I don't know about you but I find it easy to get bogged down with the daily list of tasks and deliverables. We all have lots to do and it all seems to be due tomorrow. If you are reading this blog, than your to-do list is almost certainly filled with tasks related to the management, processing and publishing of information. As we get mired in the daily routine of making sure that the content management needs of the organizations are met, we can easily lose sight of the value that we bring. After all, if information and content is the lifeblood of our organizations, then surely maintaining the healthy flow of that information has real value. But how can you measure that value and bring it forward on your résumé or your list of achievements in time for your next performance review?
The AIIM organization has spent a lot of time recently researching the value of certification for "information professionals". When it comes to enterprise content management (ECM) there are many areas of specialization including records management, content archivist, digital asset manager, content librarian and more. Specialization can clearly drive up your value but it can also lock you into a narrow niche area of focus. AIIM has found that what companies also need is someone that can apply their knowledge of how information is managed within the operational scope of the business in order to drive real, measurable strategic value. When you can showcase the value of a broader, business-wide mindset to your management, you have more opportunity to make professional progress and drive real growth where it counts, your paycheck.
We here on the Oracle WebCenter team partnered with AIIM on the research they performed around the value of an information professional certification program. In a webinar this week, Doug Miles of AIIM and I will be talking about the results of that recent survey and what it is going to mean in the future to be recognized as a "Certified Information Professional" (CIP). Oracle sponsored this research to help individuals and companies understand the value of enterprise content management and what it means across the entire organization. I hope you will join us.
If any of us were stopped in the street and were asked about it, I bet most of us would think of ourselves as an "Information Professional". Now we have a way to actually prove it! There's only one downside that I can see... you will have to get your business cards updated to include the "CIP" acronym after your name. I think you will agree that is a price worth paying!
