High End Nonprofit Jobs

Looking for some high end nonprofit jobs to apply for now that hiring is starting to pick up?  Here are a couple of listings that were just posted to our career center:

• AVP, Finance and Deputy CFO: The AVP, Finance & Deputy CFO leads the accounting and finance function for Save the Children. S/he sets the vision and contributes substantially to the goal of high quality financial management globally. S/he monitors the progress and results of departmental plans, and advocates and engages in cross-functional actions and initiatives that are needed to improve our efficiency and effectiveness in achieving our mission.
• Chief Programs Officer: The Chief Programs Officer is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating high quality programs and services. He or she will strategically review all programs on an on-going basis in order to enhance, update and expand core programs. The Chief Programs Officer will also develop new programs and will take on the responsibly of existing programs or geographical areas as needed to further the mission of AbilityFirst. He or she will directly supervise three senior Program Directors who manage more than 100 staff in more than 10 geographical locations.

A Look At The December Jobs Report

It's the first Friday of the month.  Do you know what that means?  It means that the US Labor Department has released the employment numbers for the previous month.  What does the December jobs report have to offer?

Thankfully, it's mostly good news.  CNN Money reports that the economy added 200,000 jobs in December, closing the year with 1.6 million jobs gained.  That's compared to only 940,000 jobs added in 2010.  Unemployment fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest it has been since February 2009.  It was also the fourth consecutive month that unemployment fell, coming off the 8.6 percent level in the November jobs report.  Overall, the private sector added 212,000 jobs while the public sector slashed another 12,000.

So what does all this mean for job seekers?  The increased hiring bodes well for them, though it will also likely mean even stiffer competition as inactive job hunters get back into the search.  Yet despite this good news, the economy still has a long way to go.  According to CNN Money, the economy needs to add roughly 6 million more jobs to get back to pre-recession levels.  And despite the decreasing unemployment, there are still 13 million Americans out of work, many of whom have been unemployed for six months or more.  But there's no doubt that the job market is headed in the right direction.

White House Announces Summer Jobs+ Program

The White House has just announced Summer Jobs+, a program that will work with nonprofits and businesses to create work for low income families this year.  Here is an excerpt from an article about it that The NonProfit Times just posted:

The White House announced Summer Jobs+, a call to action for businesses, nonprofits, and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth during the summer of 2012.


American youth are struggling to get the work experience they need for jobs of the future. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current Population Survey), 48.8 percent of youth between the ages of 16-24 were employed in July, the month when youth employment usually peaks. This is significantly lower than the 59.2 percent of youth who were employed five years ago and 63.3 percent of youth who were employed 10 years ago.


Minority youth had an especially difficult time finding employment this past summer. Only 34.6 percent of African American youth and 42.9 percent of Hispanic youth had a job this past July.


Summer Jobs+ was initially proposed as a $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth ages 16-24 in the American Jobs Act as part of the Pathways Back to Work fund. When Congress did not approve the legislation, the White House started working with private-sector employers to commit to creating nearly 180,000 employment opportunities for low-income youth during the summer of 2012, with a goal of reaching 250,000 employment opportunities by the start of summer, at least 100,000 of which will be placements in paid jobs and internships.

Read more about Summer Jobs+ on The NonProfit Times.

Applicant Tracking Software And Your Job Application

Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) has revolutionized the way employers scan through resumes and cover letters.  No longer do they have parse through every single application.  ATSes do all the work for them.  This makes life a lot easier for employers, but it can leave job seekers in the dark if they aren't prepared.

As you are probably aware, the two main parts of your job application are your resume and cover letter.  If you want these documents to be get through the ATS, you are going to have to tailor them.  This means making use of job key words in your resume.  These key words can be found by going through the job description.  You then need to sprinkle these in through your resume (Note: Make sure it's not at random.  It has to make sense).  Examples of key words depend on the type of job for which you are applying.  For instance, a resume for a fundraising job should include words like "development" or "developing relationships."

Cover letters are handled a little differently by ATSes.  Very few of these programs are able to scan cover letters as an attachment.  They treat the body of your e-mail as the cover letter instead, so it's imperative that you write it there.  When creating your cover letter, think of it as an additional medium to list more key words and skills that you weren't able to fit into your resume.  The more key words an ATS finds, the higher it will rank your application. And that means it has a much better chance of getting into the hands of an actual human.  Imagine that!

One thing to keep in mind: Not all ATSes keyword-search cover letters, so don't spend too much time tailoring it towards them.  The majority of your energy should be spent making your resume as ATS-friendly as possible.

