Continuing Education: Building a Career Path in

RIM

Raymond K. Cunningham, Jr. CRM, CA, CDIA+, CIPP, ERM-m

University of Illinois FoundationSession # SU4-515

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:– Identify the most relevant certificates and

certifications for their career path – Identify which credentials lead to higher

salaries– Leverage their careers, enabling them to shift

job security from their employer to their profession

Disclosure

• My motivations

• I want to know what is on the résumé's of information professionals

• If I apply for a job, what do my competitors have?

• Does certification pay? What is worth doing?

What will we discuss?

• Three Pillars of your career in RIM

• Ceilings and how to avoid them

• How do I achieve security?

• Conclusions – What should I do now?

What are you seeking?

Careers are built – they do not happen

by luck

You must be proactive

in your career

RIM – ARMA Competencies Project

• Level I – Clerk, warehouse person

• Level II – Analyst, Assistant Records Manager, Microfilm/Imaging Tech

• Level III – Records Manager, RIM Supervisor, consultant

• Level IV – CIO, Director RIM Services, Director Records and Archives

The Three Pillars of your Career

• Education

• Experience

• Professional Development

Education

Education – RIM Professionals

• High School Diploma – 16.3%

• Associates Degree – 10.9%

• Bachelors Degree – 37.3 %

• Masters Degree – 41.5%

• Doctorate Degree – 3%

Source 2005 Listserv Salary Survey

What Pays? RIM Professional Averages

• High School Diploma $58,200

• Associates Degree $59,275

• Bachelors Degree $63,400

• Masters Degree $68,500

• Doctorate Degree $73,000

Source 2005 salary survey

Education opens Doors

• Moving up in RIM is difficult without education

• Most level III positions now require a bachelor’s degree

• Increasingly expect applicants for level III positions to have a master’s degree and more employers are requesting a master’s degree

Entry into Records and Information Management

Most records managers will freely admit that they either "fell into" or were "pushed into" records management, that they knew virtually nothing about the field before entering it.

- J. Michael PembertonJobs vs. Careers in Records Management, July 1997

How did I get here? Entry into the world of RIM

• Some come from HS or college into a clerical position

• Some move into RIM roles from other departments within a corporation

• Some move from an allied field (Library and Archives, HR)

• Deliberate career path

Entry into the Records and Information Management Profession

• Those entering RIM will find education is more critical early in their careers than later

• Higher education - major matters at entry

• Experience supplants education later in your career

Good Advice – Don’t lie on a resume

Bachelors Degree Holders - Major

• Business Admin & Mgmt 18.8%

• History 10.3%

• English 5%

• Information Management 4.3%

• Psychology 4.1%

• Political Science 2.8%

Source: 2005 Listserv Salary Survey

Masters Degree Holders - Major

• Library & Information Science 36.4%

• History 17.1%

• MBA 5.7%

• Archives and RM 5.5%

• Public Administration 2.5%

Source: 2005 Listserv Salary Survey

Education – Some questions

• Would certification take the place of a Bachelor’s degree? Master’s degree?

• Can I delay obtaining my Bachelor’s degree? Will it matter if I get my degree later in my career?

Education

• You need education to move up

• You will increasingly need more formal education for Level III and IV positions in the future

• Expect more competition

• Look for education programs in Information Management

Professional Experience

Professional Experience

Experience comes in a variety of

forms

What matters?

Experience - Supervision

• Supervisory experience is the single best experience for your career

• From interns, running a small office or multiple departments

• Supervisory experience demonstrates leadership

Experience – Project Management

• Recognized by Global Knowledge in August 2007 as one of the top 12 skills employers cannot say no to

• Implementation of Enterprise Wide solutions will benefit your career

• If looking for a job, investigate those requesting you manage a project

Experience – Technology

• Technology is vital to your career in information management

• However – It is often the implementation of solutions that is more desirable to employers

• Storage and retention issues are far more important than you knowledge of any particular software or hardware

Experience – Communication

• Communication skills are vital to move up and demonstrated experience is an asset

• Writing – Reports, manuals

• Speaking

• Training – the new frontier

Experience – Current Issues

• What are employers looking for?

