A lot of young professionals ask me to review their resumes after getting frustrated in their nonprofit job search. They send their applications out to a bunch of openings, yet never get called for an interview. I feel for them. The nonprofit job market seems a lot more competitive now than when I got my first nonprofit job eight years ago. At my last job, we received 200 applications for an entry level, administrative position we were hiring for. But even though we were inundated with resumes, it was still pretty easy to spot the “A level” ones because most of them were either average or just plain sucked.
See the problem?
You could be the most talented, experienced candidate with the friendliest personality from here to the Aloha State, but if your resume doesn’t reflect that, there’s no way you’re getting close to hired. Many young professionals make the mistake of simply listing everything they ever did in their previous positions, all the way down to making copies as an intern and mopping the floors as a restaurant worker in college. All the while, the hiring manager is reading this sucky resume, wondering, “is this supposed to impress me?” I know, I know, you may think you have to fill in space on your resume if you don’t have much experience. But you should take comfort in the fact that it’s not so much about how many years of experience you’ve had, but what you’ve accomplished in each particular position you’ve held.
Don’t Focus on Duties
- Prepared packets for meetings
- Made copies of important documents
- Researched information on the Web
- Scheduled important meetings
- Supported program staff
- Answered phones
- Opened mail
- Mopped floors, vacuumed the office, kept the kitchen tidy
Focus on Accomplishments
- Developed or created X program
- Supervised X volunteers or interns
- Managed X process from start to finish
- Organized the very first X committee
- Implemented X new activity for my student organization
- Took X program from X number of participants to X in less than a year
- Reorganized X procedure and saved the organization X dollars
- Facilitated the launch or expansion of X, Y & Z
Which of the above impresses you more, the list of duties or accomplishments? That’s what I thought. If you’re job searching, start thinking from the perspective of the hiring organization. They want someone who can come in and produce results; they don’t really care about how wonderfully you opened the mail or mopped floors in the past. So, don’t waste your time telling them!
If your nonprofit resume sucks, you may want to consider having it reviewed by a career coach or ask one of your close colleagues to read it and give you honest feedback.
What are some ways you’ve improved your nonprofit resume?
Remember back in May when I told you about the book I was writing? Well, unfortunately my contact at Jossey-Bass left the company and the publisher passed on this particular book idea. But during that time, I’d come up with a slightly better idea. And a person who could help me make it even better. I’m excited to announce that I’m co-writing (and self-publishing) a book of career advice for young nonprofit professionals to move from entry level to leadership with the amazing and wise Trista Harris! All of you dear readers will get the best of both worlds with our book – my insight from the nonprofit side of things as well as Trista’s inside track to moving up in the philanthropy world from her perspective as a young foundation CEO.
The book’s release date is slated for November 1, 2010 and you will find ordering information on this blog very soon. We wrote this book for a lot of reasons – one because of all the questions we’ve received on our blogs over the last three years from young people seeking to advance their careers. Another reason is because young nonprofit professionals simply aren’t getting the support they need in traditional ways – one in three emerging nonprofit leaders aspires to be an executive director someday, yet only 4% of them are explicitly being developed to become their organization’s executive director. And of that 4%, women are being developed at a lower rate than men.
Our solution? Give young professionals an accessible, do-it-yourself map of how to navigate the nonprofit sector and the tools they need to move from entry-level positions to leadership roles.
The book is based on our experiences as well as interviews and case studies from other young nonprofit professionals who have successfully navigated the sector using the career strategies we suggest. We have both also relied heavily on the wisdom that we have gained from all of you, our dear blog readers. As a result of reading this book, young professionals will be able to develop valuable nonprofit expertise, practice authentic leadership, and establish a strong personal brand.
Asking for Your Help
We are currently looking for young nonprofit professionals to give us feedback on some of the book chapters to make sure it’s the best book it can be. Please send me an email at rosetta (at) rosettathurman (dot) com if you are interested in being a reader! And thank you, in advance for being a huge part of this process – if it wasn’t for so many of you reading my blog, I’d have never even thought about writing a book. Much love to everyone who keeps reading and sharing and adding to the conversation.
