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CAP Job Search Tutorial: Professional Associations

This tutorial is for CAP students completing the Job Search Assignment at Seneca College.

What are Professional Associations?

Professional associations are organizations that provide a way to connect with people in the same industry or profession. This is done through networking at conferences, events, and workshops. Members of associations can also access specialized job boards and participate in the association meetings and job fairs.

Joining associations is a great way for students to keep up to date on news and trends in a specific industry. Networking is invaluable and associations welcome student participation and student volunteers. Students may receive discounted rates on membership fees.

Associations can also be called:

  • society–e.g. Society of Professional Accountants of Canada
  • institute–e.g. Canadian Institute of Steel Construction
  • federation–e.g. Canadian Apparel Federation

Selected Resources:

Professional associations are listed in electronic directories. For example, Associations Canada lists over 19,000 associations in Canada. Consult the database below to conduct the professional association research for your assignment.

â–ºLibrary database: Canada’s Information Resource Centre (CIRC)

â–ºWebsite: Listing of Professional Associations by school of Study