• Privacy and Security – HOT

• Microfilm – NOT

• Electronic Records – HOT

• RIM Software implementation – HOT

Where do you sit on the Organization Chart?

• When you consider your career, where you sit in the Org Chart sometimes matters

• Sometimes you should consider a position based on where you report

• A position that has interaction with senior management is better than one in the warehouse

• Reporting to the Corporate Librarian may not be as advantageous as one reporting to the CIO

• Position yourself in Legal, Business, IT

Experience – How many years?

• It is not so much how many years but the nature of the experience

• Libraries and research experience can count

• Pulling files? Filing experience?• Warehouse experience?• The paper environment pays less than

the electronic environment

Professional Development

What Pays? Professional Development

• Certifications

• Certificates

• Professional Organizations

• Educational Opportunities

Certificate and Certification What is the difference?

• A certificate is a level of achievement (i.e. coursework) which may or may not have testing

• A certification is a measure of your competence – an application process demonstrating experience, an examination, and continuing education

Certificate and Certification What is the difference?

• Not all Certificates and Certifications are the same!

• Certificates vary from those offered by professional organizations to those offered by colleges and universities

• Technical certifications are not the same as professional certifications

Certifications

Certification Requirements Exam Maintenance

CRM Yes Yes Yes – 5 yrs

CA Yes Yes Yes – 5 yrs

CDIA+ No Yes No

CMC Yes Yes Yes – 3 yrsTechnical Certification

Certificates

Certificate Requirements Exam Maintenance

ERM (AIIM) No Yes Yes – 5 yrs

ECM (AIIM) No Yes Yes – 5 yrs

RIM Specialist Certificate (CVTC)

No Yes No

RM Certificate (Gatlin)

No Yes No

Education and Certification - What is worth doing?

How do we measure which programs are worth undertaking?

• Monetary• Personally• Professionally• Remember – your current

employee may not give you anything for continuing education

What is worth doing? That depends

• For Records and Information Managers, the CRM remains the most commonly carried certification

• Second is the Certified Archivist, followed by the CompTIA’s CDIA+

• Remember – it is not so much for your current job but for the future

Institute of Certified Records Managers ICRM

• The CRM (Certified Records Manager) is recognized as the standard certification and is demanded by employers in much of the world

• While it is difficult (6 examinations), it remains the standard

Institute of Certified Records Managers ICRM

• There are approximately 900 CRMs

• In May 229 candidates registered for 422 exams

• How will you compete in a job search against a Certified Records Manager?

• Often it can be a matter of credibility

What is it worth? CRM

• 12% made $80-90k

• 16.8% made $90-100k (median)

• 13.7% made $100 – 110k

Source 2007 ICRM Survey (preliminary)

What is it worth? CRM

• The 2005 Listserv Salary Survey showed a $6000 difference between those without the CRM and those with the CRM

What is it worth? CRM

• Are you better off with or without the CRM?

• Employers may not know what it means

• If you are a CRM candidate, you are better off than not being a candidate

What is it worth? CRM

• 46% held Masters,

• 41% Bachelors

• 49% had 21+ years experience

Source 2007 ICRM Survey (preliminary)

Certified Archivist

• Offered by the Academy of Certified Archivists

• Open to those with a Master’s Degree

• Salary surveys show no increase in salary for RIM professionals

• Probably unnecessary unless you are heavily involved in archival issues

Certified Document Imaging Architech (CDIA+)

• The CDIA+ is the standard in the document imaging industry with over 7000 successfully passing the examination

• All may sit for the exam, there are no qualification requirements

• In the 2005 Salary Survey it was found that 10% of CRMs held the CDIA+

Certified Document Imaging Architech (CDIA+)

• The 2005 Salary Survey showed that those with the CRM and the CDIA+ earned an average of $105,000

Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)

• Examination open to Members of the IAPP ($100 to $250 annually)

• Nearly 7000 are certified as CIPP, CIPP/G and CIPP/C

• Very active with programs and an annual convention

Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)

