LEARNING
Wednesday 13th April 2022
Why becoming chartered is good for business
The Value of Chartership report explores the views of over 300 surveyed chartered members and finds two-fifths (39%) believe respect for chartership in PR and marketing has increased.
However, the majority (72%) of respondents feel it is less respected in comparison to other chartered professions such as accountancy or engineering.
Despite this statistic, the report finds becoming chartered can provide a competitive edge for marketing and PR professionals:
- Over four in ten (43%) argue it is very important for careers
- Three in ten (31%) state being chartered provides them with an edge to win new business
- 15 per cent have been able to demand a higher salary or increase their rates because of their chartership status.
The study also explores the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), with 72 per cent of respondents arguing that regularly upskilling is crucial in order to progress their career.
How does chartership work?
The CIPR’s Royal Charter includes the power to grant the status of Chartered Public Relations Practitioner to individuals who meet the required standard of professional distinction.
Their website states:
“Just as chartered status is the norm in other professions, it is our mission to build a chartered public relations profession. We already have hundreds of Chartered PR Practitioners and each year we award chartered status to many more.
“Chartered status represents the highest standard of professional excellence and integrity. As well as reflecting your breadth of experience and achievements, it shows that you keep pace in a fast-moving profession, updating your knowledge and skills through CPD.”
To find out more, please see the chartership process.
I encourage IC professionals to consider applying and going through the process. It’s a fantastic way to further your own professional development and is good for business.
I regularly have conversations with All Things IC’s clients and Comms friends who want to know what it means.
Some of the findings in the study don't surprise me as I agree there’s a way to go before it’s seen in equal measure to other professions, but I think energy is better spent on encouraging PR and Comms pros to focus on their professional development, rather than worrying about what others think.
Too much time is wasted looking inwardly and being concerned about positioning. I’d rather use momentum and conversations to drive the profession forward from the inside out. Regular readers of my blogs and my podcast listeners will know I believe what happens inside is reflected outside. That applies to the way we learn and nourish our professional development.
For today’s modern internal communicator, we have incredible opportunities to invest in our continuing professional development. The more we learn through being curious and furthering our own knowledge, the greater the personal and professional benefits.
Whether you do so via a professional body, or in your own way, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to opportunities to learn about the wonderful world of internal communication. Attending an All Things IC Masterclass, reading the All Things IC blog or listening to episodes of my Candid Comms podcast earns you CPD via CIPR.
Organisations benefit from having internal communicators who are committed to learning about their profession. Employees do too.
What is it like to go for chartership?
I shared my experiences of gaining chartership status back in 2017 via this article: How to become a chartered PR practitioner.
More internal communicators had started to apply and I felt encouraged to do the same. On my assessment day I was the only IC professional in the room and was proud to be there. The conversations with PR professionals and External Comms peers was fascinating. We all learnt from each other through our respective perspectives on business problems.
Why is chartership good for business?
Incoming All Things IC Communication Consultant Dan Holden wrote about his route to becoming chartered via his blog: #GetChartered – we can all aim high.
Dan is the Chair of CIPR Inside, the internal communication sector group from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
He says: “We know within our organisations that colleagues working in disciplines such as accountancy, human resources and engineering often place high value in their Chartered status. As communicators, we often don’t put ourselves in the spotlight and give ourselves enough recognition.
For me, chartership helps fellow internal communicators show that our profession is exact that, a profession. Its an opportunity for us to say we’re skilled, experienced and qualified people who add an incredible amount of value to our organisations.
“I’ve had a few conversations where by introducing myself as a Chartered PR Practitioner has seen people pay more attention to what I have to say. Maybe like you, I hadn’t thought about going for chartership as my specialism was only Internal Communication. However, fellow Inside committee members encouraged me to do so and I’m glad I did.
“We’re part of a profession that allows people to choose IC and progress from an entry level role all the way through to Director level or perhaps going freelance. No matter what IC journey you are on, chartership is there to show the world you’re part of a bigger profession.”
In industries that are constantly evolving with technological advancements and emerging social pressures, there is an almost unanimous agreement that demonstrating a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) is a crucial part of the job.
Alastair McCapra, CEO, CIPR says: “Compared to other sectors, our industries have the advantage of low barriers of entry into the profession but a disadvantage in the number of qualified and professionally accredited professionals. We know what we do delivers value and so do our clients, but research shows a continued lack of collective confidence.
“This research highlights how chartered status overcomes this by providing pride, status, and confidence to individual practitioners. When compared to other professionals, or as seen by other professionals, our status is low but improving. Chartered status is an essential tool in increasing this further and faster.”
Chris Daly, Chief Executive, CIM says: “The past few years have underlined the critical role marketing and PR professionals have had in supporting and guiding businesses through a turbulent time. Rising consumer expectations for organisations to act ethically and communicate effectively, coupled with ‘the great resignation’ has put a greater emphasis than ever on the development of skilled PR and marketing practitioners.”
“There has always been a concern that investing in the development of staff may just accelerate their departure, but this joint research shows that chartered practitioners can provide a real financial boost for businesses – something that is crucial as we look to recover from the pandemic.”
How to apply to become chartered via CIPR
According to the CIPR website: “If you are an MCIPR or FCIPR grade member and have started logging CIPR CPD, you can apply to become a Chartered PR Practitioner. We will need evidence of your commitment to life-long learning, which can include CIPR CPD, CIPR Qualifications/Training, or other evidence of recent professional development in public relations.
Complete the Chartered Status Application form and upload supporting evidence of continuing professional development. This could include copies of certificates, a record of completing CPD under another scheme or proof of undertaken training.
CIPR assess your skills, knowledge and experience in leadership, strategy and ethics and recommend contacting them to discuss the most appropriate time for you undertake an assessment day.
How to learn more about becoming chartered
There is a wealth of resources online to help IC professionals explore chartership. I’ve linked to resources below.
I hope you find them helpful if you’d like to find out more.
- CIPR website
- How to become chartered – a Q&A with members
- Chartered assessment for the remote world
- Why more internal communicators should get chartered – by Martin Flegg
- How to get chartered – by Sarah Roberts
- How to become a chartered PR practitioner – by Rachel Miller
- #GetChartered – we can all aim high – by Dan Holden
- Download the report: The Value of Chartership.
Image by Chinnapong on iStock
This post was first published on the All Things IC blog 13 April 2022.