Nonprofit Jobs For The New Year

Now that the New Year has arrived, it's time to resume the job search.  Here are three recently posted positions to get you back into the routine:

• Events Manager: The Foundation Fighting Blindness, based in Raleigh, MD, is seeking a dynamic, experienced, and organized individual to help run their various events.  This is a position that requires a lot of creativity and leadership skills.  The chosen candidate should be comfortable not only running events, but developing new ones.  Must have a Bachelor's Degree and five plus years of paid experience in nonprofit event planning.
• President/Chief Executive Officer: Are you an individual with great ambition?  Seattle-based Argos International might have just the job for you.  They are currently seeking a new President/CEO for their organization.  The accepted applicant will report to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and will be responsible for setting the strategic objectives of the nonprofit.  As a Christian organization, the CEO will serve as the chief evangelist of Argos.  Must have a Bachelors degree and 10 years of experience serving in a senior-level leadership role. The ideal individual will have directed an organization of no less than 25 people and managed at least a $5 million budget.
• Director of Development: Planet Aid, based in Elkridge, MD, is seeking a new director of development.  This position demands an individual who is a result oriented team-player with a wealth of experience in getting funding from foundations and corporations.  The development director will work under the supervision of President and the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Program Development and will be responsible for a wide array of fundraising activities, including: Developing a short and long-range strategy for maximizing Planet Aid’s access to private source funding, meeting progressive annual funding target, and  planning and authoring concept papers and proposals from conception to final product.  Must have at least 10 years of professional development and fundraising experience.

Your Job Search New Year's Resolution

You've probably seen a lot of people at the gym these days.  This is likely because they are fulfilling one of their many New Years Resolutions.  You've probably made a number of them yourself.  But have you made any for your job search?

Your main goal should obviously be to get a great nonprofit job, but you should create some goals to better refine your search.  Here are some tips to get 2012 off to a fast start:

• Add to your career skills.  There are plenty of continuing education or graduate courses out there that can enhance your marketability.  It can do nothing but give you a better shot in the job market.
• Stick to your schedule.  The first thing any good job seeker will do is make a schedule to structure their day.  Of course, it's easy to fall out of that routine as time goes by.  Make it a priority to stick to your job search routine in 2012.
• Define your goals.  Take a step back and reevaluate what you want out of your career.  What first attracted you to the nonprofit sector?  Why do you want to do the particular job for which you are looking?  Answering these questions will help re-energize you if you have lost focus.  It can also help to better sell yourself to employers.
• Connect with other job seekers.  It's no secret that there are a ton of job hunters out there.  You probably know a few.  Set up a time to meet up with them and see how they are handling their search.  How much success are they having?  If you find they are getting more interviews than you, ask them what strategies they are using.
• Prepare.  It's impossible to predict when you will be called in for a job interview so make sure you are always prepared.  That means you should be ready to answer almost any question the interviewer throws at you.  They want real-life examples of your success?  No problem.  A list of your best qualities?  You already have them ready.  Never be caught off guard.

Job Interview Tips: Confidence Is Key

Happy New Year everyone!  Now that the holidays are over, the job search should start to heat up again.  With any luck you will start to hear back from nonprofit jobs for which you applied.  If that's the case, you are going to need some new job interview tips to seal the deal.  Today's tip can be summed up with one word: Confidence.

You can have the most impressive resume in the world, but you won't be successful if you don't appear to  have confidence in yourself.  An organization is not going to want to hire someone that appears unsure.  It's easy to feel discouraged in this job market, but don't let that affect your interviews. 

Showing confidence starts with good communication skills.  Here are four tips that will help you ace that job interview:

• Slow It Down: Avoid speaking quickly during your interview.  Not only will this make it difficult to understand you, it will also make the interviewer think you are anxious.  You probably will be a little nervous, but it's not a good idea to let that be so apparent.  A good way to slow yourself down is to make use of pauses.  Using strategic pausing will give the interviewer time to process what you are saying, and it will show that you are in control of your words.
• Speak With Confidence: What does it mean to speak with confidence?  It can mean a number of things, but one of its important aspects is a strong tone of voice.  People who speak with a strong voice are often perceived to have great self-confidence, whether that's right or wrong.  You don't want to overdo it, but practice powering up your voice.  It can do wonders for you.
• Avoid "Fillers": Are a lot of your sentences ending with "ums" or "uhs"?  Words like these are known as "fillers," and using too many of them creates the impression that you are unsure of yourself.  It's very hard to completely get rid of them, but make sure you at least keep fillers to a minimum.  If you can complete a conversation with only a few fillers, you will have done a great job.
• Posture: Body language play a big role in your communication of confidence.  If you show up to your interview with your arms crossed, for example, you will be sending exactly the wrong message.  Make sure you are making good eye contact with your interviewer, give a firm handshake, and have a smile on your face.  Remember, nearly 50 percent of our communications are non-verbal.