Thursday, March 31, 2011

Practice Makes Almost Perfect: The Nonprofit Interview

Wait a second, didn't I already talk about how to prepare for a nonprofit job interview?  Am I running out of ideas already?  Well, not quite.  Today, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite techniques for preparing for a job interview: roleplaying.  Now, I have to admit that roleplaying a job interview can be extremely awkward.  Sometimes it's very hard to actually convince yourself that one of your best friends or a member of your family is actually an unfamiliar nonprofit job recruiter.  And if you do what I recommended in my previous post and use someone unfamiliar to roleplay, then you might feel even more uncomfortable.  However, here's something you might not realize: it's actually good to feel uncomfortable in a job interview roleplay.

Let's face it, job interviews are stressful.  Doing a roleplay is not going to make you perfectly relaxed for your interview, but it does help you get rid of some of those jitters if you do it right.  As I mentioned before, my first suggestion for your interview prep is to use someone unknown to you (or as unknown as possible, anyway); this will more closely simulate how your job interview is going to be.  Along with this, I would also recommend practicing at this person's place, preferably in a room that is devoid of distractions.  You might also consider dressing how you will be dressed at the interview; this is another way to simulate the actual interview better.  Really, the more uncomfortable you feel, the better. 

Not everything needs to be completely unknown to you, though.  If in past nonprofit interviews there has been a question that has consistently given you fits, then ask your mock interviewer to use that particular question.  If you still have problems with it, then keep going over that question until you find an answer you feel comfortable with.

Some people hire interview coaches to help them, and this is something I would endorse if you really feel you need expert help.  Obviously, these coaches will not come cheap; though I was lucky enough to know a family friend who was an interview coach.  But if your technique is so poor that you really need an expert, then you really shouldn't hesitate to spend the money.  Personally, I haven't used any of the popular coaching companies, so I would encourage you to ask around for recommendations on this front.

Obviously, my techniques are not for everyone.  If you have your own thoughts on preparing for non profit job interviews, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

1 comment:

  1. This is because they do not understand the process of building a team that is effective and development of effective teamwork. For non profitable organizations, understanding the meaning of teamwork and achieving it is important.

    what is a non profit organization

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