How to Develop Your Career and Expand Your Business Network
From ChekMate Security Group
You want to develop your career, we all want to.
It is not as difficult as it might sound, it is only a matter of knowing how to take the lead in your own career path. You have gone to school, got your certificate, diploma or degree, and maybe even got a good job within the industry.
If you want to develop further, which I recommend for every person to do, then you need to develop your business network and get your name out in the industry as one who is skillful and a leader.
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How do you become a leader?
The first step is to get involved - Getting involved through volunteering within the community and non-profit organizations. This develops your skills in decision making, critical thinking and team building, allowing you to build your awareness and to build your confidence.
You are able to build opportunities by volunteering to these organizations and you will receive a sense of achievement and personal reward. In today's world, there is a competitive job market. For a job posting, it is quite common to have hundreds of resumes to pick through - You want to stick out in the crowd.
First, if you build awareness within the community about who you are then you are more likely to be thought of when an opportunity arises. You can also place within your resume that you are a volunteer to your industry's community - this also places you higher in the acceptance pile.
How to get involved and contribute?
Write articles - non-profit organizations are always looking for content for their web sites, newsletters, etc. This allows the organization to grow and build awareness for themselves but it is also a great way to promote who you are and what you know.
Volunteer your time and services - Do more then just become a member of these organizations, become a leader within these organizations. Offer your time to help with the responsibilities these organizations offer to their member base - their focus is to provide their members a value and you can be a part of that value. You can also provide them with the different services you have to offer - such as designing, developing, coordinating, etc.
I can not stress it enough - become a leader within the community and you will expand your business network considerably. People within your industry will know who you are and will think about you when they have an opportunity in front of them. You can be given some major opportunities that will further develop your career path and you would feel great about it.
The Local Non-Profit Organizations
Within our local community there are a number of organizations to volunteer with, such as the Security Professionals Information Exchange (SPIE), the High Technology Crime Investigation Association - Western Canadian Chapter (HTCIA-WCC), and the ChekMate Technical Security Focus Group. Each of these groups need their members to contribute articles, this can be HowTo documents, reviews of software, analysis of trends and many other possibilities.
Contributing can be as simple as posting to the forum areas on the websites of these organizations, providing your insight on industry issues or by helping your fellow organization members.
You can also become more involved by helping these organizations develop further. In many cases, the organization board is taking on a major amount of work load to make the organization work. By offering your time and services you can help take this pressure off and also bring exposure of your self to the community.
Visit these organization's websites or contact the board members of these organizations and offer your services. These organizations will value your contributions and you will also gain much from the experience.
Contact Information
Security Professionals Information Exchange (SPIE)
The Calgary Security Professionals Information Exchange Society (SPIE) is a Calgary, Alberta based organization created to improve access to information for local security professionals.
- Website: http://www.spie.ca/
- Email: mailto:info@spie.ca
High Technology Crime Investigation Association - Western Canadian Chapter (HTCIA-WCC)
HTCIA is the convergence of two similar communities of interest for the greater public good. It is a synergy between private industry and law enforcement so that each can grow and learn form the collective experiences of the group. The primary focus is on leveraging these experiences for the betterment of society by allowing law enforcement to gain insight into areas they would not otherwise be introduced to and to allow the corporate world to understand better the needs of law enforcement and, more importantly, what it can do to help.
- Website: http://www.htcia.ca/
- Email: mailto:info@htcia.ca
ChekMate Technical Security Focus Group
The mission of ChekMate is to provide a hands-on learning and knowledge sharing venue for Security Professionals focused around the technical aspects of IT security. ChekMate is dedicated on providing its members with the knowledge and tools to strengthen their skill sets with technology and to provide a repository of resources that promotes the security knowledge within the IT community.
- Website: http://www.chekmate.org/
- Email: mailto:info@chekmate.org
