Weekend Poll: Professional Associations & Networks

In my Real Careers interviews, we routinely discuss professional associations and networks – and the benefits derived from active participation in such bodies.

Today, for the fifth consecutive year, I’m inviting all readers to have your say on professional networks and associations.

Which networks are you proud to claim as your own?

… and how do they impact you? As is the norm, I’ve designed this Weekend Poll so that you should be able to complete it in five minutes or less.

Please share this poll

with colleagues and peers in your various networks, as we look at …

How professional associations and networks impact your career

Please take a couple of minutes to complete the poll below, and check back here for results.

1. Do you belong to any professional associations or networks?

Yes	No
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No

2. If you DO belong to one or more professional associations/networks, select the number to which you belong.

1 (internal network)	1 (external network or association)	2	3	4	5	6	>6
1 (internal network)Item #1 1 (internal network)	1 (external network or association)Item #1 1 (external network or association)	2Item #1 2	3Item #1 3	4Item #1 4	5Item #1 5	6Item #1 6	>6Item #1 >6

3. Please name external professional associations/networks to which you belong.

4. If you do NOT belong to a professional association or network, which of the following best describes the reason?

I'm not aware of one in my area	I'm not interested	Budget constraints	Time constraints
I'm not aware of one in my areaItem #1 I'm not aware of one in my area	I'm not interestedItem #1 I'm not interested	Budget constraintsItem #1 Budget constraints	Time constraintsItem #1 Time constraints

5. Do you participate in an internal network or association at your place of employment?

Yes	No; we don't have one	No; we have one but membership is role-based and I'm not eligible	No; we have one but I'm too busy/the schedule doesn't work out	No; I'm just not interested
YesYes Yes	No; we don't have oneYes No; we don't have one	No; we have one but membership is role-based and I'm not eligibleYes No; we have one but membership is role-based and I'm not eligible	No; we have one but I'm too busy/the schedule doesn't work outYes No; we have one but I'm too busy/the schedule doesn't work out	No; I'm just not interestedYes No; I'm just not interested

6. If you belong to an INTERNAL network, please indicate whether you agree or not that the network has had positive impacts as follows.

7. If you'd like to elaborate on any of the impacts identified in # 6 (or on one not included in that list), please do so below.

8. Which are the three most significant positive impacts your networks/professional associations have on your career?

	advocacy	contacts	credential/ certification	conferences /skills	confidence	issue/ trend insights	leadership skills	peer support
1	advocacy1 advocacy	contacts1 contacts	credential/ certification1 credential/ certification	conferences /skills1 conferences /skills	confidence1 confidence	issue/ trend insights1 issue/ trend insights	leadership skills1 leadership skills	peer support1 peer support
2	advocacy2 advocacy	contacts2 contacts	credential/ certification2 credential/ certification	conferences /skills2 conferences /skills	confidence2 confidence	issue/ trend insights2 issue/ trend insights	leadership skills2 leadership skills	peer support2 peer support
3	advocacy3 advocacy	contacts3 contacts	credential/ certification3 credential/ certification	conferences /skills3 conferences /skills	confidence3 confidence	issue/ trend insights3 issue/ trend insights	leadership skills3 leadership skills	peer support3 peer support

9. How long have you been involved in professional associations or networks?

<1 year	1-2 years	3-5 years	6-8 years	9-10 years	11-15 years	16-20 years	21-25 years	26+ years
<1 yearItem #1 <1 year	1-2 yearsItem #1 1-2 years	3-5 yearsItem #1 3-5 years	6-8 yearsItem #1 6-8 years	9-10 yearsItem #1 9-10 years	11-15 yearsItem #1 11-15 years	16-20 yearsItem #1 16-20 years	21-25 yearsItem #1 21-25 years	26+ yearsItem #1 26+ years

10. Have you leveraged contacts from your external professional association(s) or network(s) to benefit your employer?

Yes	No	Not yet, but that's a good idea
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No	Not yet, but that's a good ideaItem #1 Not yet, but that's a good idea

11. Has membership in such associations/networks enhanced your workplace performance?

Yes	No
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No

12. Is your employer aware of the positive impact your network/association has upon your performance and/or contacts that you leverage for the benefit of your organisation?

