COMMITTEE UPDATE (FIRST QUARTER): PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
What projects and/or tasks did the committee work on?
The professional development committee (PDC) met twice in the first quarter to make progress on 2020 goals. The mentorship program is currently undergoing a reboot to expand beyond student/professional pairings. The committee also worked on its resume review and 1:1 mock interview services. There was a surge in requests for these offerings during the 2019 annual conference as they transitioned the process to a digital format on-site (10 new requests). The committee is also exploring new ways in which they can support professional development for the entire AORE membership, which is a shift from our previous focus on students.What were the committee's top three accomplishments during the reporting period?
The committee increased attendance and engagement at meetings, with nine attendees participating in February. They also engaged membership on a new PDC message board and have already helped pair up nine mentorship matches for interested members (with more coming!).
Is there a member story or project that highlights the committee’s focus area?
Kristy Elliot, the Southern Adventures Program Director at Georgia Southern University- Statesboro recently joined our committee. Here’s a little bit of what she had to say about her interest in getting involved with our committee:
“After the AORE conference last year, I was paired up with Sam for the mentorship program. Being paired up with Sam and being in the mentorship program helped me development, learn, and grow so much over the past year. During the past year (the first year of my GA-ship), both of my directors left Georgia Southern and Sam coached me through the process of leading the program and staff by myself until further leadership stepped in, which turned out to be almost five months. When the position for the Director spot opened up, Sam encouraged me to apply. He helped me navigate the process of being an internal candidate and interviewing for my first post-graduate assistantship position. In the end I was hired as the new director for our program and truly think that Sam's guidance had a lot to do with that."
Describe how the committee’s work during the reporting period connects to AORE’s strategic framework as well as trends and issues happening in the larger outdoor industry.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee anticipates that AORE members will increasingly seek assistance and guidance with regards to professional development (one of the Association's four strategic anchors). With summer right around the corner, the ugly reality is that many seasonal employees will be out of work and full-timers may be facing furlough. The committee hopes to pivot its role and build capacity to help members anticipate and prepare for these impacts.
With the expansion of the mentorship program, the committee will not only aim to serve students, but also emerging professionals who are in their first professional role and seeking mentorship. The committee is actively looking for seasoned/veteran professionals to serve as mentors to these emerging professionals. A sign-up form is available in AORE's member portal. The PDC also stresses that now is a great time to update your resume and showcase what marketable skills you have gained during the COVID-19 crisis? Members can submit a resume for review through AORE's member portal.
Please share a link to one recent news article or other resource that relates to the committee’s focus.
The PDC understands how many members are navigating challenges related to working from home for the first time. They shared an article how to stay productive in remote work environments in the hopes that members might find it helpful.
Photo Captions:
Image #1: 1st Annual Conference Career Fair was a big success. Thanks for the Professional Development Committee for volunteering and helping kick this off.
Image #2: Thanks to our outgoing PDC Chair, Andrew Lyburn, for all of his hard work and valuable insights!