How my IABC Membership got me where I am today

By Brent Carey, ABC

Brent Carey, ABC, shares how active engagement with IABC can support your professional growth and propel your career forward in “How my IABC membership got me where I am today.”

“You should join this organization called IABC – International Association of Business Communicators. The company will pay for it and being a member could be helpful as you’re starting out in the profession. Good for networking and a library of resources. Check it out.”

I had never heard of IABC. But having just started out in my professional life – it was my first job out of university – and respecting my colleague’s more experienced perspective, and figuring might as well if it’s paid for, I joined IABC as a member of the Toronto chapter. That was in 1994. Now I knew I had a great job opportunity, and I gained a lot of experience during my stint with that company, but looking back, I actually think that moment could have been the most influential of my career. I am not exaggerating to make a point. 

Over the next few years, I was an avid but mostly passive user of IABC resources. I soaked up all their written materials, Communication World and the IABC/Toronto newsletter (this was pre-Internet, IABC didn’t have a website until 1995), and attended some local events. The World Conference was in Toronto in 1995, and my department shared a registration, so I was able to take in a few sessions. It provided absolutely inspiring content and ideas for a junior communicator. Being an introvert, I was intimidated by the gathering of talent and didn’t really talk to anyone. I wish I had, knowing now how friendly and welcoming IABC members are. I kept this passive approach going for several years, always learning and trying as best I could to apply the knowledge at work. 

Another key moment for my IABC and professional life came in 2003 when I won an IABC/Toronto OVATION award. It was an incredibly proud moment and provided validation from my peers that I was doing good work. This confidence boost caused me to think about what was next for my career and my IABC experience. I started to wonder about becoming accredited so I  attended an information session put on by a Toronto member. I decided to take the plunge, which at the time included two portfolio submissions and a grueling half-day exam made up of essay questions and a simulated crisis situation interview. In the summer of 2004, almost exactly 10 years after having entered the profession, I was able to proudly display the letters ABC (Accredited Business Communicator) after my name. 

Then came the moment that literally changed the course of my career.

I knew that with the credentials and experience as a seasoned communicator (I personally never loved the term senior communicator) it was time for me to start giving back to the profession and the association that had provided me with so much. I decided to start volunteering with IABC. I really did enter into it with selfless intentions, but little did I know how much more personal gain I would get out of that decision. It was truly the defining moment of my senior-level career, and it’s too bad I waited so long!

But how and where to volunteer? Being fresh out of the accreditation process, I reached out to one of my exam proctors, who I had connected well with (we are still close today). This was my first tapping of my growing IABC network. She invited me to sit on IABC/Toronto’s new Accreditation College (support for members going through the process), and so it began. I ran the College for a bit, making dozens of new connections and even friendships, and then was invited to join the board of IABC/Toronto. The following seven years – as VP Accreditation, VP Association Management, EVP, President and Past President – were some of the most productive and exhilarating of my career. I developed leadership skills and expanded my network immeasurably. I represented the Toronto chapter internationally and made connections and a name for myself with IABC International. 

In 2011, when my time with the Toronto chapter was up, I was asked to join the World Conference Program Advisory Committee for a two-year term. I chaired the 2012 Conference in Chicago, another career milestone and development opportunity. I will never, ever forget meeting, chatting with and introducing Robert. F. Kennedy Jr. as a keynote speaker, in front of 1,500 of my new friends.  

I took a year off to breathe, but I couldn’t stay away. IABC Canada East Region needed some experienced help so I joined for a three-year term as Incoming/Chair/Past. The depth of talent in the Canadian communications profession humbled and inspired me. And this propelled me to new connections, new experience, and new heights in my career. 

Your IABC story will be different, of course. Why am I sharing mine? It’s to drive home the point that your IABC membership – in particular the network you can build and opportunities for volunteering – can make a real difference in your professional life. It can literally change your career. 

I’ll share one final story to illustrate this. In 2006, I was at a low point in my engagement at work. And since life is too short to be in an objectionable environment, I reached out to my new IABC friend who had proctored my accreditation exam and who I had volunteered with at the Accreditation College. I asked her about a job posting I had seen (on the IABC/Toronto job board, of course) at her company. Her response was “Don’t even think about that job, come work for me. We’ll do great things together.” And so I did. And we did. There was no job posting, I never applied or interviewed, I’m not even sure if I ever sent her my resume. She knew, through our IABC time together, that I was good at what I did and that we would work well together. This of course is a unique story and maybe an extreme example. But it happened, and it was thanks to IABC and what I made of my membership. 

What will you make of yours?