Yes; I’ve communicated this to my employer	Yes; my employer recognises this independent of my communications on the matter	No
Yes; I’ve communicated this to my employerItem #1 Yes; I’ve communicated this to my employer	Yes; my employer recognises this independent of my communications on the matterItem #1 Yes; my employer recognises this independent of my communications on the matter	NoItem #1 No

13. Has membership in such associations/networks enhanced your career?

Yes	No	It's early days; I don't yet know
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No	It's early days; I don't yet knowItem #1 It's early days; I don't yet know

14. Has membership in such associations/networks enhanced your social life?

Yes	No
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No

15. Have you held any leadership positions within such associations/ networks?

Yes	No
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No

16. What percentage of membership in your network(s)/association(s) do you estimate is male?

	0%	1-5%	6-10%	11-20%	21-30%	31-40%	41-50%	>50%
Network/association 1	0%Network/association 1 0%	1-5%Network/association 1 1-5%	6-10%Network/association 1 6-10%	11-20%Network/association 1 11-20%	21-30%Network/association 1 21-30%	31-40%Network/association 1 31-40%	41-50%Network/association 1 41-50%	>50%Network/association 1 >50%
Network/association 2	0%Network/association 2 0%	1-5%Network/association 2 1-5%	6-10%Network/association 2 6-10%	11-20%Network/association 2 11-20%	21-30%Network/association 2 21-30%	31-40%Network/association 2 31-40%	41-50%Network/association 2 41-50%	>50%Network/association 2 >50%
Other networks/associations	0%Other networks/associations 0%	1-5%Other networks/associations 1-5%	6-10%Other networks/associations 6-10%	11-20%Other networks/associations 11-20%	21-30%Other networks/associations 21-30%	31-40%Other networks/associations 31-40%	41-50%Other networks/associations 41-50%	>50%Other networks/associations >50%

17. How is your membership in external networks/associations funded?

Self-funded	Employer-funded	Self- and employer-funded	N/A – no associated costs or fees
Self-fundedItem #1 Self-funded	Employer-fundedItem #1 Employer-funded	Self- and employer-fundedItem #1 Self- and employer-funded	N/A – no associated costs or feesItem #1 N/A – no associated costs or fees

18. Do any of your professional associations/networks offer certifications or credentials?

Yes	No
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No

19. Do any of your professional associations/networks offer awards/peer recognition?

Yes	No
YesYes Yes	NoYes No

20. Do any of your networks/professional associations offer mentorship programs?

Yes	No
YesItem #1 Yes	NoItem #1 No

21. Which of these channels do you most use for your professional association/networkcommunications? NOTE: Please ID the most frequently used channel on line 1, and so on in descending order

	Website	Email	Facebook	Instagram	LinkedIn	Twitter	YouTube	Other
1	Website1 Website	Email1 Email	Facebook1 Facebook	Instagram1 Instagram	LinkedIn1 LinkedIn	Twitter1 Twitter	YouTube1 YouTube	Other1 Other
2	Website2 Website	Email2 Email	Facebook2 Facebook	Instagram2 Instagram	LinkedIn2 LinkedIn	Twitter2 Twitter	YouTube2 YouTube	Other2 Other
3	Website3 Website	Email3 Email	Facebook3 Facebook	Instagram3 Instagram	LinkedIn3 LinkedIn	Twitter3 Twitter	YouTube3 YouTube	Other3 Other
4	Website4 Website	Email4 Email	Facebook4 Facebook	Instagram4 Instagram	LinkedIn4 LinkedIn	Twitter4 Twitter	YouTube4 YouTube	Other4 Other
5	Website5 Website	Email5 Email	Facebook5 Facebook	Instagram5 Instagram	LinkedIn5 LinkedIn	Twitter5 Twitter	YouTube5 YouTube	Other5 Other
6	Website6 Website	Email6 Email	Facebook6 Facebook	Instagram6 Instagram	LinkedIn6 LinkedIn	Twitter6 Twitter	YouTube6 YouTube	Other6 Other
7	Website7 Website	Email7 Email	Facebook7 Facebook	Instagram7 Instagram	LinkedIn7 LinkedIn	Twitter7 Twitter	YouTube7 YouTube	Other7 Other

Website

Exceptional EA

a resource for assistants around the globe, published since 2013 by international trainer Shelagh Donnelly

Weekend Poll: Professional Associations & Networks

Which networks are you proud to claim as your own?

Please share this poll

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What’s on your boards? I pin Real Careers alumni, thoughts for the day, Weekend Poll results, and a lot of great travel

