Tips on getting Professionally Registered - by Foteini Karagianni

Foteini Karagianni is currently working as an Assistant Librarian for Science and Technology Facilities Council and volunteers as the blog editor of CILIP GIG. She can be contacted at: foteini.karagianni@stfc.ac.uk. 

I have recently gained my CILIP Chartership - a challenging endeavour with a pandemic raging and the changes one had to adapt to. If you are thinking about it or have already started the path to becoming Chartered, I hope the following tips will be of some use.

 

Image source: Unsplash

Find a mentor

A mentor's role is essential if you have no clue what you should be doing. Get the mentor list, go through it carefully and try to find someone working in a different sector. It is likely you face rejections in the beginning because a mentor can accept only a certain number of mentees and these places get filled quickly, especially in big areas. Do not give up though, someone will respond positively. The last year has proved that face-to-face meetings are not irreplaceable and an online tool will work just fine. This means that location should not be a limit - for example, if you are based in England, a mentor in Scotland would do if both of you are happy about it. In the chance you are accepted and find out later that you do not "match", you are allowed to find another person to "coach" you.

A (good) mentor should always motivate, support, offer advice, accept to read and confirm the suitability of everything you write, and know exactly how the procedure works so that you get out of it with the "trophy" in your hands. You do need a good "trainer" for the marathon ahead of you. My mentor was willing to spend time reading my reflective pieces and checking the evidence offering constructive feedback on style, language and content. We had valuable discussions that helped my understanding of how Professional Registration works and gave me an insight into a library sector I have never worked in. And above all this, I was able to connect to another experienced information professional and make a new friend in the library world.

 

 

Image source: CILIP

 

PKSB

Go through it more than once to decide which areas you need/want to focus on. These should be related to your role as you are asked to reflect where your development has benefited your work or how it will do so in the future. Think where you were in the past, where you are now and where you want to go. Reflective writing is always about these three elements: past - present - future. Make a plan about how you want to enhance existing skills or acquire new ones; Chartership is the perfect opportunity for both. If things do not go as planned and you need to change areas, do not hesitate to do so. You can reflect/comment on this on the PKSB report you have to submit with your portfolio. PKSB should not be a "static" tool.

 

Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer

Volunteering experience is always worth having as it can pay you back in unexpected ways. When I got stuck somewhere in the middle of evidence gathering, I turned to my volunteering role in a public library. I wrote a policy on the use of social media in the library service, which proved to be a valuable exercise. I had never got the chance to write a policy document of any sort in the job(s) so far. Whether you start your career now or are way ahead in the field, it is worth joining either a CILIP Group or getting a role in a library sector different to yours. It will, also, prove handy to have an idea how the wider information world works and use it to complete the third criterion in your portfolio. A mentor from another sector will, also, provide valuable guidance, information and discussions around their library context.

 

 

Image source: CILIP

 

Introductory sessions to Professional Registration

CILIP and the Regional Networks offer online sessions on how to start and develop your portfolio. It is always worth attending one and ask any questions you may have. The CILIP Handbook is a good source of information, of course, but one cannot get to know other people's experience reading it.

 

Set a deadline

It has been observed that a number of candidates who enrol for Professional Registration never finish or spend years gathering evidence. If you decide to go on with Chartership, it is important to select and stick on a date you want to complete your portfolio by. It will prove much easier to focus and work on what you need to do. Look at your portfolio as a project with beginning, milestones to achieve and a final deliverable within a finite timespan. This approach will make it more likely that you be disciplined, notice when timescales are slipping, set goals and finally succeed. It is understandable that life keeps us "surprises" and things do not always come as we plan - under such circumstances you may discover that a deadline has the power to keep someone on track and move them forward.

Regular meetings with your mentor will, also, help you to keep making progress (I had monthly online chats with mine). Additionally, It is essential to schedule time to work on your portfolio. The organisation I work for supports my professional development - I could spend office time working on Chartership and was allowed to try something new in my role so that I could include more evidence in my portfolio. In the case your employer is not that encouraging, setting a deadline as mentioned above will enable you to commit to the "Chartership plan" and dedicate a portion of your own free time.

 

 

Image source: Pixabay

 

Look after yourself

Choose to go for Chartership for the right reasons: to grow professionally, explore new areas of knowledge, learn through reflection. If you do it because the colleague in the next department or office did it, it probably won't work. Keep a positive mind about it, do not be afraid to get out of your "comfort zone" and/or pause when it starts to stress you. Building a portfolio is supposed to be something to enjoy. Everything you write will reflect your state of mind in a way. Go for a walk, listen to music, play with your children and/or pets, watch the clouds float by… I have realised that everything that makes us happy works. Chartership is demanding and one can take advantage of a good mental health to carry them through this process.

 

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

We would very much like to hear about your own experience and tips on getting Professionally Registered. If you would like to submit a post for our blog on this or a different subject you are interested in, please contact info.gig@cilip.org.uk.