Tips For Nonprofit Job Seekers

Inquiring minds want to know: What do you have to do to get a nonprofit job?  I've already gone over the kind of things you should be putting in a nonprofit resume.  There are other tips that job seekers should know if they want to land one of these highly sought after positions.

A common mistake that nonprofit job seekers make is believing they have to start over to get a job in the sector.  The thought goes that any for-profit experience you have is completely useless in the nonprofit sector.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  Nonprofits are run like businesses, meaning that your previous management experience is very valuable.  The worst thing you can do is approach a nonprofit career believing you need to start all over again.

This doesn't mean there aren't new skills you should learn.  Most colleges have courses you can take to earn an MA in nonprofit management, though this isn't entirely necessary, unless you want a high level nonprofit position.  If you don't have enough time for a Masters Degree, taking a few courses over the summer will help your chances.  Any additional training you can get on topics such as philanthropy and fundraising will give you a huge leg up on the competition.

Think I missed any points?  Feel free to add your tips below on how to get a nonprofit job.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 9/8/2011

Here are today's top nonprofit jobs:

• Development Associate at Goodspeed Musicals: Reporting to the Director of Development, the Development Associate supports the efforts of the entire development department in a variety of aspects as it cultivates, acquires, and stewards individual, corporate and foundation donors by: 1) managing and maintaining the department’s database and revenue and operating budgets; 2) researching prospects and maintaining prospect lists; 3) assisting with follow-up efforts on solicitation requests, including requests for gala support, major gifts and planned giving campaigns, annual corporate membership campaigns, sponsorship requests, and capital campaign requests; and 4) assisting with the planning and execution of all departmental special events, including donor cultivation events and annual gala (will require some weekend and evening work).
• Executive Director at American Diabetes Association: The Executive Director will be based out of our Springfield, IL office and will also oversee and provide senior-level staff oversight for the Greater Illinois Market including the management of staff and volunteers and the development and execution community-based fundraising and service programs. The Executive Director will report to the Associate Vice President, Mid Markets Division.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 9/7/2011

Just when the east coast thought it was done with heavy rain, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee had to come along and ruin things for everybody.  The worst part is that many of the parts that were worst hit by Irene had to deal with more flooding.  Looks like things have calmed down weather-wise today, however.  Anyway, here are today's top nonprofit jobs:

• Associate Director, Marketing at American Diabetes Association: The successful candidate will bring knowledge of the market, possess the ability to expand ADA’s sphere of influence and have demonstrated success in: staff development and leadership; volunteer recruitment and development; strategic planning; special event fund raising; program development; individual giving and stewardship; and corporate development.
• Manager, Client Success at Blackbaud, Inc: The Manager, Client Success Team (MCST) brings a wealth of marketing and fundraising expertise to a key segment of Blackbaud customers. The MCST is responsible for bringing Blackbaud's best ideas, innovations, and capabilities to customers and driving greater business value.
• Campaign Coordinator at The New England Center For Children (FEATURED JOB): The Campaign Coordinator administers specialized development functions, such as managing databases, reporting financial data, tracking, acknowledging and reporting on contributions received, the development of mailing lists and supporting the Annual Fund and Campaign on an administrative level. This position is also responsible for helping to synchronize Campaign and Annual Programs so that mailings and events are most effectively scheduled.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 9/6/2011

Hope everyone had a fantastic Labor Day weekend.  Please read my post on how to get back into the job search routine after a vacation, if you haven't already.  I hope you will find it useful as you recover from the post-vacation blues.  Here are today's top nonprofit jobs to help you get back into the flow of things:

• Chief Program Officer at AIDS Foundation of Chicago: The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is seeking a motivated, organized, and detail-oriented person to serve as its Chief Program Officer. With overarching leadership responsibilities for all AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) programs and services, the Chief Program Officer will manage program development, budgeting, planning, implementation and priority setting.
• Executive Director at SeaView Community Services: SeaView Community Services is seeking an Executive Director to provide leadership and oversight of all programs and is responsible for the overall performance of the organization. Key responsibilities include the management of a $3M+ budget and 50 employees. Must assure compliance with criteria established by granting, licensing and certification agencies.
• Manager of Partnership Development at Pharmacy Technician Certification Board: This position develops and maintains relationships with employers and educators of pharmacy technicians; creates and standardizes materials and infrastructure to develop new partnerships and maintain current ones; and coordinates activities with the Professional Affairs, Certification, and Recertification divisions to ensure effective marketing and fulfillment mechanisms for all employer and educator stakeholder accounts.

4 Job Search Habits You Need To Get Into

The latest employment numbers painted a grim picture for the economy.  The U.S. added no new jobs in August, creating the expected panic among job seekers.  There will probably be many people who think they should not even bother looking for work.  This is the last thing you should be doing.  Instead of feeling down about the poor economy, here are some job search habits you should take up:

• Look for companies, not just jobs.  Looking just for the ideal job leads to an unfocused job search.  Research the five nonprofits you most want to work for, and see if you can find out if they are hiring.
• Constantly update your online presence.  Always keep your Internet presence active and up-to-date.  This includes removing anything from your Facebook or Twitter accounts that might negatively impact your career hopes.
• Apply only for jobs you are qualified for.  There's a school of thought that you should apply to any job you are interested for, even if you are over or under qualified.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  The chance that you will be considered for jobs like these are very slim, so don't waste your time.
• Keep a positive outlook.  This is easier said than done, but it can make all the difference in the work.  Approaching any kind of work with a negative attitude only ensures that you won't get the most out of it.  You should be realistic about what you can accomplish, but you shouldn't assume you are going to fail.

NPT Jobs Recommends: 9/1/2011

I completely forgot that next Monday is Labor Day.  Since the office will be closed that day, there will be no blogging then.  Just a heads up.  I also wanted to let you know that The NonProfit Times just released their September 1st issue.  It focused on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  Check it out when you get a chance.

• 'Coming Back With Creative Questions at the End of an Interview'-Not sure what questions to ask at the end of a job interview?  Jessica Hernandez of GreatResumesFast has some good suggestions for you.
• 'The Evolution of Recruiting'-ResumeBear gives a very helpful breakdown of how employee recruiting has changed over the years.  This is a great article for both employers and job seekers.
• 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'-Are you "highly effective" in your job search? 

Making An Accomplishment Resume

The resume might be one of the most misunderstood aspects of the job search.  Too many job seekers make the mistake of listing what they did at a previous job rather than what they accomplished.  If you don't say how your work impacted your previous company, how will an employer know why your work was important?  Here are two resume examples I have written: One would be in a standard resume, the other is an accomplishment resume:

Example 1:

9/09-10/10: Social Media Assistant at Company X: Wrote blog posts for a start up marketing firm, updated Facebook and Twitter pages.

See how this example only tells what job was?  A potential employer will need to know much more than this if they are going to be interested in hiring you.

Example 2:

9/09-10/10: Social Media Assistant at Company X: Wrote blog posts that helped drive traffic to our website.  These posts helped generate 50,000 new pageviews per month.  Before these posts, our page views were at around 20,000 per month.  Transformed our previously empty Facebook and Twitter pages to active social media hubs.

This is a much more useful description for an employer.  It gives specific stats that help them understand how the blog posts helped the company the applicant worked for.  That is why an accomplishment-based resume is much more useful for your purposes: It gives the employer a reason to hire you.