When my mom got remarried a couple years ago, our entire family flew in from around the country. My grama had to come down to Washington, DC all the way from Ohio, and as usual, she created the most drama out of everyone in the wedding. Grama goes to the salon every time there’s a special occasion, but she is never satisfied with how the hairdresser styles her hair. She never likes it, no matter who coifs her unruly mane. She blames each of the unfortunate hairdressers who ruin her ‘do, demanding her money back in a huff after each fiasco. A few months later, she goes through the process all over with a different stylist, but the same outcome. It’s a pattern that characterizes every family event that involves my grandmother. Her haircare is never right, and it’s always the stylist that gets the blame for doing it wrong.
Have you noticed a similar pattern in your nonprofit jobs? I’ve met many young professionals in my last few years of speaking to groups that complain about their horrible nonprofit jobs, low salaries, and evil bosses. Particularly in DC, I saw high turnover in my fellow development directors and others who stay at a job for six months or so, then move on to another job because the organization didn’t “treat them right”. I see these same people going through the revolving door of several different nonprofit organizations, never finding the right fit for their professional needs. I keep wondering if they realize at some point that maybe it’s not the nonprofit who has the issues.
Maybe it’s them.
If you’re in a bad nonprofit job right now, I encourage you to think about some ways that you might be contributing to the negative situation. Then, think of ways you might change it. You might be surprised to find that the solution doesn’t always have to be to leave the organization.
Get Rid of the “Woe is Me” Attitude
Look, nobody likes a whiner. If all you do is talk about the problems you have at work, no one will want to listen to you or help you in your plight. We all know that working in a nonprofit is not easy. You may be overworked, but you don’t have to complain about it to everyone who asks you how you’re doing. Chances are, if you’re feeling the negative vibes, everyone else is, too. Break out your smile and ask your co-workers how they’re doing, how you can help each other. When you radiate positive energy, it tends to spread to others around you.
Negotiate the Salary You Need
Whose fault is it really, that you make a salary that’s too low? You were the one that accepted it, so the blame rests with you. To avoid being miserable, you have to ask for the salary you want when you come in, which should be a number higher than what you need to buy food and pay rent. I know people who have calculated their bare bones needs just to get by and told the hiring manager they could live off of $32,000 a year. I did it myself – in my first full-time nonprofit job I made $27,000 a year. I had to take out loans and get a part-time job as a hostess at a chain restaurant just to pay my rent, feed myself and go to a concert once in a blue moon. But I learned my lesson real quick. What did I think I was, a proverbial Wal-Mart? You are not discount talent, so don’t short yourself when it comes to salary negotiations. You should have enough to live, pay taxes, and make room for whatever makes you happy.
Don’t Let Your Boss Tell You What to Do
Sometimes young professionals get frustrated with outdated and inefficient processes at their organizations. The computers are too slow, the programs aren’t impacting enough kids, the fundraising process doesn’t bring in new donors, Your boss is sitting there telling you what to do, and you just obey, when you just know there is a better way to do the work. Yet you keep your mouth shut when it comes time for you to speak up about how it should be done differently. Nonprofits are just like any other organization that should benefit from the fresh ideas of its staff. But how would your boss know that you have a brilliant solution to a problem facing the organization unless you tell her? Don’t wait to be asked for your opinion. Raise your voice in meetings and be ready and willing to implement your ideas. In the end, everyone wins – you get to practice leadership, and the nonprofit gets better at what it does for the people they serve.
Unless you’ve found some way to completely avoid stupid celebrity gossip, you’ve probably heard about how world-renowned actor Laurence Fishburne’s daughter is breaking into Hollywood…via sex tape. 19-year-old Montana Fishburne is going to star in a porn film and it’s interesting to hear her reason why.
“I’ve watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sex tape.”
While it’s true that Montana’s idol – reality TV star, model and now business mogul Kim Kardashian – has skyrocketed to celebrity, I wouldn’t count on Montana’s personal brand achieving the same effect. Sure, she’ll get her 15 minutes of fame (and the clock is ticking), but a good personal brand requires much more than one bootleg movie. Here are 7 better ways that you can build your personal brand…without releasing a sex tape.
Start a Blog
Yup, you knew this one was coming. There are a lot of reasons why every young professional should have a blog (hell, every professional!) but one of the biggest benefits to having a blog is that even if you’re not a bigshot CEO of your company, blogging can allow you to become well-known in your field. Need help getting started? I got you. Last week, I announced my new project, Blogging for Branding, a resource to help you with all the aspects of blogging in order to build your personal brand.
