A Careerpilot WHITE Paper

Our Professional Body of Knowledge

A High Tech - High Touch Application

Bob Maher, CMF

We Career Professionals have a need to communicate that can be enhanced and made more efficient with our integration of Internet and other computer-assisted technologies. We have long utilized computerized scoring of our psychological testing and assessment documents, word processing to leverage our ability to use the written word... and spreadsheets and databases to accumulate and analyze the mounds of data that are available to us.

High Tech applications seem to come at us in an endless stream, and we are in a state of high pressure "evolution" to ACTUALLY USE what is available to us...let's be realistic in our quest of "leading the way".

Already, here, we can utilize technology to help keep pace with change by sharing data, best practices, case histories, etc., in a professional community of sharing... let's "evolve" past our current state of competitive, guarded information. After all, we need a bigger, collective edge than THAT! We can leverage our HIGH TOUCH practices and experience by using the Internet as a tool.

The US Country Board of the Association of Career Professionals International (ACP International) has taken the initiative to beta test a "Body of Knowledge" Resource that all Professional Members can contribute to and benefit from. At the core of this resource are the "core competencies" of Certified Professionals and the Ethical Standards utilized by the Institute of Career Certification International (ICC International). The Certification Committee of the US Country Board of the ACP International has suggested the following mechanism for contribution to the proposed "Body of Knowledge:"

Any Professional Member, although we specifically encourage our Certified Professionals, may post their own personal writings and links on their own websites... submitting their "best practices" to the local Chapter's Body of knowledge.
At the local Chapter level, these individual Member contributions are selected for inclusion by the Chapter's Certification Committee. They, in turn, submit their best practices to the Country Board's website, where it may be selected for the National Body of Knowledge.
At the US Country Board level, these local Chapter contributions are selected for inclusion by the Country Board's Certification Committee. They, in turn, submit their best practices to the International website, where it may be selected for the Profession's International Body of Knowledge.

At every level of this cumulative effort, best practices can be shared and linked between levels within any one country... and between countries! This linkage could occur not only on our branded websites, but also through actual email, bulletin board, BLOG... and other forms of communication between elements of the ACP International.

In this spirit of sharing, any single Body of Knowledge will be enriched by the others.

We have taken the same HIGH TOUCH "first step" as our predecessors in time: We have stepped away from our protective caves and formed a community called the ACP International, meeting regularly at various levels to facilitate our evolution...

Developing the Profession by Developing the Professional

Has evolved to...

The World Voice on Career Issues

However, do we leverage that community in the same way that humankind has "over the years"? The Careerpilot suggests that we take small, palatable steps to practice what we preach, striving to use the WWWeb-o-lution to leverage the skills, practice and impact of our community.

We might remember that ships are safe and protected in their harbored homeports... but that is not what ships were designed to do. - The Careerpilot

We need not feel threatened, or be guarded...

Rather, we should be moving forward in great haste to catch up, enhance and build our fine community by embracing and integrating technology to provide a greater good.

Let's start by fully utilizing our existing strengths:

We gather annually at our International Conference and remind ourselves of the value in synergy. Many of our local tribes (sorry...Chapters. I get carried away at times!...the Careerpilot) meet regularly, and some, in fact, sponsor larger, regional gatherings throughout the year. Therein we reinforce our values of synergy in personal development and networking.

We seem to be most comfortable when we are developing along with colleagues we already know and respect (like that ship in its harbor)... some colleagues even venture forth, leveraging their development in networking and meeting with colleagues that they come to know and respect (navigating close by, coastal waters). Now, let's leverage THAT with an assist from technology.

Spontaneous "instant messaging" and email exchange with colleagues we already know and trust;
Regular exchange, on a less time sensitive basis, with email and bulletin board activity amongst colleagues with similar interests, Special Interest Networks (the S.I.N.s of the ACP International);
A scheduled and broader exchange with on-line, INTERACTIVE events scheduled throughout the year in the International WebSite's Discussion Room. We already have evidence of this in our E Chapter activity, topical Forums, and the live, interactive event conducted in parallel with the 2000 Conference Debate in Brighton, England!
As in the case of human evolution, our own WWWeb-o-lution is limited only by our own creativity. The technology already awaits us to leverage our local, regional and International "tribal" Conferences with the use of simple online discussion groups... to video-conferencing... to ???

Can we put down our competitive spears long enough to take some baby steps together?

Let the WWWeb-o-lution begin!

Bob Maher, CMF, The Careerpilot

Bob created his online presence, www.careerpilot.com, in 1994. He has over twenty years of successful experience in Corporate Recruitment, performance management and Career Management Services. He is an entrepreneur and innovator in the use of information technology in the recruitment and employment process. On the Founder's Council of the Association of Career Professionals - International and quite active in their Professional Development, Technology and Chapter Growth initiatives--a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars. Presented with the prestigious LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD by the ACP International at it's 2006 Conference in Boston.

This page visited by Hit Counter

This White Paper first posted in Jan 2005 April 9,2007