Gil Young (Mentor Support Officer for the North West and a CIILIP mentor) talks to three North West based individuals who have recently been awarded Fellowship. Julie was part of a buddy group mentored by Yvette Jeal who was the 2018 CILIP Mentor of the Year. Nicola and Maria were both members of a group mentored by Gil.
About us:
Julie Griffiths (JG): I am the Library Strategy and Development Manager for Halton Borough Council. I began working in public libraries as a trainee librarian and have held several operational posts at different levels before being appointed to my current role in 2015. Halton is a unitary authority in the North West of England and part of the Liverpool City Region. Halton library service is delivered through 4 modern and vibrant library buildings, an innovative outreach service and through digital access. The buildings are important community spaces hosting events and activities, celebrating and highlighting the role of libraries in the 21st century. I’m also a trustee at Libraries Connected the sector support organisation representing public libraries.
Nicola Walsh (NW): I currently work for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a Senior Information Manager. I previously worked as a Library and Knowledge Services Manager in the NHS and have held a number of other health information positions throughout my career.
Maria Grant (MG): After 20 years teaching and undertaking research in the higher education sector, I’ve recently made the leap and gone self-employed. As a freelance consultant my time is spent providing training on all aspects of writing, writing and editing texts, and working toward completion of my PhD on how individuals acquire the skills to write for publication.
When did you get your Fellowship?
JG: January 2018.
NW: June 2018
MG: April 2018
What made you decide to sign up for Fellowship?
JG: I had been considering it for a while but finally committed when I attended a portfolio building workshop delivered by CILIP north west. At the event I met other professionals on the brink of starting Fellowship, and we formed a Fellowship group. We met monthly throughout the process, along with our mentor.
NW: I ran a CPD event in collaboration with CILIP as part of an HLG AGM meeting about the CILIP framework of professional registration. Fellowship was presented as part of the continuous journey of professional development that really challenged my perception of it as something for the ‘great and good’. I spoke to a number of people on the day then felt encouraged and energised to embark on Fellowship following this session and this is where I made the decision to explore it further.
MG: I’d considered signing up for Fellowship before but this time the planets seemed to align. I knew I wanted to make a career change and saw registering for Fellowship as an opportunity to take stock of where I was, where I wanted to be, and what skills I needed. I believed that achieving Fellowship would enhance my professional credibility and my employability so when I attended a CILIP event which included a breakout session on CILIP registration it felt like the time was right. I met colleagues who were similarly considering professional registration and conversations led me to approaching Gil Young, CILIP NW Mentor to find out more. We discussed the different levels of registration, the CILIP Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) framework and mentorship. Although filled with trepidation Gil assured me that Professional Registration was a realistic goal and I made a commitment to identifying the areas I wished to work on in the PKSB.
What was the main thing you learnt from doing your Fellowship?
JG: How important it is to be able to advocate for yourself and your achievements.
NW: I came away with a greater awareness of the impact I have in my organisation and the personal contribution that I make to projects and service development initiatives. Spending time analysing how new skills, knowledge and experiences improve your ability to perform your job is really enlightening.
MG: How much I have positively impacted on the careers of others. I’ve always sought to be a facilitator of others but the letters of recommendation I received in support of my application blew me away. We rarely get to hear how others view us so that was a wonderful aspect of my application. Giving that positive feedback is something I now actively seek to incorporate into my daily practice.
What was the best thing about doing Fellowship?
JG: Developing a support network in the Fellowship group and working with my mentor.
NW: Pressing the submit button and receiving the email from CILIP to say that I had been awarded Fellowship! I really enjoyed working with a buddy group and I think it was a major factor in motivating me to complete my submission and keep going when I was ready to give up. Having this extra support network gave me somewhere to share ideas and get feedback from people in the same position as me. Gaining Fellowship has been a career highlight - I think CILIP sum it up really well. They describe it as ‘the pinnacle of professional recognition – a celebration of leadership and of significant contribution to the information professions.’