Get Your Own Business Cards
This is one of the most important things you can do for your personal brand (especially for jobseekers). Ever since I was 18, I’ve had my own business cards. And even when I was working a full-time job, I kept a stack of business cards in my purse to let people know about my blog and where to contact me outside of my 9 to 5. My favorite place for business cards is Vistaprint. I’ve used them for the past 10 years because of their low cost, easy-to-use website and quick delivery. And when I say low cost, I mean low cost. New customers get 250 premium quality, color business cards free! (You just pay for shipping.) Click here to order yours. They also have a ton of professional business card templates, but I always keep mine very simple. (If you can’t see the images below, click here.)
And don’t be afraid to tell people how you want them to interact with you. For instance, the backside of my business cards say “hire me” pretty prominently. People always comment on how bold it is. But you have to remember that marketing yourself is a lot like marketing a product. You have to tell people what action you want them to take after they see what you have to offer.
Attract Fans and Followers
If you want to build your personal brand and you’re not on Twitter by now, I don’t know what is wrong with you. You can get started using my Twitter 101 guide if that helps. Once you’re on Twitter, you should be following other people in your career field or niche as well as tweeting insights about those specific topics. If you have a blog, you should also set up a Facebook fan page for yourself in the “writer” category and link to it from your blog so people can keep up with your updates. Don’t forget to put your Twitter and Facebook names on your business cards!
Get on YouTube
People like TV. People like movies. People really like to connect with other human beings by face, so it makes sense that millions of people watch YouTube videos everyday. Yeah, you could wait until you get interviewed on TV, but in the meantime, the best way to let people get to know you by your face and voice is by posting video updates on YouTube. It’s easy and free! Pick a topic that you can share your expertise and opinion on and post a brief video about it every week or every month. It’s up to you. Just be sure to spread your videos far and wide once you take the plunge into YouTubeland. Need inspiration? Look no further than Kim Love. For the past year and a half, the natural hair enthusiast has used her YouTube channel, KimmayTube, to share her expertise with the world and recently leveraged it to launch a successful retail business.
Think Local
Chances are, your personal brand is never gonna be world-famous or even nationally-known, and it probably doesn’t have to be. If you want to become well-known in a particular career field, for instance, it’s probably more useful for you to connect with those in your immediate community instead of trying to be too broad, too soon. Blog about how local issues tie into your niche and introduce yourself to influential people in your city and state that can help you build your professional reputation. Samuel Richard does this very well and has built up a great reputation for himself as a young nonprofit leader in Phoenix.
Network With a Purpose
Networking is such a misunderstood term that we took some time to define it on our recent Twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals. @ShannonRenee put it this way:
Networking is meeting people to develop a mutually beneficial professional relationship.
Sounds good to me. The only problem I see is when people go to happy hours and conferences without a purpose in mind. They go, they drink, they go to workshops and then they go home without ever exchanging a single business card. Why go to an event in your industry and not connect with the very people who can help you further your career and vice versa? Remember: you don’t really need to work the whole room, just the parts of the room that apply to what you want to be known for in your niche or career field.
Dust Off Your Email List
Chances are, you don’t email people outside of your workplace as much as you could. Yes, it’s nice to post updates on Facebook and Twitter, but alas, everyone is not on those social networks, and even if they are, you can best believe that they don’t read every single update you post. So, take a couple hours every few months to use email to update your network on what you’ve been doing with your career and what your future goals are. Give them a reason to sing your praises or connect you with people in their network who may be doing similar work. I guarantee that there’s someone on your email list that will be interested in your progress or willing to help you get to where you want to go.
What are some other ways that young professionals can build their personal brands…the respectable way?
This is a guest post by Laura Zabel, executive director of Springboard for the Arts, an organization out of St.Paul, Minnesota which connects artists with resources. Laura previously appeared on my radio show for the special episode, A Day in the Life of a Young Nonprofit Executive Director.
