Tips For Picking New Employees

It's hard to know where to begin when you start the process of hiring new employees. So many organizations over-think the process, making things more complicated than they need to be. Instead of trying to get too fancy, start with the basics.

Deirdre Maloney, founder and president of San Diego, Calif.-based Momentum, wrote in her book "The Mission Myth: Building Nonprofit Momentum Through Better Business," that organizations should start off by writing a great job description. You should also use this opportunity to rethink how you might define the position differently to meet the emerging needs of your organization.

Maloney also had four other suggestions once you are done writing your job description:

• Recruit carefully. Take the time and take it seriously.
• Narrow your candidates down by phone. Just chatting with applicants for a few minutes can often help you determine whether or not they are appropriate for the next round of interviews.
• Involve other staff members. They will provide additional feedback and will give a sense of how the candidate will interact with other employees.
• Ask pointed questions. Ask direct interview questions and include traditional ones that get at history and work style. In further rounds of interviews, ask more scenario-type questions to get at real situations they might encounter on the job.

Job Interview Etiquette

You generally have only 15 to 20 minutes in a job interview to prove that you are the right candidate for the position. This is why it's imperative that you don't do anything off-color during those precious minutes.

The first thing you need to be conscious of during an interview is your body language. It's OK to cross your arms in front of friends, but doing so while explaining why you should be hired will send a bad message to the employer. It says that you are nervous or, even worse, not interested. Posture is also very important. You don't want to slouch in the chair, but you also don't want to appear like a cardboard cut-out.

Keep the interview positive. Maybe you hated your last job and have nothing but bad things to say about it, but keep those feelings to yourself. Nonprofits want to hire someone who is positive, not someone who is always focusing on the negatives. If you are asked why you left your last position, say something along the lines of "I just felt it was time to move on to another job."

Eye contact is another important aspect of good etiquette, and it's also one that can be tricky to master. How do you maintain good contact with the interviewer without staring? As a rule of thumb, you should look into the person's eyes for no more than 4-5 seconds. Make sure to blink normally, and nod or shift your head during the conversation so you don't look like a statue.

The first and last thing you do in a job interview is shake hands with the hiring manager. The handshake is another difficult skill to get right, so practice it with people you know before the big day. It should be firm, but not so firm that you crush the person's hand. A great handshake can say a lot about you as a person, so make sure you make a good impression.

Acing these forms of job interview etiquette will not guarantee you the position, but it will improve your chances. Make sure to be conscious of the above rules the next time you are called in for an interview.

Wanted: Chief Executive Officer

If you have the experience and drive needed to oversee an organization, you should consider applying for today's featured nonprofit job: Chief Executive Officer at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES).

The New Mexico-based organization -- which pursues the mission of increasing the representation of American Indians and Alaska Natives in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields -- is looking for a dynamic, energetic, and visionary leader to fulfill the role of CEO. If chosen, you will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of AISES.

Successful candidates for this position will possess the following qualities:

• Proven accomplishments in organizational leadership knowledge of the nonprofit sector expertise in organizational management working knowledge of the STEM fields.
• Extensive understanding of, and experience with, Native American cultures, traditions and communities.
• Excellent communication and managerial skills.
• Demonstrated success with fundraising and/or grant writing.
• Strong experience with budget development and control.
• Master’s Degree competency in standard office technology and software.

Should  you meet the above qualifications, visit our career center for more information on how to apply for the Chief Executive Officer position.

Featured Nonprofit Job: Education Manager

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambada (FBLA-PBL), a 501(c)(3) organization with a quarter million students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields, is looking to hire an Education Manager.

The Education Manager is responsible for a number of important tasks at FBLA-PBL, including recruiting over 500 business and industry judges for the organization's annual conference, securing and administering national certification examinations. In addition, the successful candidate will manage the online testing database and compile and edit competition study guides and the online reference guide.

In order to qualify for this job, applicants must meet a series of requirements. These include:

• An understanding of Career and Technical Education;
• Excellent computer skills, including advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office;
• Oral, written, and social media communication skills; and,
• The ability to efficiently and effectively handle multiple projects.