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	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree
standard operating procedures (SOPs)	Strongly agreestandard operating procedures (SOPs) Strongly agree	Agreestandard operating procedures (SOPs) Agree	Disagreestandard operating procedures (SOPs) Disagree
workflow	Strongly agreeworkflow Strongly agree	Agreeworkflow Agree	Disagreeworkflow Disagree
streamlined processes	Strongly agreestreamlined processes Strongly agree	Agreestreamlined processes Agree	Disagreestreamlined processes Disagree
processes, protocols, policies better understood	Strongly agreeprocesses, protocols, policies better understood Strongly agree	Agreeprocesses, protocols, policies better understood Agree	Disagreeprocesses, protocols, policies better understood Disagree
templates - support consistency, professionalism and create efficiencies	Strongly agreetemplates - support consistency, professionalism and create efficiencies Strongly agree	Agreetemplates - support consistency, professionalism and create efficiencies Agree	Disagreetemplates - support consistency, professionalism and create efficiencies Disagree
skills enhancement	Strongly agreeskills enhancement Strongly agree	Agreeskills enhancement Agree	Disagreeskills enhancement Disagree
increased confidence	Strongly agreeincreased confidence Strongly agree	Agreeincreased confidence Agree	Disagreeincreased confidence Disagree
public speaking skills development	Strongly agreepublic speaking skills development Strongly agree	Agreepublic speaking skills development Agree	Disagreepublic speaking skills development Disagree
leadership opportunities	Strongly agreeleadership opportunities Strongly agree	Agreeleadership opportunities Agree	Disagreeleadership opportunities Disagree
contribute to initiatives that stretch/ showcase my skills	Strongly agreecontribute to initiatives that stretch/ showcase my skills Strongly agree	Agreecontribute to initiatives that stretch/ showcase my skills Agree	Disagreecontribute to initiatives that stretch/ showcase my skills Disagree
less reinvention of the wheel	Strongly agreeless reinvention of the wheel Strongly agree	Agreeless reinvention of the wheel Agree	Disagreeless reinvention of the wheel Disagree
reduction/ breaking down of silos	Strongly agreereduction/ breaking down of silos Strongly agree	Agreereduction/ breaking down of silos Agree	Disagreereduction/ breaking down of silos Disagree
general sense of collaboration, support	Strongly agreegeneral sense of collaboration, support Strongly agree	Agreegeneral sense of collaboration, support Agree	Disagreegeneral sense of collaboration, support Disagree
mentorship opportunities - formal or informal	Strongly agreementorship opportunities - formal or informal Strongly agree	Agreementorship opportunities - formal or informal Agree	Disagreementorship opportunities - formal or informal Disagree
supports succession planning	Strongly agreesupports succession planning Strongly agree	Agreesupports succession planning Agree	Disagreesupports succession planning Disagree
opportunities for assistants' voices/ insights to be heard	Strongly agreeopportunities for assistants' voices/ insights to be heard Strongly agree	Agreeopportunities for assistants' voices/ insights to be heard Agree	Disagreeopportunities for assistants' voices/ insights to be heard Disagree
a sense that I'm not in this alone	Strongly agreea sense that I'm not in this alone Strongly agree	Agreea sense that I'm not in this alone Agree	Disagreea sense that I'm not in this alone Disagree
improved morale	Strongly agreeimproved morale Strongly agree	Agreeimproved morale Agree	Disagreeimproved morale Disagree
opportunities to elevate my profile/ reputation	Strongly agreeopportunities to elevate my profile/ reputation Strongly agree	Agreeopportunities to elevate my profile/ reputation Agree	Disagreeopportunities to elevate my profile/ reputation Disagree
good for employee engagement	Strongly agreegood for employee engagement Strongly agree	Agreegood for employee engagement Agree	Disagreegood for employee engagement Disagree
increased transparency/ information flow	Strongly agreeincreased transparency/ information flow Strongly agree	Agreeincreased transparency/ information flow Agree	Disagreeincreased transparency/ information flow Disagree
better comms re initiatives/ programs/ changes to be implemented	Strongly agreebetter comms re initiatives/ programs/ changes to be implemented Strongly agree	Agreebetter comms re initiatives/ programs/ changes to be implemented Agree	Disagreebetter comms re initiatives/ programs/ changes to be implemented Disagree
better insights on the organisation	Strongly agreebetter insights on the organisation Strongly agree	Agreebetter insights on the organisation Agree	Disagreebetter insights on the organisation Disagree

Exceptional EA

a resource for assistants around the globe, published since 2013 by international trainer Shelagh Donnelly

Weekend Poll: Professional Associations & Networks

Which networks are you proud to claim as your own?

Please share this poll

Share this with someone you care about.

Like this:

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Stay in touch

STAY INFORMED

READERS’ TOP PICKS TODAY

If you haven’t already, follow Shelagh on Facebook

Shelagh’s on Twitter: Click any URL or image to learn more

Or browse by category

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

What’s on your boards? I pin Real Careers alumni, thoughts for the day, Weekend Poll results, and a lot of great travel

Exceptional EA’s archives

Click on any date for that day’s posts

Looking for something specific?

E&O

Stay in touch

STAY INFORMED

READERS’ TOP PICKS TODAY

If you haven’t already, follow Shelagh on Facebook

Or browse by category

Shelagh’s on Twitter: Click any URL or image to learn more

What’s on your boards? I pin Real Careers alumni, thoughts for the day, Weekend Poll results, and a lot of great travel

Exceptional EA’s archives

Click on any date for that day’s posts

Looking for something specific?

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Copyright notice