MG: I really valued having the PKSB to structure the way I thought about my development; it encouraged me to move outside my comfort zone, meet new people and learn new skills. The PKSB is something I’m continuing to use since achieving Fellowship. However, I’d say the best thing about doing Fellowship is the friends and colleagues I’ve made, particularly those within my buddy group. We supported one another through to submission, have worked together on various projects, made introductions to new networks and, most importantly, meet for food!
What was the most challenging thing?
JG: Finding my voice.
NW: Writing up the reflection and analysis for each piece of evidence. I struggled with defining ‘substantial achievement’ and ‘significant contribution’ in the context of my work. Sometimes it felt quite abstract and at the time I submitted, there wasn’t much guidance beyond the assessment criteria.
MG: It wasn’t a quick fix. When I embarked upon the Fellowship, I’d imagined it would be a relatively speedy process to draw together evidence and write short reflections of past activities, though to truly engage with CILIP registration involves using the PKSB to plan and engage in future CPD activities; that takes time. I found it challenging to know whether I was writing at “the right level” and, rather like writing this piece, it was daunting to draw together an account of my career and put it out in the world to be commented upon. The practicalities of uploaded my evidence and linking it to my statement also proved quite challenging! Notwithstanding the challenges, I got so much more out of compiling my portfolio than I’d ever imagined, it gave me a rounded perspective on my career of where I’d come from and where I want to go that it was worth a slower gestation.
What advice would you give to someone considering Fellowship?
JG: Don’t let the idea of Fellowship intimidate you, the reality is much more straightforward.
NW: Do your homework first to make sure it’s right for you – look at all the available documentation, webinar and handbook on the VLE. If you can, talk to someone who has achieved fellowship recently and, if possible, look at a few successful submissions. It’s really nice to work through fellowship with others and I would recommend the ‘buddy group’ approach. (And get Gil Young as your mentor).
MG: The Fellowship is your opportunity to reflect on past successes and plan for the future; the PKSB can be a valuable tool in facilitating that reflection, critiquing your strengths and identifying areas you’d like to develop. Make the most of any training that’s available; although I had a serviceable CV, I attended a webinar on writing a CV and redeveloped my CV into a dynamic contemporary document that showcases my skills base rather than simply presents a list of past roles and responsibilities. Take a look at a recent portfolio which has made the grade, so you know what you’re aiming for. Be realistic about the amount of time you need to assign to developing your application, both in terms of professional engagement and in physically pulling your evidence together. And create a support network: a great mentor who knows when to give you space to develop and when to nudge you into action, and a buddy group who empathise with the challenges you’re facing and inspire you through to submission anyway.
If this article has inspired you to consider undertaking Fellowship then you can find out more about it at:
NW: Do your homework first to make sure it’s right for you – look at all the available documentation, webinar and handbook on the VLE. If you can, talk to someone who has achieved fellowship recently and, if possible, look at a few successful submissions. It’s really nice to work through fellowship with others and I would recommend the ‘buddy group’ approach. (And get Gil Young as your mentor).
MG: The Fellowship is your opportunity to reflect on past successes and plan for the future; the PKSB can be a valuable tool in facilitating that reflection, critiquing your strengths and identifying areas you’d like to develop. Make the most of any training that’s available; although I had a serviceable CV, I attended a webinar on writing a CV and redeveloped my CV into a dynamic contemporary document that showcases my skills base rather than simply presents a list of past roles and responsibilities. Take a look at a recent portfolio which has made the grade, so you know what you’re aiming for. Be realistic about the amount of time you need to assign to developing your application, both in terms of professional engagement and in physically pulling your evidence together. And create a support network: a great mentor who knows when to give you space to develop and when to nudge you into action, and a buddy group who empathise with the challenges you’re facing and inspire you through to submission anyway.
If this article has inspired you to consider undertaking Fellowship then you can find out more about it at:
CILIP (2014). Fellowship: A guide for members. Available at https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.cilip.org.uk/resource/resmgr/cilip_new_website/professional_registration/fellowship_handbook_070314.pdf (Accessed 31.10.2019)
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