Excerpted from Deanne Levander's April 2003 Tieline article. For the full article text, see http://www.stc.org/tieline/tie0304/levander.htm.

STC's special interest groups (SIGs) promote members' professional development and provide opportunities for more specific networking than the regular chapter meetings. The Consulting and Independent Contracting (CIC) SIG seems to attract more interest during difficult economic times, but it isn't the only SIG that helps members develop employment-related skills. All STC SIGs help members achieve a broader skill base -- and, statistically speaking, we have a better chance of obtaining employment if we have a broader range of skills.

The CIC SIG is attractive to members who are looking to sharpen their skills, meet new people, and advertise potential career opportunities. In recent years a record number of independent contractors have attended meetings of the Twin Cities chapter's CIC SIG. One of our [Twin Cities Chapter] CIC SIG's newest and most successful offerings is an Internet-based discussion group. Any member can post a question or a thought and get a wide variety of responses. Recent online discussion topics have included the pros and cons of incorporation, pricing, and various marketing methods. The SIG's bimonthly meeting is usually well attended and offers lively discussions. Topics for this year have included generating leads, the contents of a good portfolio, and useful training Web sites. In addition to the benefits of our chapter's active SIG, members are privy to all Society-level SIG happenings (such as the Society-level newsletter).

Chapter and SIG leaders can use the following suggestions to promote the CIC SIG in the current economic climate: