To help our members during these challenging times, we’ve pulled together a range of resources that we hope will be of use to you. As more information becomes available we’ll update this page, so ensure you revisit over the coming weeks.
Call for evidence for COVID-19 communication report
The Government Communication Service (GCS) COVID-19 Advisory Panel has issued a call for information and evidence about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the communication profession.
The Panel plans to publish a far-ranging report exploring the impact of the crisis and the opportunities it presents. Areas of interest include: alignment with management, employee engagement, virtual working, real time polling, social listening, and new content and channel approaches. The report will be supported by robust analysis of in-depth research, including interviews with industry leaders.
The Panel is chaired by Alex Aiken, Executive Director, GCS. Its membership includes senior representatives from professional membership organisations in the communication industry: Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Public Relations Communications Association (PRCA), the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the Institute of Internal Communication (IOIC) and the Local Government Association (LGA).
“The crisis has seen a wave of creative innovation in the communication sector. We are seeking to record best practice and future opportunities," (Alex Aiken, Executive Director, GCS).
This is an important piece of work led by the GCS COVID-19 Advisory Panel and we would encourage our members to submit evidence to the report.
Information and evidence should be submitted to communication-centre@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Using the subject title “COVID-19 Report”.
Note - the deadline for submissions is 17 July 2020.
Relevant information and evidence might include the following: results of research on the impact of coronavirus; case studies of work done in response; papers or thought pieces on how businesses have approached the crisis; views on long term impacts and key resources or literature.
Government Communication Service career support
CIM has been working with the Government Communication Service (GCS) as part of their advisory panel to provide career support to communications professionals whose roles have been impacted by COVID-19.
You can access the new portal on the GCS website.
Support includes:
- Listings of communication roles in government available to communication professionals with government and non-government backgrounds. To register via the portal for relevant “day-rate” work within government please go to the registration page.
- virtual career support, including mentoring and CV guidance
- a virtual professional development offer (free and paid-for webinars)
- facilitating secondments, shadowing and pooling resources where appropriate
For more details, please visit the CIM Newsroom.
Business and personal legal advice
As a CIM Member, you have access to free legal advice through Law Express, one of the UK's leading providers of independent telephone advice. Available 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday, they can help you with any business and personal legal advice including insolvency, data protection, taxation, commercial law, employment, debt, family law and consumer rights.
Before calling, please have your membership number to hand and be mindful that due to high call volumes, there may be a delay in receiving a callback. To find out more, visit the free legal advice section within MyCIM (login required).
Career support
With both challenges and opportunities ahead, browse here to find a selection of practical resources to support you, whether you are looking for a new role or considering a career change. You can also search the latest vacancies from across the industry by visiting CIM Marketing Jobs.
Further resources
- Redundancy fact sheet from Law Express
- The 7-second CV: how to land the interview
- Why you?: 101 interview questions you'll never fear again
- Starting an online business all-in-one for dummies
- Key words will get your CV past the algorithms
- 8 ways marketers can improve their resumes
Please note that Ebook Central resources can only be accessed via the tile on MyCIM. You must also be logged in to MyCIM to access EBSCO.
Mentoring Programme
Our mentoring scheme is a flexible and open platform designed to match aspiring and developing marketing professionals to the experience and knowledge of a mentor to suit them. How your mentoring relationship works is entirely your decision and can be tailored to fit around your busy schedule or learning needs. The scheme is exclusively available for Affiliate Professionals and graded (ACIM, MCIM and FCIM) members.
Find out more about what you could gain from mentoring in the articles below.
To sign-up to our mentoring programme first log in to MyCIM then select the 'Mentoring Programme' option on the page.
Catalyst magazine
We regret to inform members that we are currently unable to send the latest edition of Catalyst magazine to the following countries:
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Albania |
Cayman Islands |
New Zealand |
Taiwan |
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Armenia |
Guyana |
Philippines |
Tanzania (DAR) |
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Barbados |
India |
Russia |
Ukraine |
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Bermuda |
Jamaica |
South Africa |
United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
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Bosnia |
Lebanon |
Sri Lanka |
Zimbabwe |
For those who are affected by these restrictions, the digital version of July’s brand-new Catalyst is available now via MyCIM.
Exchange – your information hub
CIM has recently published a range of articles to help you navigate the unchartered waters of the coronavirus crisis:
- Identify changing customer behaviour in the global data trends emerging from the coronavirus outbreak
- Learn from seasoned freelancers with these four ways to make the most of working from home
- Discover why challenging times can prove to be the perfect opportunity to invest in brand building
- Maintain resilience, productivity and creativity in our fast-moving sector in our latest member exclusive webinar
We’ll be publishing more relevant features and webinars in the coming weeks, so ensure you regularly visit Exchange to keep up to date.
Continue your professional development
Virtual delivery for our training courses is now available, so you can continue to learn from the comfort of your home. We’re currently updating our course information, so please contact one of our Learning Advisors on +44 (0)1628 427360 or email training@cim.co.uk for information on pricing and dates.
Our new ‘Digital Marketing Channels’ online course developed in partnership with Target Internet, is for anyone looking to develop practical digital marketing skills. Learn how to drive website traffic, improve conversion rates and much more. For more information and a 10% member discount, please view course details here.
Also, remember that all Exchange content, including blogs, webinars and podcasts, is CPD eligible, so you can maintain your learning even if you’re not at work. Visit MyCPD or use the app to keep track of your learning and development activities.
Additional resources
Business advice from the UK Government
- Available financial support for business
- Check Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): employer guide
- Coronavirus business factsheet
Advice for small business owners
- Advice and guidance for small businesses and the self-employed
– Federation of Small Businesses
International businesses advice
- Advice for UK businesses trading internationally
– Department for International Trade
Advice for employees
- Guidance for employees – Gov.uk
- Your wellbeing - Mind