11/01/2014

Easy Promotion for Career Development Professionals – Celebrate National Career Development Month

By Lakeisha Mathews

Raising local and national awareness about career development is no easy task. Regardless of what area of the field you work in – higher education, secondary education, private practice or government – promoting our line of work and the benefits of career development is a constant and sometimes tiresome task. The services we provide are always seen as valuable by our clients and patrons but sometimes not seen as a priority. Therefore, we must seek out every window of opportunity to promote our industry and remind students and professionals of the benefits associated with career planning.

An easy way to promote your organization or services is to celebrate National Career Development Month (NCD Month). Each year NCDA promotes NCD Month and hosts the annual Poetry & Poster contest now in its 49^th year. I have eagerly encouraged the celebration of NCD Month since becoming a NCDA member six years ago and launched the Poetry & Poster Contest for the Maryland Career Development Association in 2009. First and foremost, NCD Month is an easy promotional opportunity for our industry and a chance to inform our constituents and the community about our services. Second, the Poetry & Poster contest provides an opportunity to engage our clients and the community in issues that are trending around career development and attract them to our organizations. Lastly, NCDA members are also encouraged to celebrate NCD Month through outreach and programming which both places a spotlight on our services and informs the community about our industry. Events should promote life-long career development and personal empowerment and help constituents examine lives, careers, and alternatives available to increase everyone’s personal success and happiness.

National Career Development Month: November 2014
National Career Development Week: November 10 – 14, 2014
National Career Development Day: November 12, 2014

This year’s Poetry & Poster contest theme is “Reimagining Life’s Possibilities: Celebrating First Jobs through Encore Careers”. Consider how your organization can engage constituents in celebrating NCD Month or reach out to your state Career Development Association to help facilitate the Poetry & Poster contest. The contest is inclusive and allows students of all ages to submit their literary or art work. Entries should have a positive tone and focus on celebrating and inspiring career development while also emphasizing the national theme. Past entries and winners have impressed judging panels throughout the country with their thought provoking interpretations of career concepts. Take a look at winning entries or access ideas for outreach events on the NCD Month website.

Another NCDA event during this month is the webinar on National Career Development Day.  Check out the details and register now for "Winnowing Career Assessments in the Information Age: Career Assessment Instruments, the Internet, Social Justice, and Professionally Conscientious Practice" - presented by Chris Wood.

Share your ideas for promoting career development using the Comments section below or tweet #ncdm.

If you have questions about NCD Month or the Poetry & Poster contest feel free to reach out to me at ncdacontest@ncda.org. I look forward to seeing the winning poems and posters from various states and hearing about the creative outreach events and programs that take place during NCD Month 2014.

Lakeisha Mathews, M.S., CPRW, CPCC, GCDF, is committed to helping professionals find their passion and achieve their dreams and likes to say she has helped students get admitted into college, remain in college and exit college - with a job!  She is a Certified Global Career Development Facilitator, Certified Professional Resume Writer and Career Coach and a Certified Federal Job Search Trainer & Coach. Mrs. Mathews is currently serving as the director of the Career and Professional Development Center at the University of Baltimore and is the owner of Right Resumes & Career Coaching LLC.  Lakeisha holds a M.S. in Human Resources from Towson University and a B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland College Park.  She is also a Past-President of the Maryland Career Development Association and a NCDA Leadership Academy participant.  She can be reached at email:lmathews@ubalt.edu