Nathaly Pinchuk, RPR, CMP Executive Director IPM

Association membership is also at an all time high. Full members of IPM’s four professional associations have successfully completed their prerequisite accreditation program and have earned the right to use the respective professional designation beside their name as part of member benefits. Ever wonder how many use them? You’ll be surprised to note that with over 2,600 members, there is still a significant number of individuals who don’t use their earned designations or file away their certificates in a bottom drawer where they will never be seen again.

With today’s social networks like LinkedIn, we often see suspended members using the designation as part of their credentials which is a “no-no”, similar to other associations’ rules and procedures. Our associations like most others are developing a policy to deal with these and remind past members of the misuse of designations.

So what happens to the current bonafide members who have earned the designation, renew annually and receive an annual membership certificate which should technically be displayed in their workplace? Do you use your professional designation on all business correspondence and emails? Is your certificate framed and hanging on your wall? If not, we strongly urge you to implement this as soon as possible.

Professional designations are always vital and useful. Don’t wait until you learn that your organization is downsizing or even worse, you’ve been unexpectedly laid off, to start using the designations and hunting around for certificates to include with your resume. Bring them front and centre.

Add the designation to your name on your email signatures and business correspondence. It won’t add too much text to the information you already have.

Keep your certificate framed and hung on a wall or displayed on a shelf in your office to show others what you have accomplished on a daily basis.

We’ve had some input from valued members lately asking about policies for using their designations. Apparently, certain employers are only permitting them to use one or two designations and others fall through the cracks. As one distinguished member described it, her employer wants a “clean and simple approach” to signatures and suggested using the only one relevant to her position, which wasn’t even CHRP. She spoke up and is now using all designations which really don’t complicate the signature line.

Over the past 28 years, we have put in extensive time, effort and marketing dollars to promote our professional designations.

We see some success in this with the number of employers advertising our designation as preferred in their job qualifications. The ultimate success of making professional designations recognized in all HR and management positions entails that our membership must make these educational credentials known to others on a regular ongoing daily basis, not only when they’re in crisis mode looking for another job.

The ball is in your court now.

Add your professional designation to your signature and dust off that certificate that you’ve hidden somewhere in your fi les to display in your workplace.

This will not only help you but your peers as well!

Nathaly Pinchuk, RPR, CMP Executive Director IPM Institute of Professional Management