4 Tips For Nonprofit Executive Jobs

Not all job searches are created equal. As nonprofit job seekers scour the web for the latest positions, they should know that the process for acquiring an entry or mid-level job is entirely different than the one for getting an executive job.

Executive job seekers need certain tools to stand out from a highly qualified field of candidates. It is not enough to simply submit your application, do a little networking, and call it a day. It's true that the executive resume and cover letter will still be the main focus of your application, but they can't be your only leverage. In the book "Executive's Pocket Guide to ROI Résumés and Job Search," Louise Kursmark and Jan Melnik write that applicants need to implement the following four tools into their job hunt if they are to be successful:

• Elevator Speech: The elevator speech is a 30-second summary that introduces applicants to individuals who can help them with their search. Four elements should be included in this introduction: Who they are, what they do, what they're seeking, and any other information that is relevant to their experience and/or goals.
• Networking Script: While conversations with networking contacts should feel genuine and unique, it helps for job seekers to have some key points prepared.
• Leadership Initiative Document: This document, usually one to two-pages in length, will list up to five career-defining stories. These anecdotes should describe specific challenges faced, and the tactics taken to solve them. the leadership initiative document is a good way for managers to determine what the applicant can bring to the position.
• Professional Biography: This is a portfolio of everything the applicant has accomplished during his career. Some applicants choose to have this put on a web site, but it can also be in the form of a document.

4 Tips For Executive Job Seekers

Searching for executive jobs is a whole different ball game than the typical job search. Job seekers who want these positions must have extensive résumés and cover letters tailored to the executive suite. Typical applications simply will not cut it for these highly sought after jobs.

Job hunters should also update their tactics if they want the best chance of success. Louise Kursmark and Jan Melnik, co-authors of "Executive's Pocket Guide to ROI Résumés and Job Search," wrote that candidates should use the following four strategies to get a leg up on the competition:

• Elevator Speeches: An elevator speech is a brief (usually 30 seconds) summary that is given as introduction to individuals who may be able to help you in your job search. Kursmark and Melink explained that a successful speech will include these four elements: Who you are, what you do, what you're seeking, and any other relevant information.
• Networking Scripts: Always have specific questions at the ready when you attend networking events. You never want to be caught hesitating when asking questions to those who could help your cause. The perception of being unprepared can be a real killer to your hopes of landing an executive position.  An example of a good question to ask would be "Who in your network would be interested in someone with my experience?"
• Leadership Initiative Document: This is something that is unique to the executive level job search. It is a one- or two-page document that will list three to five career-defining stories that describe specific challenges you have encountered, and what steps you took to solve them. You should bring this to your job interviews or leave it behind at any meetings you attend.
• Professional Biography: As the title suggests, this document is used to provide more extensive information about you to the organization. The professional biography has use even after the job search, as it can be the basis for your bio on the company website and press releases.

The Executive Career Path

Hoping to get a job as a big-shot executive at a nonprofit?  Before you get started with your search, it might help to know how other people like you got to the top of the mountain.  But where can you get this kind of information?

The Council on Foundations (COF), an Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit membership association, released a study called the Career Pathways to Philanthropic Leadership Baseline Report.  The premise was to show exactly how the top nonprofit CEOs got their current positions.  By analyzing the professional and personal characteristics of foundation executives positions, COF was able to enhance the details of their report.

Here are some highlights to give you a better idea how you can enhance your path to an executive job:

• A majority (79.5 percent) of the 440 foundations that appointed CEOs and executive directors during the research period filled the positions with candidates outside the foundations.  This is good news if you feared you had to already work at the organization to have a shot.
• On a similar note, a majority of the candidates were not from the philanthropic sector.  Of these transitional candidates, 24.3 percent came from business.
• The study shows that prior executive experience is a must.  63.4 percent of candidates held either the chief executive (38.9 percent) or the vice president (24.5 percent) positions prior to their ascension.
• Nearly 20 percent came from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds and 48.7 percent were women.
• You should make sure to have someone helping you out during your career path.  Some 30 percent of the field leaders interviewed said mentors played a big role in their career advancement.

Nonprofit That Helps The Jobless In Danger

A nonprofit organization created to help the jobless get back to work is in danger of closing because of budget issues.

Stltoday.com reported today that the Go! Network is running short on money and might not survive the summer.  The organization, which is run by executive director Roni Chambers, was created during the midst of the Great Recession and is designed to help unemployed mid-level executives.  4,000 executives have made their way to the Go! Network since February 2009, and 68 percent of them found new employment.  Chambers assumed co-leadership of the nonprofit after her own lay-off from Anheuser-Busch in 2010.

The Go! Network relies solely on private donations, and Chambers sees the nonprofit running out of cash if things don't change soon.  Its co-leader, David Greenwalt, recently left for a full-time paid position leaving all the responsibility for the organization in Chambers' hands.  The Network has already outlasted its original expected life-span of 12 months when it was founded in early 2009.

Chambers has solicited help from donors but has been told that their priorities rest with helping the homeless, not the jobless.  Ironically, the Go! Network was founded in part to prevent members of the middle-class from slipping into homelessness.

You can read more about this story on Stlouistoday.com.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 4/18/2011

Another week, another collection of links to help you find non profit work.  Let's see what I have in store for you this week...

• 'Are You Organized During Your Job Search'-Here's a fantastic piece of writing From Nonprofit Coach blog.  You know, keeping organized is one of the most important things for a nonprofit job search, but it's often understated.  Follow these tips, and you will find your search will go much smoother.
• 'New Roles In and Out of the Nonprofit Field'-This is an interesting article about how some nonprofit executives feel a lot of stress in their work; so much that there are many that leave their jobs.  So why would I post this?  Well according to this article, most nonprofit executives do not stray far from non profit work.