resources for job leads as well as for professional references.
This list may sound straightforward, even simplistic, but it requires you to muster up great courage and strength to put yourself out there and participate in industry activities. There’s no need to push yourself too hard and sign up to do all seven items described above. Just take it slow, and take baby steps until you feel comfortable enough to advance to the next, bigger step.
Participating in trade industry association activities helps you develop a network of colleagues from across the field, provides low-risk opportunities to hone and demonstrate your organizational and leadership skills, and can help you build your name recognition and reputation as you advance in your career.
Best wishes in the New Year!