Enhance Your Online Career Center with These Fresh Career Content Ideas
Whether your association is considering implementing a career center or already has an established one in place, you should consistently set goals for it how it performs while adding value to members’ careers.
One common goal for a career center, and an integral reason why associations tend to offer a career center over “just a job board,” is that a career center is a resource hub that helps your association to become your industry’s number one “go-to” for career-related content, mentoring opportunities, resume support and other services that support members’ next professional moves. A career center is so much more than just a place to find a job.
With this goal in mind, one of the most important steps to which your association must commit is creating a strong, ever-growing selection of engaging content for your members that provides value as they embark on a career shift.
But, what topics should you include? The list below is a starting point of content ideas for your association to use as you begin to populate your career center with fundamental and trend-focused content pieces.
Content to Consider – Articles, eBooks, Guides, and Checklists:
- Interviewing Tips – Behavioral, Attire, Etiquette (Checklist)
- How to dress for an interview (Article)
- Interview etiquette (Article)
- Resume tips
- Employment Levels to Consider:
- Entry Level
- Professional
- Mid-Level
- Executive
- Employment Levels to Consider:
- Areas for members to consider prior to listing references:
- Employment verification and verification of dates of employment
- Employment verification of position title held
- Eligibility status for rehire
- Reason for separation
- Recommendation for another position / role
- Leadership
- Oral communication
- Written communication
- Long-term planning
- Short-term planning
- Managerial skills
- Decision-making skills
- Productivity
- Employee relations
- Budget administration
- Technical skills
- Integrity
- Crisis management
- Interpersonal relations
- Overall performance
- How to write a cover letter
- Industry news/trends
- Career coaching
- How to build a personal or professional brand
- Networking for job search and career growth
- Developing an effective network
- Salary comparison information, or how to negotiate salary
- Job search tips
Other Resources to Consider:
- Links to information about certifications – why obtain them, how to start the process, and how to list them on your resume
- Links to online communities / discussion boards
- Links to information about upcoming association specific and industry events
- How to become a member of the association
- Links to prominent industry journals and research
- Info about internship/apprenticeship programs
- Info about mentor programs – how to get a mentor and how to become a mentor
This list is by no means exhaustive; however, it can help your association to decide on the types of content you want to include and do not want to include. It is essential to remember that no one knows your industry and what a successful career arc within your industry can look like as well as your staff and members do. Be sure to include industry-specific tips and recommendations within your content to help your members stand out above the rest of the applicants in the crowd.
Additionally, if you’re interested in taking your career center content a step further, consider tiering your content for different levels of employment, which in turn will encourage members to come back time and time again as they reach the next milestone in their career and begin the job hunt again. This form of repurposing can add extra value to your career center content while increasing traffic in the long run.
Lastly, remember to pick a starting point and begin there. It’s okay to start slowly and increase the pace of adding new content as your staff time and resources allow. Don’t be afraid to ask your members what they would like to have available in your career center. Surveys can greatly help you to prioritize your efforts throughout the year and help your association reach its end goal of becoming your industry’s go-to resource hub for career related content.
