Added Values: How do we monetize them?

Despite the downturn in the economy which has affected us all, IAEI has been looking for ways to provide additional services to help its members and the electrical industry.

One of the most exciting new services is IAEI Career Center which was recently launched in March. This interactive job board focuses on electrical industry companies and offers IAEI members — and the electrical industry at large — an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections.

For Job Seekers

IAEI Career Center is a free service that provides access to employers and jobs in the electrical industry.

FREE and confidential resume posting – Make your resume available to employers in the industry, confidentially if you choose.

Jobs listed by geographical areas for your convenience – We will be hosting listings from the U. S. and Canada and around the world, and the Career Center will indicate their geographical areas for your convenience.

Easy job application – Apply online and create a password-protected account for managing your job search.

Save jobs capability – Save up to 100 jobs to a folder in your account so you can come back to apply when you are ready.

If you were to put a price tag on this value added service, how much is this service worth to you? If one has been out of work for awhile, it could make the difference of being employed again. If you’ve not experienced unemployment, it could be used to seek out new career opportunities if one so wishes.

IAEI’s Social Media

Other exciting services now available to you are IAEI’s social media: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, all of which are growing quickly.

Twitter is an excellent way to send quick announcements or instructions to your entire group at once. Just keep it short — 140 characters — just the length of the boldface letters in this sentence.

Facebook is like the backyard cookouts where you brag about your achievements, tell a few jokes and unwind from the day. It’s a casual place for friends to hang out.

LinkedIn is all about business and our site is growing by leaps and bounds. You’ll find stimulating conversations, additional resources, and meet new people in the industry.

How much are these benefits worth to you? By networking with your peers and other industry professionals, IAEI’s social media groups could be priceless! By using IAEI’s social media such as LinkedIn you could, as an example, find the answer to a tough code question by communicating with your peers; this could save you valuable time and resources.

Great North American Educational Adventure

On page 99 in this issue, you’ll read about the “Great North American Educational Adventure” that will be occurring across this continent between August and October 2012. You’re invited! You have the privilege of attending one or all of the IAEI’s annual section meetings. Members and non-members are welcome to attend any of the section meetings. If you are not a member today, sign up to take advantage of member discounts on registration, training courses, publications and other IAEI offerings. The dollar savings will soon add up and offset your annual membership fees of $102.00.

Have you ever visited another IAEI section? Consider this my personal invitation to you to meet me at the section meetings. Even if you can come for only one day, you’ll see code interpretations from a different perspective.

How much is this experience worth to you if it means the difference between upgrading your skills in order to perform your job duties? Companies today understand the value of continuing education and the importance for individuals to take responsibility for their own personal professional development. Continuing your education can make the difference to advance to the next level in your professional career.

Free Newsletter

Each Wednesday, IAEI publishes an e-newsletter of selected latest information in the electrical industry. This is designed to keep you up-to-date without your having to read hundreds of newspapers or Google many topics — a major timesaver and resource. It’s yours free; all you have to do is register to receive it. You’ll find the sign-up spot on the front page of the website.
Knowing what’s going on in the industry, could be worth a promotion.

What Is a Benefit Worth?

Some benefits are simply hard to monetize! For example, how much is it worth to be able to contact several AHJs from different areas to get their opinion on an installation or their interpretation of a specific code rule. Or how do you value a brotherhood of like-minded professionals who have the same goals to provide electrical safety to the public.

According to the latest membership survey, 73% of you joined IAEI because someone valued their membership enough to invite you.

How do you monetize resources that may seem to have little current value but that could prove to be priceless?

David Clements
David Clements is CEO/Executive Director of IAEI. He has been an active IAEI member at the local, section and national levels for more than twenty-five years. He served as international board member from 1995 until 2007 when he served as our 2007 international president. In 2010, he retired after twenty-nine years with Nova Scotia Power, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as their chief electrical inspector. During his tenure as chief electrical inspector, he was a voting member on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Technical Committee on the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, a member of the Regulatory Authority Committee and member of the Canadian Advisory Committee on Electrical Safety. He has served on NFPA Smart Grid Steering Committee, Electrical Infrastructure Training Program and is presently a member of the UL Electrical Council.