Nonprofit Technology: Jump on the Bandwagon

The great thing about the nonprofit sector is that there are a wide range of positions for different experience levels and skill sets.  While fundraising and marketing jobs are some of the more popular positions available, nonprofit technology jobs are also on the rise.  For example, there are over 30 jobs listed on our job board that fit this category.  This includes the standard IT positions, as well as graphic design.  The trend here is clear: it's time to jump on the online and technology bandwagon!

The need for job candidates skilled in technology should come as no surprise.  With the growing popularity of the Internet (including the phenomenon that is social media) and the increased reliance on computers, nonprofits are increasingly on the look out for tech savvy employees.  In the 2010 IT Staffing and Spending Report by NTEN and The NonProfit Times, it was reported that expenditures on IT remained steady or even increased.  That the spending did not decrease despite the economic recession should show how important IT is to nonprofits. 

Although IT or HTML jobs aren't the only technology positions available, I would say they are the most valuable skills to have when looking for a nonprofit job.  But if you aren't really up to learning HTML (though I would highly recommend at least considering taking a basic HTML course), you should consider becoming very proficient in social media.  With the rise of Twitter and Facebook, many nonprofits are looking to take advantage of these mediums to reach new audiences.  If you can show you know the intricacies of these tools, it can go a long way to helping you secure employment.  There are plenty of free resources online explaining concepts like search engine optimization (SEO) and more, so take advantage of these and learn as much as you can.  You should also look into seeing if there are any courses on social media available at your local colleges.

Management Tip: 7 Essentials to Attracting Great Employees

Cross-posted from The NonProfit Times blog...

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Wondering why your organization has trouble attracting good employees?

Well, that article in The New York Times reporting your CEO has been found certifiably insane sure didn’t help, but in fact when it comes to hiring and retention, the times they are a changing.

In their book “Brand For Talent,” Mark Schumann and Libby Sartain offer information meant to show that getting and keeping top employees means awareness that present-day employees are not the same as those who grew up during the Depression, even if they are dealing with the Great Recession.

Schumann and Sartain offer seven essentials that can help deal with a new situation.

• Wake up. Today’s job-seekers see themselves, not you, as the consumers. With a world of information at their fingertips, and the savvy to maneuver it, they are looking for something that satisfies them.

• Look ahead. You might have to market yourself as a good place to work. Think sensibilities, challenges, lessons, opportunities, the future.

• Create. A company must creatively market its employer brand to each segment of worker it hopes to secure.

• Segment. As with marketing, segmenting means adapting the talent brand message for each segment based on insight into audience needs and preferences.

• Implement. Be recognized, believed, personalized, and remembered.

• Sustain. There must be alignment of the culture, corporate identity and the consumer and employer brands.

• Survive. Be aware of and utilize social media to your benefit.

NPT Jobs Recommends: 7/5/2011

Not that this has anything to do with nonprofit jobs, but a verdict has apparently been reached in the Casey Anthony trial.  She has been found not guilty of first degree murder.  To be honest, I didn't follow the trial, so I don't really know the story behind it.  But I know a lot of people did, so I thought I would share that.  And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

• 'Job Hunting Lessons From the Bachelorette'-What's this?  Linking the job search to a reality TV program?  It sounds crazy, but this is actually a pretty interesting article.  The author does a fantastic job of linking the two concepts without it sounding absurd.
• 'How to REALLY Grow Your Network on LinkedIn'-You can never have too much advice for social networking.  Here's some tips on how to expand your network on LinkedIn.
• 'Customize Your Cover Letter'-Anything you can do to make your cover letter stand out amongst the others is a plus.  Check out this article for ideas on how to make your cover letter special.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 7/05/2011

Happy post-Independence Day!  Hopefully you had a relaxing weekend...and maybe you even got some networking done!  Here are jobs that have recently been posted on our job board.  Surprisingly enough, there were actually a couple of jobs posted on July 4th!

