Senior Information Officer, D J Freeman, London
The Value of Chartership
Chartership is so much more than just five letters after your name. I finally gained Chartership status this summer and although it has not changed my life, it has brought a certain amount of value and pride to my job and professional outlook, which I believe can be measured.
Most people can sit in lectures, handle coursework and exams, and gain a BA or MSc in Library and Information Studies. Chartership is the next step, and a big step at that. It’s about stopping and standing back from it all: analysing where your career is going, where your profession is going, and it’s about learning how to steer your career in the right direction. It’s also about commitment to yourself and your profession, and investment of time and effort in both. The road to Chartership allows you to gain a new perspective on the information world, and it gives you the confidence to speak up when you agree, or disagree, with changes as they happen.
While I was working towards Chartership I became much more involved in the profession – networking with other information professionals, finding out about projects other people were working on in their organisations, and generally sharing ideas. I have now built up a network of similarly minded information professionals, to whom I can turn for advice or help – it wasn’t easy but it is now very important to me, and the friendships I have made will stay with me throughout my career.
Chartership also makes you think more about your skill-set and how you fit into an organisation – what do I have to offer my employer; what does my employer have to offer me; where is my knowledge and expertise lacking; how can I develop my skills; what am I interested in; am I being challenged; how can I help my colleagues to develop their skill-sets? When you start to think more about your capabilities you learn how to make judgements on your own professional development.
For some individuals, the value of Chartership is materially measured though promotions, salary increases and greater career opportunities. Not all employers are able to reward your achievement in monetary terms, though most will at least recognise your hard work and effort. But whether or not your pay-cheque increases, everyone who gains Chartership can share in the satisfaction of achieving a higher qualification.
And of course there’s those five letters after your name – MCLIP.
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Chris Launder BA (Hons) MA, MCLIP (runner-up)
Senior Library Assistant, Reader Services,
Book Library, Courtauld Institute Of Art, London
Why I think Chartership is of value for personal professional development
Recognition of your achievements
Employers and all your fellow professionals recognise that anyone who has Chartered will have spent considerable time and effort beyond their own working hours to earn this award. They will recognise that those who are willing to put in that extra effort will similarly want to put maximum effort into their daily work and their continuing professional development.
More importantly you will recognise your own potential when you examine what you have achieved. Chartership requires you to analyse your role and how it relates to your fellow workers and to your organisation. It can improve your sense of self-worth and encourages you to take pride in your work.
Gaining Chartered status also gains you more respect from those outside the profession, many of whom won’t have thought of librarianship as a profession in the first place.
Demonstrating commitment to the profession
Your academic qualifications may have been gained some time ago, and may not reflect your current knowledge base, skills set, and the enthusiasm you feel towards your role in being an information provider and facilitator. Chartership demonstrates all these things. Chartership sends out a positive message to your colleagues; your employer, and potential employers, that you are ready to embrace the challenge of developing to your full professional potential.
Encouraging you to develop further
Gaining Chartered status can help to reassure the young professional that they are continuing on the right track since graduating and taking up their first professional posts. Demonstrating that you have applied the theoretical knowledge gained on your library course in the workplace gives a different kind of satisfaction. Chartership acts as evidence that you have progressed since graduation and are developing as a professional.
Planning your future career
Chartership offers an opportunity to take control of the direction of your career. It demands that each candidate identifies the skills and knowledge they require in order to develop. This is of great value in determining future training requirements. When relevant training opportunities arise you can take advantage of them.
At a practical level, being Chartered ensures you have a full, well structured, and up to date CV. You will also have been examining many of the topics that will come up at interviews. You will find that you have already constructed answers to questions that frequently arise at both job interviews and staff appraisals.
You will also be focussed on what you desire from a future employer. Both in terms of the role you want to play and the structures for training and development you require.
Chartering may not result in an instant pay rise or a change in your status. It may be that the next job you apply for doesn't require Chartered status, or even recognise it when deciding your salary. It is certain though, that having ‘MCLIP’ on your CV or application form will put you nearer the top of the pile. It acts as a stamp of approval that says, “you’ve arrived” as a professional
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