It’s your senior year and campus is abuzz, but this year however, there’s a different feel. Everywhere you turn there’s a career fair. Recruiters have blown into town and they’re interviewing everyone in their path. Your roommates are mulling offers from Fortune 500 companies and even friends in the community service club are comparing sign-on bonuses. You, however, have never pictured yourself working for a paycheck in a huge corporation. You’ve always wanted to do something you feel passionate about; something that impacts your community and serves a greater good. You’ve been steering straight towards the nonprofit sector. However, the pressure is on to get a job. Graduation is around the corner, student loan bills are on their way and the last thing you want to do is move back home with your parents.
If this sounds familiar, then welcome to the crossroads of your real world responsibilities and your “save the world sensibilities.” Though the challenge may seem daunting, success is within reach. But before you hit send on your first application, you’ll need to develop a strategy and employ the right techniques to land an amazing job in the nonprofit sector. Take a deep breath. You’ve got a lot of work to do if you’re going to change the world.
Step 1: Find your inspiration
Chances are your interest in the nonprofit sector and your passion for social impact didn’t happen overnight. A successful nonprofit job search strategy starts with a solid self assessment of your interests and inspirations.
Whether it’s the environment, immigrant rights, or school reform, it may take some digging to find the roots of your social consciousness. While this effort is essential in crafting an effective nonprofit job search, you can’t merely rest on your idealism. “The candidates that are most successful in making the leap from college to the nonprofit sector aren’t just do-gooders,” says Allyson Biegeleisen, Director of Client Service at Commongood Careers. “They’re passionate about particular issues and they’ve demonstrated that passion in their academics, extra curricular activities and volunteer work.” In short, find your passion and turn it into action.
It can be helpful to explore your motivations for working in the nonprofit sector by hearing about what has inspired others. Check out the publication Be Bold which profiles 12 social entrepreneurs and details the inspirations and qualities that drive them to continually broaden their impact and change the world.
Step 2: Research organizations
Now that you’ve uncovered your motivations for working in the nonprofit sector, it’s time to put those research skills you’ve spent 4 years sharpening to work. Find the organizations that would be perfect match for you
Step 3: Get out there!
Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know?” It’s as true in the nonprofit sector as it is in any facet of your life, maybe more so. Due to a lack of resources to recruit on campus and run far-reaching talent searches, nonprofits leaders rely heavily on their networks and referrals to find great talent. Unlike your classmates who are pursuing corporate job opportunities, nonprofit jobseekers typically don’t have the luxury of setting up on-campus interviews through campus career centers. You’ll need to proactive to find the perfect fit. Building your network involves a combination of your social skills and your know-how.
Networking: Start within your age group and other people that have recently made the jump into the nonprofit sector. This group is most able to relate to your situation and will have the most relevant advice for jumping the hurdles that stand in your path. The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) is a membership organization that creates opportunities for the young people in the sector to connect and network with their peers. From there, work outwards and upwards to network with leaders in the nonprofit sector. For more detailed advice on networking, read our article It’s Who You Know: Networking for Jobseekers.
Volunteering: Every nonprofit in some capacity or another relies on volunteers to accomplish their mission. Find volunteer opportunities with the 5-10 organizations on your target list and get involved today. Fundraising events are generally a good starting place to volunteer and they present an excellent opportunity to network with staff, funders and other volunteers of your target organizations. Also, call each organization directly and ask if there are any volunteer opportunities in their offices. Most nonprofits will not turn down help, and there’s often the largest need in the development and programming departments.
Mentors: In your networking and volunteer work, keep an eye out for potential mentors to act as go-to people for advice and council. Another technique for finding a mentor involves a bit more action. Find the person in the sector that has your dream job and contact them. Let them know that you’d someday like to be where they are now, and you’d like to speak to them about their career path. If they’re amenable, schedule a meeting or an in-person informational interview. It may seem like a scary proposition to cold call someone you don’t know, but you’d be amazed how helpful and open successful professionals in the nonprofit sector are. In developing these relationships, remember to take it slow and state your intentions. Start with an email, then a call and then a meeting. The key is to get out in the community now, impress everyone you meet and be upfront about your goal of finding a job in the nonprofit sector. Through this, you’ll soon have a team of supporters and advocates to help you accomplish your goal.
Conclusion
Making the jump from undergrad to the nonprofit sector may be easier than you think. You can drastically increase your chances of landing that perfect job by creating a strategy, understanding your passion, researching organizations, networking and getting involved. Before you even submit your first application you’ll be half way there. You may not be saving the world tomorrow, but you’ll be on your way to making a big impact, one footprint at a time.
This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.