When I present at conferences or meet with people who are interested in nonprofit careers, there is always at least someone who asks me, “So, how’d you get that job?” When I first started 5 years ago, this question stung a bit (in the same category as “Wow, you’re younger than I expected.”) But now, as I’ve proved to myself that I can do this job, I see that people are just genuinely curious about my career path and how, after holding positions as an executive assistant and then a development manager at mid-size organizations, I came to be the executive director of a 20 year old organization at 30. So, I’ve tried to pull some useful tips from my experience for other emerging leaders hoping to make the transition to an executive director role:
- Apply for it. That’s my flip answer, but it’s also true. I think sometimes, emerging leaders spend a lot of time pointing out how few younger executive directors there are in the field and assuming that no one would hire them for those positions without actually going for it and throwing their hat in the ring. I remember very clearly reading the job description for my position to my husband and telling him, “That’s like my dream job in 10 years.” and he said, “Well, then maybe you should apply for it.” Oh, right. It’s very hard to get a job you didn’t apply for.
- Passion for the mission. It wasn’t (and still isn’t) my dream to be an executive director, it was my dream to change my community and to help and advocate for artists. I know that I probably wouldn’t have had an interview for an ED position at a different organization, but a real, authentic passion for the mission is hard to ignore. I was a constituent of the organization and invested in the community that the organization serves. When I hire new staff now, this is my number one criteria.
- Figure out how to add up all your experiences to equal something more than the parts. In my previous jobs I’d taken on a lot of new projects and tasks that weren’t originally part of my job (who doesn’t do this at small orgs, right?) and I was able to show the hiring committee that having all those experiences made me familiar with a lot of different facets of running an organization. I served on the board of a tiny organization. I’d also started and run one major side project that showed that I could, in fact, be in charge of things like budgets and people (even if they were all volunteers!)
- Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to find organizations that might be willing to take a risk on you, you’re going to have to take a risk on them. The fact is, the job I have now, wasn’t the job I applied for 5 years ago. There were some pretty big issues facing the organization – financially, strategically, and brand-wise. It was a job that people with a lot more experience than me probably didn’t want or couldn’t afford to take. But the organization also had a strong history, and a really engaged staff and board, who were committed to the mission and willing to do the work to set a new vision. They took a big risk on me and they were also willing to continue to support and mentor me, which made me feel comfortable taking a risk on them.
Laura Zabel is the Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Springboard for the Arts is a leader in the field of artist service and provides arts focused economic, business and career development services for artists of all disciplines and at all stages of their careers. Since 1978, Springboard has served more than 70,000 artists and cultural organizations throughout the upper Midwest.
In 2010, Laura was named one of Twin Cities Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty and Springboard won the Social Entrepreneur’s Cup award which recognizes Minnesota’s most innovative and effective social entrepreneur and the organization they lead. Laura has been a featured presenter at the National Association of Artists Organizations conference and the National Performing Arts Convention. She has presented classes and workshops on nonprofit organizations, fiscal sponsorship, fundraising and other topics for groups all across the Midwest. Laura serves on the City of Saint Paul Cultural STAR Board. In addition to her work at Springboard, Laura is an actor in the Twin Cities and has worked with companies such as Theatre in the Round and the Brave New Workshop. Laura has her undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Kansas, where she serves on the Professional Advisory Board for the Department of Theatre. You can connect with Laura on Twitter @laurazabel
You: a brilliant, energetic young professional who wants to make a difference in the world. What you’re looking for: a nonprofit job that can turn into a fulfilling career with a salary that doesn’t put you into the poorhouse. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you already know where to find a nonprofit job (here’s a list of 97 nonprofit job boards, just in case you don’t). The problem is that you may not know what to look for once you apply for the job and start the process of determining whether you want to take the job or not.
Here’s the thing: being satisfied with your salary, while important, is just one factor.
Even though you may be offered a great salary, you may end up with crappy benefits or a toxic workplace. You may find a job you’re really excited about, but at the end of the day, no matter what the mission, or how much you may like your co-workers, you have to make sure the job will be beneficial to your long-term career goals and personal well being. If you dive in headfirst without thinking it through, you could end up hating your nonprofit job. Here are five factors (beyond salary) that you might consider in a nonprofit job. Your goal should be to negotiate the ones that mean most to you into your offer before you accept a position!
- Generous vacation time: meaning at least four weeks off a year. Your work will, at times, be very difficult and you will need a break. A long one. More than just two weeks once a year. Make sure you have enough time allocated so that you can enjoy your time off. If you’re offered only two weeks, ask for four as part of a counter offer, especially if the salary is not ideal.
- Fully paid health benefits: meaning health, dental, and vision covered by the organization. You don’t want to worry about how your doctor bills are going to get paid. I once met a young woman who worked in an arts organization that refused to provide her with even basic coverage. She was broke, miserable, and resented her job every time she got sick and had to come out of pocket. It was a lose/lose situation for everyone.