• Director of Research Institute at Edgewood Center for Children and Families: The Director of Edgewood Institute will design, oversee and implement systems and strategies that support an outcome orientation throughout Edgewood. The position will lead, supervise and collaborate with key stakeholders at the Edgewood Institute, with Regional Directors, the Education Director and the Medical Director to ensure programs collect, translate and apply process and outcome data into direct services, program design and administration.
• Director, Behavioral Health at Edgewood Center: We are currently seeking Behavioral Health Directors for two Programs. These positions provides programmatic and clinical oversight and supervision to intensive services programs, including Residential, Community Based, Wrap and Afterschool Programs.
• Chief Development Officer at West Bergen Mental Healthcare, Inc: This newly created position provides leadership and management oversight to the Fundraising, Marketing and Public Relations programs of West Bergen Mental Healthcare. Reporting to the CEO, and as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Chief Development Officer will be responsible for the planning, execution, staff and operations of the West Bergen Development Department.

What's Your Job Application Email?

Hope everybody had a safe and excellent July 4th.  Now that the festivities are over, it's back to business.

There isn't much that doesn't take place online these days.  Who needs to go out to the mall for holiday shopping when you can get everything you need with the click of a mouse?  Heck, you can even order food over the Internet now.  And as we all know, the job search is now almost exclusively done via the web.  This is all pretty obvious stuff, but here's something you might not have known: Your email address can directly affect whether you get a job or not.

As much as you may love your main address, it simply won't look good to an employer to receive an e-mail from moocow@yahoo.com.  That's why you should create a separate job application email address.  There are plenty of free email services on the Internet, and it doesn't matter which one you use.  I have always preferred Gmail because of its simple interface, but Yahoo or MSN works just as well.  The most important thing is that your email account is professional.  It doesn't have to be anything more complicated than your first and last name.

There's another advantage to having a separate email: Organization.  Since your job application email should only be getting messages from places you have applied to, you won't have to rummage through spam to find relevant emails.  This also decreases the likelihood you will delete an important message by mistake. 

So do yourself a favor and create a new email address.  Even if your personal email does not have an embarrassing name, it will at least help you stay organized.

NPT Jobs Recommends: 7/1/2011

I'd continue with the July 4th theme here but, frankly, there aren't that many job related Independence Day articles.  So no special theme here, sorry.

• 'Five Myths and Realities Behind Temporary Work'-Temporary work is one of the more popular forms of jobs these days.  ResumeBear give some facts (and falsehoods) about them.
• Sample Resume From Job-Hunt.org-Need some help with your resume?  Check out this great sample resume from Job-hunt.org.
• 'How to Use Twitter to Change Careers'-Find out how you can use Twitter to help change your career path.  Seriously, what can't Twitter do?

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 7/01/2011

Happy July 4th weekend everybody!  Here are some jobs to look over before you begin the festivities:

• Director of Grants Management at Devereux (FEATURED JOB): Devereux’s Corporate Development Offices has an immediate opening for a senior level Director, reporting to the Vice President of Development and Communication and the Senior Vice President for External Affairs, responsible for the full process of grant and foundation funding relationships. The successful candidate will direct project teams and have exceptional interpersonal skills with passion and creativity for ongoing identification, cultivation and solicitation of grant and foundation sources, to assemble comprehensive and successful grant submissions; researching, identifying and writing grant proposals; create tracking systems; gather and analyze data and apply the results. 
• Director, Publishing at American Council on Education: The Publishing Department of the American Council on Education currently has an opening for a Director of Publishing. The Director oversees ACE’s publishing operations, including its member magazine; directs editorial services; and coordinates protection of ACE’s intellectual property.
• Chief Development Officer at West Bergen Mental Healthcare, Inc: This newly created position provides leadership and management oversight to the Fundraising, Marketing and Public Relations programs of West Bergen Mental Healthcare. Reporting to the CEO, and as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Chief Development Officer will be responsible for the planning, execution, staff and operations of the West Bergen Development Department.