"In today’s world it’s important for those
we serve to have confidence in our skill
and knowledge in career management.
Through certification by ICC International
you are taking a major step in this direction."

While the growth and impact of technology in general on our career practices may well be arguable, its impact on us, and FUTURE impact on us, cannot be denied. Professional Member and Conference speaker, Jack Muskat, Ph.D. wonders whether technology is being used as a "tool" to enhance career management productivity or is a form of "outsourced thinking" that is trying to take the place of face to face contact. Must a carpenter use his saw or could he be well served by his old axe?

It would be just as irresponsible to leave technology tools out of our work with the candidates we serve. Career professionals must be equipped to assist clients in determining how best they can develop their careers and be well versed in all methods of delivery.

This is not an either/or type argument. Isn't it about knowing the content and then being able to deliver that content in a way that the client can best utilize the information/assessments/feedback?

Whether technology is a simple tool or, broader, a replacement for our ethical good judgment, can we deny that it has become a part of how we do our business? We simply must embrace it within the intent of our personal professional development planning. As the ICC International certification process tends to clear the path and provide definition to our standards of professionalism, might we learn from the lessons of history?...

Arguably, our Profession was born of Counseling Practice and Management Consult parents… with slight distraction from the third-party recruitment world. Our metaphoric parents were justifiably proud of their ability to counsel and consult the corporate children who needed to clarify the protocols of downsizing and learn the ways of the job market and management of their own careers.

Those with great insight determined that the corporate customer had deeper pockets than an unemployed or under employed individual. So, from the ashes arose corporate sponsored, "outplacement" services.

In the beginning, outplacement services were quite costly for both delivery practitioners and corporate providers… yet highly profitable for career practitioners, especially for those serving more senior level candidates. For their dollars, corporations reduced their legal liabilities and did the right thing for their departing employees—gaining positive press in the process.

Our Profession’s original practitioners were encouraged to invest in technology, recruit greater numbers of professionals (note the non-capitalized "p"), take on large, group oriented projects… we were, indeed, a high growth industry!

Some of us were in our Profession during a time when resumes were still being produced on IBM Selectric Typewriters, a process that often took days to turn around drafts, slowing the progress of our candidates. During the 1980’s, the "decade of downsizing" in America, our Profession was defining itself as we saw the coming of, first, memory typewriters… then, actual word processing computing machines.

Some of us were in or entering our Profession when we encouraged Candidates to do their research at the local library’s business reference section, using The D&B Million Dollar Directory to target firms and gain information on them… The Encyclopedia of Associations to identify appropriate networking and information resources. The list of examples was endless and is currently meaningless. As our industry was growing stronger in the late 80’s and early 90’s we saw research become committed to, first, memory media like disks and CD-Roms… then, to the seemingly limitless media called the Internet.

Even our original, fueling passion for assessing our Candidate’s personality, interests, values, etc. (read, etc. etc. etc.) and counseling and consulting them to greater career success has been impacted and changed by technology. The drive to maintain profitability and enhance ROI is challenging for both corporations and the delivering practitioners..

Right now, the American Psychological Association is grappling with the ethical and professional issues that occur when doing research or assessments online. And it has found, to the chagrin of many of the severest critics of the Internet as a service delivery modality, that on-line stuff is valid and is no more subject to abuse than off-line intervention. (It reminds Jack Muskat of the folks who are afraid to use their credit cards on-line but will give them freely to a waiter in a restaurant).

Most of us have at least been exposed to, or have chosen to utilize:

• Mass produced audio and visual presentations to teach our candidates… audio-video tapes became CD products, then streaming media on the Internet and DVDs at Blockbuster;
• SkillsOne, with CPP bringing us some of the most used profiles online;
• Most long standing, well researched and documented profiles—committed to both CD, DVD or available online;
• Tele-conferencing and WWWebinars to bring our message to our candidates in remote locations… or across the street.

As the business aspect of our Profession is pressured toward greater efficiencies of delivery to fuel the maintenance of our profitability, we must reflect. As ethics bound practitioners, we are challenged to deliver quality programming while creating business efficiencies. How could we deliver our service to candidates -- totally 1-on-1 or in larger groups -- with face to face contact as our only delivery vehicle?

So, let’s get REAL, as our children say…

DELIVERY of our services… Our challenge, here, is to practice what we preach. As an industry and as a Profession (note the capitalized "P") we simply must learn and develop our own competencies in delivering our services, actually using supportive software, hardware and web tools. Yes, we must become able to demonstrate and utilize available technology to even our most seasoned, technical Candidates… another oxymoron for many of us.

ACTUAL use and knowledge of career oriented technologies in the real world… Our challenge, here, is to be at least as prepared as most of our Candidates are to leverage their effectiveness through the use of available technology tools.

For several years, now we have self-chosen to position our Professional Association as "The World’s Voice on Career Issues." Can we be a global voice…. Can we be heard and understood around the world if we cannot embrace and utilize the ubiquitous technology available to us today?... Can we be received with credibility if our certification process does not reflect the manner in which we conduct business? Carolyn Parrott, CMF reminds us, whether we are delivering face to face or via web-enabled technology, we are nevertheless providing service and meeting client/candidate needs.

While we may be tempted to ensure anyone receiving certification as a practitioner has worked with clients/candidates face to face, I believe we must recognize that it is possible to demonstrate competency by developing content/materials and consulting that are delivered via technology.

This is seen clearly when dealing with remote candidates. Sheryl Dawson, a respected colleague, sees the real challenge is keeping clients engaged when they work from home -- technology keeps them away and it is tougher to know what they are really doing and to help them where they need it.

Which brings us back to the issue of competencies as the basis for our certification process. If we are to have confidence in our professionalism being defined through the competencies which we practice, we must stay objective when considering consulting practice that is delivered via technology.