Comments on: Landing a Non-Profit Job: How It’s Different

By: ThinkTalk Networks - Career TV for College

ThinkTalk Networks - Career TV for College — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:00:43 +0000

Welcome Back to the Start of a New Season…

Labor Day has passed and the lazy days of summer are behind us. It’s time, finally, to get to work. Whether you are a student back in school or a recent grad still looking for work, at ThinkTalk – our programming and our blog – we’re going to do our …

By: Eric Di Bari

Eric Di Bari — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:41:32 +0000

I currently work for a nonprofit and would definitely agree with above points. Nonprofits tend to be smaller and need people that are more resourceful and capable.

By: Roxy

Roxy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:48:38 +0000

I appreciate your comments, everyone. It’s interesting to see how my thoughts resonated with others. That’s the beauty of blogging!

@Ask A Manager, I am glad you raised those points, it gives a balanced perspective to my advice. I used to research the best companies to work for in America, and I found that many great workplaces consider the whole person in hiring decisions to be sure they are a cultural fit. So that’s why they ask more personal questions to find more out about your personality. At the research job above, I was asked what quirks I have in the interview, because one of the company’s values was literally “Kwirkiness.” I explained my fascination with American Idol, and got the job. I did so professionally, after showing I had the skills for the job. Are you finding organizations asking these types of questions more and more at all in your experience? I’d also love to hear about your experience in decision making processes. I’ve found that nonprofits make decisions slowly because we are balancing many partners – funders, board members, constituents, staff, beneficiaries, etc. This is mainly because we value ownership in decisions with all of our partners. How do you speed up decisions while instilling ownership over the end results?

By: Celeste Wroblewski

Celeste Wroblewski — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:31:42 +0000

Thanks, Roxy and Willy for this article. Roxy makes very good points though I agree with Ask a Manager that not all nonprofits are slow to make decisions or behind in technology.

By: Ted Williams

Ted Williams — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:29:31 +0000

Love the article. I especially think that leading with #4 and doing the other things is a no-brainer way to land a job within a non-profit. Non-profits are great at a ton of stuff, but when it comes to technology, they just haven’t caught up. Go volunteer to create a Facebook fan page or promote the next outing with a simple evite. You are right, the bar isn’t high and those that step in and start doing things will get the next job opening.

By: Ask a Manager

Ask a Manager — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Aghhh! No! This post is perpetuating stereotypes about nonprofits that are NOT true at the well-managed ones. I manage a nonprofit, and it makes me cringe to hear things like this.

“Non-profits make decisions very slowly.” Uh, no. Well-managed organizations of any kind are able to make decisions quickly. If you encounter a nonprofit (or any business) that seems to have trouble making decisions, run the other way.

“The easiest way to show how down to earth you are is to talk about your family, hobbies, and interests outside of work in the interview.” Seriously? If someone did this in an interview with me, I’d wonder what they were thinking. I want to talk about how you can do the job I’m hiring for. Leave the other stuff out of it.

Sure, there are touchy-feely nonprofits out there. But when you’re job hunting, you’re looking for somewhere well-run. That means they’re focused on getting things done and getting results.