YM Careers Launches Career Planning Portal to Transform Association Job Boards into Unmatched Career Growth Destinations

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., December 17, 2020 – Community Brands, the leading provider of business management, commerce, and payment solutions for member-based organizations, today announced the launch of Career Planning Portal, a new hub of member-focused career planning resources, within its YM Careers solution.

With the launch, associations will now be able to offer an unmatched set of industry-specific career resources to members through a branded online experience that is connected to their YM Careers job board. These new resources include career insights, career advice, and the ability for members to visualize career progression through a unique career pathing capability.

The new Career Planning Portal is the first of its kind in the association job board industry, transforming career centers from transactional websites where employers and job seekers connect, to dynamic career destinations where professionals research, plan and develop their careers based on data, trending and forecasting insights. Career Planning Portal is launching across all the nearly 3,000 YM Careers job boards and will help associations further drive member engagement, attract new members, and increase job board traffic and revenue.

“Many associations lack the resources to provide valuable niche career planning content to their industry’s professionals, and in doing so miss a critical opportunity to recruit, engage and retain members,” said Tristan Jordan, General Manager, YM Careers. “The Career Planning Portal, integrated with YM Careers, delivers associations a turnkey way to offer this information to members and prospective members, and solidifies their role as the premier career growth resource for the professionals they serve.”

Career development and job opportunities have always been a key driver in member recruitment and engagement, and that was reflected in Community Brands most recent research on member engagement trends. Also highlighted in the study was a desire from members for more career development support from their association.

The launch of Career Planning Portal helps associations more effectively fill this need through three key elements:

• Career Insights – Provides professionals with access to detailed data, trends, and forecasts about niche careers, including:
  o Growth outlooks for various jobs in the profession – including government estimates for future job creation by role and location
  o Compensation ranges by region or nationally, and on a salaried or hourly basis
  o Sample “day in the life” videos with practical examples of what it’s like to perform specific roles
  o Summaries of typical activities performed by jobs in the profession
  o Knowledge, skills, and education levels typically required for each job
  o Recommended open jobs based on the professional’s interests

  Career Advice – Provides career planning resources and coaching (which can be gated or ungated), including:
  o Industry-specific articles, tips, and recommended best practices
  o Expert resume reviews
  o Access to experienced, professional career coaches

• Career Pathing – Previously called Career Journey™, Career Pathing allows professionals to envision the potential career paths in their field and includes related titles within a specific field, job descriptions, salary ranges, relevant skills, and recommended/required courses and certifications as well as open jobs available on the association career center related to the career search

YM Careers job boards connect more than 1 million employers with tens of millions of job seekers and have generated nearly three quarters of a billion dollars in non-dues revenue from employers that purchase job ads to recruit the niche talent registered on an association’s career center. Today YM Careers powers nearly 3,000 niche association career centers, more than any other provider in the industry.

More information can be found on the YM Careers website. Career Planning Portal will also be highlighted at the upcoming Community Brands virtual customer and industry event, Xperience Virtual, January 13 and 14, 2021. Additional enhancements to Career Advice and Career Pathing will be launched throughout 2021.