Sharon Anderson
Global payroll manager at Argus Media Ltd
Why did you become a member of the CIPP?
I joined the CIPP and became a member because it was very much recognised in the payroll industry and I felt that it was important to be a part of the CIPP to ensure that I could get a professional role in business.
Which benefits of membership appealed to you the most?
It's very advantageous to have the Advisory Service as a benefit of the CIPP. You can call this helpline with any queries and nine times out of ten you can get an immediate answer to your query, otherwise, they will come back to you as soon as they can.
How has the CIPP membership helped you in your career?
When I first joined the CIPP, the government had gone through this phase of everybody having to have a professional degree to be able to get a job. Qualifications were most important than experience. I self-funded my study and I did the diploma through the IPP (as CIPP was known at the time). I have found it valuable to have it because it is a very highly recognised qualification in the job market.
Tell us about the time when you or your department have really felt the benefit of CIPP membership
I was working for a company that had quite a bit of redundancy and restructuring that we had to do, so we contacted the CIPP for some advice and some guidance on the ways we could progress without breaking legislation ensuring we were being legal and professional.
Tell us about the day you realised the CIPP membership was of real value to you
The day I realised that the CIPP was of real value to me was when I qualified. I then went out and managed to push myself further from an administrator to my current position. I'm now a global payroll manager and my qualifications have helped me climb the ladder.
For someone who is thinking about joining the CIPP, what would your advice be to them about the benefits they would gain by joining?
It's a great network being be part of the CIPP and joining it would be useful to anybody because you can network and communicate with people when you are at events or meetings.
I find the conference fantastic because every year that I attend, I always go away having learnt something new. There's no such thing that you can't 'teach an old dog new tricks' because there is always something that managed to slip by that you didn't hear about. I would recommend joining as it is very beneficial.
Why is it important to you that you are a member of the CIPP?
I'm proud to be a member of the CIPP because it proves that I am a professional. It shows that the Chartered Institute backs me and the level of qualification that I hold 100%.
