Member retention and engagement is the foundation of any effective membership program. But it isn’t simple.  

It requires you to continuously provide member value and a great member experience. It’s a journey that begins the moment a member joins your organization to the moment they renew each year. 

One highly effective way to keep your members around long term is to give them tools and opportunities that help them advance their careers. In fact, an association industry study by Community Brands shows that career advancement benefits are important and/or increasing in importance to members of professional membership associations. The same study shows that these benefits are especially valued by members who are early in their careers – your next generation of members.  

Looking to improve member retention? Give your job board a boost. 

Your online job board is a great place to start. For example, in addition to using your career center software to connect job-seeking members with job opportunities, provide members with resources that can help them throughout their career journey, such as: 

• Career path mapping – Give your members a roadmap to reach their professional goals. Using Career Journey, you can offer your members an online tool to map out their career path based on the job they want. It gives them a clear path, including the skills, learning, and job titles they need to reach their goals.

• Job seeker articles, tips, and recommendations – Offer content including résumé writing tips, interview techniques, job search ideas, and tips on social networking.
   
• Career coaches – Connect members with certified career coaches to help with things like job search strategies, résumé writing, and interview tips.
   
• Networking – Allow job seekers who view a job in your job board to see any LinkedIn connection they have who works at the company. This is a useful technology capability that can help them open doors to new opportunities.
   
• Professional education – Use your career center to promote your association’s online learning courses and credentials. For instance, recommend relevant courses that will make your members more qualified for the jobs they seek. You can do this by connecting your career center with your learning management system (LMS). This integration also allows members, upon exiting courses or receiving certifications, to be presented with job opportunities they are now qualified for. Adding a LMS provides an additional non-dues revenue source by creating a lasting value for members that will pay off throughout the member journey.
   
• Virtual career fairs – Virtual career fairs offer a convenient, low-cost alternative for job-seeking members to network and engage with employers when they can’t attend onsite events due to budget, schedule, health concerns, or other circumstances. You can offer these types of online events through your online career center. They offer many of the features of an onsite career fair without the need for employers, job seekers, and your organization’s staff to travel. Members and recruiters can meet one-on-one, online, in the comfort of their office or home.   

Your members are seeking professional growth, and they’re looking to you to provide this value. Enhancing your job board with helpful career resources is a great way to give members they value they seek so they’ll stick around for years to come. 

Learn more ways to improve member retention! 
Discover how to keep members around long term: Watch a 30-minute demo of YM Careers job board software.