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CDI is operated by career professional, Laura DeCarlo,
and a two-tier Board of Directors comprised of volunteer industry
professionals. Their combined expertise encompasses resume writing,
career assessment, personal branding, online identity management,
prison transition, military transition, federal employment,
recruitment, human resources, outplacement, organizational
development, research, career coaching, public relations, marketing,
technical writing, training, and public speaking.
CDI was founded in 2000 as the Professional Resume Writing
and Research Association (PRWRA) to provide a venue for global
career professionals to access educational, networking and personal
/ professional development opportunities in the careers industry.
Since its
inception, the association has continued to grow from a resume
association to that of an innovative and comprehensive,
multi-discipline career association that has embraced all types of
career professionals from around the world.
In 2005 the
decision was made by the association's leadership to adopt the new
name of Career Directors International (CDI) in order to
provide an accurate portrayal of the depth and breadth of the
association's membership and benefits. As of January 2006, the
association has been known as CDI.
CDI is a diverse and exclusive learning and networking
organization that furnished career professionals from around the
globe with the resources necessary to position themselves as career
experts.
Career
professionals of all specialties have aligned themselves with CDI
to take advantage of their educational programs, conferences,
research, industry certification, business networking, community
outreach, marketing, and business development initiatives and
programs. CDI has developed a reputation as an early adopter
focused on innovation, and continues to maintain the position as the
career association that offers the most diverse and comprehensive
set of resources, tools, and educational opportunities available to
career professionals to help them to lead with the industry.
Currently,
CDI has distinguished itself by developing tailored programs to
meet emergency needs of the career professional. Each of the ten
(10) industry certifications has been developed by carefully
selected experts in their field. These programs include:
To learn more
about CDI’s certifications, visit
www.careerdirectors.com/cert.htm.
CDI hosts
a variety of learning opportunities, most of which are included in
the membership fee, to include:
In early 2007
CDI’s Research committee was seeking a new project when it
became evident that there were numerous industry trends that were
changing everything that job seekers and career professionals took
for granted. Among these major changes were: resume writing as it
transitions to a more electronic and paperless initiative, increase
in career fraud, dramatic changes in interviewing and networking
with the advent of social networking, and increase in background
investigation and privacy threats. The committee embarked on a
7-month project of literature reviews, research, and global human
resources and recruiter surveys to compile a 50-page report, which
has been recognized industry wide as a groundbreaking tool in
assisting both career professionals and job seekers in staying ahead
of the massive curve of change in the careers industry.
For more
information, visit
www.careerdirectors.com/research.htm. Media representatives can
request a copy of the 50-page report and the recent (10/07) 19-page
update report. The committee is currently working on a new report
which will include 2-3 new trends as well as updates on the existing
ones.
In 2001 CDI
proclaimed September as the official “International Update Your
Resume Month.”
September is the
perfect time to start a new approach to career care-taking. While
children are embarking on starting the new school year, adults
should also be taking stock of their professional attributes and
career value by updating their resumes. What we think of as a 'life
print,' or guideline for career development, will provide a
proactive approach toward meeting unforeseen market and company
changes, in reevaluating personal worth and in preparing to obtain
the next step in career growth. Too often job seekers avoid taking
this crucial step until the last minute, when they need their resume
yesterday. However, by declaring September as the official update
month, people will have the opportunity to better control and
champion their own futures.
During Update Your
Resume Month, career professionals around the globe are dedicated to
alerting job seekers to the value of taking this crucial step in
their career development. They will educate job seekers on one
service per week in September, including the Resume Update, Cover
Letter Development, Interview Preparation and Job Search Strategy.
Visit CDI’s
job seeker site for Update Your Resume Month at
http://www.careerdirectors.com/uyrm.htm.
International
Update Your References Week takes place the first full week of May
each year and was developed to assist job seekers in understanding
the importance of maintaining up-to-date references and reference
contacts throughout their careers (instead of just when they are
needed). Career professionals are furnished with the tools to
educate job seekers on maintaining and developing effective
references.
Visit CDI’s
job seeker site for Update Your References Week at
http://www.careerdirectors.com/uyrw.htm.
The Film
Industry has the Oscar; Musicians win Grammies; and Television
Executives call their award the Emmy. The Resume Industry recognizes
the TORI, short for Toast of the Resume Industry, which was
introduced by CDI in 2000.
Each May resume
writers from around the world enter up to nine different categories
which will be judged blindly by a panel of resume writers including
former winners and senior certified professionals. Up to five (5)
nominees are selected in each category and one (1) winner is
announced in each category at the annual conference awards ceremony
each October.
For more
information on the TORI awards, visit
www.careerdirectors.com/awards.htm.
Every effort is
made to connect our members around the globe with the primary
impetus emanating from CDI's International Committee. The
current committee has representatives in nine countries and is
responsible for developing international career resources and tools,
and providing the membership with up-to-date information on the
local and global careers community.
There are a wide
array of ways that CDI members can connect, which include:
-
Elist
Networking – participate in a private, member-only elist
-
Social
Network – participate in a private, member-only social network
-
Mentoring –
volunteer to mentor fellow career professionals or request
mentoring
-
Ask the
Expert Program – volunteer as an expert resource in one of many
categories (business and careers)
-
Committee
Volunteerism – join one of nine (9) active committees
(international relations, programs and innovation, member
relations, awards, certification -- by invitation only, career
research, conference planning, education, and public relations.)
-
Focus Groups
– participate in short-term focus group programs such as the
College-to-Career focus group.
-
Book Clubs –
attend monthly book club meetings to discuss new career and
business books.
-
Best
Practices Teleclasses – participate in monthly best practices
and trends classes for heated debates and Q&A on industry
topics.
-
Conference
Attendance – spend three (3) action-packed days interactive with
fellow career professionals from around the world.
-
Association
Leadership – get involved in guiding and leading CDI at a higher
level through a role with the Board of Directors (top tier) or
as a Committee Director. Prior leadership roles with CDI is not
a requirement but most Board roles are by invitation or
promotion from a committee role.
CDI strives to
audio record in MP3 all programs to make them available to members
who are geographically dispersed or physically limited with travel.
For additional
information, please contact us at 321-752-0442,
info@careerdirectors.com. |
