Chartership progress

Ruth Jenkins

I have been working on Chartership with CILIP for a few months now, so wanted to write a post on how it’s going. Last week I spoke at a CILIP Thames Valley chartership meet-up about my experiences as a candidate, which was a good opportunity for reflection on what I’ve achieved so far, what has worked, and what hasn’t.

My PPDP

My PPDP (Personal Professional Development Plan) is possibly longer than it needs to be, but I’ve been approaching it as a working document – adding things here and there, including more than I’ll need for the final portfolio. It’ll be much easier to take things out at the end than add stuff.

A good piece of advice came out of the CILIP TV event, which I can really encourage and have found so helpful in building my PPDP:

Think about what you do in your everyday job – you do something every day which you can use in your portfolio #cilipTV#chartership

— Natalie Guest (@nataliepicken) September 4, 2013

I’ve made my PPDP quite worked-based, as during this first year of my first professional post, I’ve learnt so much and attended so much training. I’ve also made points quite specific. This has been a conscious choice after learning about SMART goals at a training event for staff annual reviews. For me, the more specific and attainable the goal, the more likely I am to actually achieve it. For example, I am more likely to ‘do online tutorial for using the internet for history research [link]‘, than ‘look into resources for subject liaison‘.

Find a support group – or build your own!

I am fortunate that the Library I work in really encourages Chartership, meaning there is a structured programme. There are also three other candidates working towards Chartership, so we have a ready-made group. If you don’t have others doing Chartership at your work place, there are plenty of other support networks available.

  • The #chartership hashtag is a great collection of others going through the process, as well as those who have completed it to offer advice and answers. There is a monthly #chartership chat, but the hashtag is also in use between these. I’ve found it helpful for getting opinions, and for reassurance!
  • The Jiscmail mailing list for Chartership is also invaluable. The candidate support officers often respond with advice and official information.
  • I’ve found face-to-face events, such as a the CILIP TV one last week, useful to compare and contrast progress. I’ve attended two Chartership events, and both have had past portfolios to leaf through – always helpful! These events are advertised on Jiscmail lists, so it’s worth signing up to a few that interest you.

The four of us doing Chartership at work meet for monthly meetings with a member of senior management to discuss a chapter of the New Professional’s Handbook by Corrall and Brewerton. As enlightening and informative as these sessions have been, I am not recommending this particular book – Published in 1999, it’s fair to say it’s now out-of-date! Nevertheless, these regular meetings were a great chance for the four of us to catch up and compare notes. This led to our arranging monthly Chartership workshops. We’ve booked a PC lab so we can work on our portfolios, chat about progress, and share useful information we’ve got from our respective mentors. Blocking out time like this, setting it aside for just Chartership work, and getting away from my desk, has seen my productivity soar!

I hope sharing these thoughts are helpful to my fellow Chartership candidates out there, or those considering starting (if you are, read up on the upcoming changes here). Let me know your hints and tips in the comments if you’d like to share!

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