• The average salary of a Privacy Professional is $121,000

• Certified Privacy Professionals make on average $10,000 more than non-certified privacy professionals

AIIM – Association of Information and Image Management

• Currently offers the Electronic Records Management (ERM) certificate, the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) certificate, and the Business Process Management (BPM) certificate

• Offered in classroom, by web or to your company

• This curriculum is used by a large number of corporations worldwide

AIIM – Association of Information and Image Management

• Levels include Practitioner, Specialist and Master level

• BPM also offers a Strategy level

• Cost of the four day masters course is $2705 (members)

AIIM – Association of Information and Image Management

• What is it worth? • If you are to move beyond the

Records Manager level III positions then this will give you the executive overview

• It stands as one of the best Electronic Records Management training programs available

Professional Organizations

Professional Organizations• Surveys show that members of

professional organizations make more than those who are not

• Professional Organizations give you a chance to learn and network

• Consider presenting

Professional Organizations

• Almost any professional organization you actively participate in is an asset

• This shows prospective employers you are serious

• Having a high profile in the organization pays dividends

Educational Opportunities

• Regional conferences and events offered by other organizations

• Take in conferences of other allied professional associations – BFMA, DRJ, TAWPI – broaden your experience

• Vendor seminars, Field Trips to other RIM operations

• Junior Colleges, Universities – non-degree seeking options

Ceilings How to avoid them

Records and Information Management will change

My personal view is that while the nature of the field will change, not all records managers will change with it; and many change-resistant records managers will not be able to continue in the field to the ends of their normal work lives.

- J. Michael Pemberton Jobs vs. Careers in Records Management, July 1997

Ceilings - What holds you back?

• Yourself - Never be afraid to learn

• Information Management is changing – you must be ready to adapt to new frontiers – beware of obsolescence

• Geography – do not limit yourself

• Interpersonal Skills are essential

• Communication Skills

Ceilings - What holds you back?

• Your Employer – break outside

• Technological – Begin to embrace the future

• Supervisory

• Certifications

• Industry – security or limiting?

Divergent Paths

• Records managers in the past were often removed from digital information

• Some records managers choose to stay managing paper repositories

• Many RIM professionals will move on to new areas of interest or new opportunities

Job Security

How do I find it?

Job Security – Where is it?

• Traditionally Job Security was found in an Employer – through promotion and good service

• In today’s economy of mergers & acquisitions, downsizing, reorganizations and changes there is uncertainty

Job Security – Where is it?

• Consider shifting your security from your employer to your profession

• Gain those skills that will keep you a desirable person in the profession

• You never know when you will be merged, acquired, or go bankrupt

• Consider the possibility that you might get a new boss

Job Security – How do I obtain it?

• Enhance your education, job skills and professional development for the long term – become desirable

• How do your skills stack up?• Visibility – publishing, speaking• Plan ahead to move your job security

in your skills, away from your employer

Conclusions What should I do now?

?

Take an inventory

• Examine your resume! What are your strengths

• Look ahead to ARMA’s self-assessment tool

• Make a roadmap. Where do you want to go? Transitioning in or out?

• Where ever you go, obtain the skills you need

How can I break out?

• After an inventory, see where you are weakest

• Take action to strengthen any deficiency

Take action to strengthen any deficiency

• If you are close to gaining a four year degree, complete it

• Apply to take the CRM exam• Request support from your employer for

continuing education and professional development

• No supervision? See if your can get a person working under you

• It is worth doing if you can put it on your resume

Most of all – Be Proactive

• Look at job postings and find out what employers are seeking

• Where are your skills lacking? No imaging experience? Then gain some by attending a workshop

• Send out a resume - post a resume on the ARMA board

• Be active and watch for opportunities

There is plenty of room at the top in the

Records and Information Management profession

Questions?

Raymond Cunningham

cunningham@uif.uillinois.edu

Resources – Job Boards

• Indeed.com

• Careerbuilder.com

• JobCentral.com

• Arma.org

• AIIM.org