Article: Are You Ready to Become an ABC?

Does your portfolio of work display quality and diversity? Maybe you are in between jobs right now? Have you submitted a project or program for an award? Are you ready to step up in your career?This may be the time to look into becoming an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC). See if the time is right by completing the competency matrix in the Accreditation section of www.iabc.com/abc.

In a recent Heritage Region roundtable discussion by IABC Chapter leaders, the focus was on the value of achieving accreditation (ABC). Chapter leaders agreed that the value of being earning the ABC is in the opportunity to measure your career growth, demonstrate command of communication skills, and determine if you meet a global standard.

Ray Atkins, ABC, APR, Director of Corporate Communications of Pilgrim Pride Corporation, describes the accreditation experience this way:

“In my experience it was as much about going through the process as it was in achieving accreditation. I was at the point in my career where I wanted to take on a new challenge and learn to think in new ways. Actually, it reinforced many of the things I already knew, but it forced me to think more about why I’m doing things in the first place and what I’m trying to accomplish, rather than just how to get things done. There’s certainly a great deal of satisfaction and validation in meeting the global standard, but to me the most valuable part of it all was in brushing up my skills and focusing in on what’s really important.”

If you’d like to talk about it or you’d like a mentor to take you through the process, contact Pat Masterson (patomalley74@msn.com).