Head to our career center for more information about FBLA-PBL's Education Manager position, including instructions on how to apply.

So You Want To Be A Nonprofit Leader?

The ideal position for those looking for nonprofit jobs is in leadership. Whether it's a CEO or an executive director, experienced job seekers clamor for these types of jobs. They aren't the only ones.

Nonprofits are always trying to come up with ways to develop new leaders, whether for growth or to prepare for key departures. Yet, according to a recent study by the Bridgespan Group, many organizations admit that they fall short when it comes to undertaking a systematic approach to doing so.

The Bridgespan study's results, which will be highlighted in greater detail in an upcoming edition of our Weekly eNewsletter, offer some insight for job seekers who are interested in the current way that organizations look for new leaders. Some of the more noteworthy results include:

• Leadership vacancies are usually filled by external candidates. Only 25 percent of respondents said they used internal candidates.
• Leaders are engaged but struggle to act. Only 36 percent say leaders are held accountable for leadership development and only 38 percent engage their boards in the process.
• Future needs are not well understood. Fewer than 30 percent say they have plans to address leadership gaps and only 37 percent have successions plans.

Stay tuned for our upcoming newsletter for more results from this survey. You can sign up for free via our website.

Featured Nonprofit Job: Major Gifts Officer

San Diego, Calif.-based St. Vincent de Paul/Father Joe's Villages, is looking to hire a Major Gifts Officer. This position will be responsible for generating donations of $100,000 or more from individuals, corporations, and foundations in support of operations and building the Father Joe's Villages endowment fund.

The main duties of the Major Gifts Officer is to plan and ensure the implementation of the cultivation, education, solicitation, recognition and retention of major gift prospects and to be primarily involved with major donors/donor prospects on a regular basis. Other responsibilities include:

• Build long-term relationships with donors and prospects, identifying, cultivating and stewarding their interests.
• Solicit gifts from major donors and prospects, both independently and working collaboratively with other solicitors. 
• Schedule, manage and regularly attend donor meetings.
• Develop strategies for the cultivation and stewardship of individual major donors and prospects.
• Build, maintain and maximize institutional relationships with major-gift donors and prospects; deepening their engagement with St. Vincent de Paul/Father Joe’s Villages.   

The successful candidate for this position will have significant fundraising experience, particularly in the area of major gifts. Here are some of the qualifications St. Vincent de Paul/Father Joe's Villages wants in an applicant:

• BA and eight years of professional experience in non-profit fundraising or external relations with experience in major gifts.
• Experience working with volunteers, volunteer leadership, and professional program staff.
• Strong initiative and self-motivation, and a keen interest in working as part of a collaborative team.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills; excellent research skills; superior written and oral communication skills; and relevant computer skills.
• Ability to work both entrepreneurially and independently, and to function both as a leader and a partner within a team framework.

If you want to know more about this job, read more and apply on our career center. 

Is Telecommuting An Option?

Today's technology has allowed for a number of advancements in the workplace. One of those that is becoming more popular is telecommuting. Since a lot of work now is done on computers, there's not a whole lot you can't do from home. And if you do need to access your work computer, there are programs, like LogMeIn, that allow you to do that from the comfort of your home.

Yes, saving money by removing your commute sounds great, but is it really the right choice for job seekers?

The answer to that question really depends on who you are. Speaking during the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) 49th International Conference on Fundraising, Jill Dotts of the American Heart Association pointed out that there are certain employees who are good matches for telecommuting. Those employees fall into the following types:

• Top performers.
• Results focused.
• Strong communicators.
• Disciplined.
• Self directed, self driven.
• Entrepreneurial.
• Proficient in high technology.
• Administration proficient.
• Possessing a sense of urgency.

If most of those terms describe your personality, you should consider applying to jobs that offer telecommuting as an option. I personally think there is something to be said for working in an office with other people rather than staying at home all the time, but it is an option if you are having a tough time finding traditional nonprofit jobs.