- Flexible scheduling: you want to have the option to switch up your hours when you need to, work from home periodically, or take on a slash career (part-time job to supplement your salary or learn new skills). What if you need to leave at 3pm to pick up your sick kid? You don’t want to work in a place that frowns upon work/life balance, even if that means you need to come into work on Tuesdays at 10am because you have a personal trainer or do yoga in the morning.
- 403b retirement account: an employer plan set-up to allow you to save for retirement. It’s best if the organization offers some kind of match in addition to your contributions. It makes your money grow faster! And knowing that your nonprofit cares about your long-term financial future will only make you more loyal to the organization.
- Professional development opportunities: ideally, there would a set amount in the budget for staff to attend conferences or workshops to hone their skills. But, in these tough economic times, many nonprofits will tell you they’ve cut their professional development budgets. However, if there’s an annual conference you really want to attend, work the cost into your salary negotiations. You can also sweeten the deal by offering to come back to the office and train all the other staff on what you learned at a particular workshop.
In my nonprofit career, I’ve learned that everything is negotiable. Everything. Especially if you can prove that you have the kind of exceptional talent that the organization needs to succeed. If you can sell yourself really well, the door will be open to getting the best benefits to accompany your salary. In the end, it’s all about what’s important to YOU.
What are some other factors you consider in choosing the ideal nonprofit job?
Yup, it’s time for another Twitter Chat! Tomorrow is our sixth twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals and Allison and I are excited to have the Denver chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network cohost for a Very Important Topic: how to build a strong professional network.
What: Twitter Chat for Young Nonprofit Professionals
Your Hosts: Rosetta Thurman @rosettathurman, Allison Jones @ajlovesya and YNPN Denver @YNPNDenver
Topic: How to Build a Strong Professional Network
When: Wednesday, August 4, 12pm-1pm EST
How: Search #ynpchat on Twitter, Tweetchat, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or your favorite Twitter client!
We hope you’ll join us and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ynpchat for our discussion!
Join us for Future Twitter Chats
On the first Wednesday of every month from 12-1pm EST you can catch Rosetta and I talking about the issues that matter most to young nonprofit professionals. Mark your calendars for the next conversation and let us know what topics you want to talk about!
- September 8
- October 6
- November 3
- December 1
It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s lazy. It’s all vacation everything. People are blogging less, maybe working less, too. Which means that it’s the perfect time to invest in your personal brand. Specifically, I want to explore blogging as a tool to improve your life and career.
That’s the concept behind my new blog, Blogging for Branding. I’ve designed it as an experiment for me to see how best to help people learn how to use blogging to build their personal brand.
To kick off this new project, I invite you to join me during the entire month of August for a fun learning series. Think of it as a cool challenge to beat the heat and build your brand…
31 Days to a Brand New Blog
Inspired by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger, I will post a new tip each day in August to help you use your blog to build a better personal brand that will enhance your life and career.
Wanna join in the fun? It’s FREE and it’s gonna be a blast to learn with other people who are starting a blog or want to use the challenge to spruce up the one they already have. Sign up for the challenge so we can follow your progress throughout the month! More details here.
Wait, You Don’t Have a Blog Yet?
For shame 
Well, from now through August 31, I’m offering to help you set up a professional-looking blog with my Blog Starter Kit. Learn more here and let me know if you’d like to take advantage of this opportunity. I’d love to help you get started with a blog so you can participate in next month’s learning challenge! There are also options for those who just want a few tweaks here and there.
Now if blogging’s just not your thing, not to worry. This blog will still be focused on nonprofits, leadership and social change. All day, (almost) every day. The content here won’t change, but if you want to stay updated on all my Blogging for Branding posts, you can subscribe to my new blog here.
P.S. Check back here at about noon EST for a new post about young nonprofit leaders and why no one knows who we are. And don’t forget to tune in to today’s radio show about board service for young nonprofit professionals!
Young people are known for being more proficient with social media than our older colleagues, and it definitely shows up in the blogosphere. Recent research shows that 53% of the total blogging population is 21-35 years old. Cool, right? What I wonder about that statistic though, is whether we are blogging simply for personal reasons or if we’re really using blogging as a strategy to enhance our careers.
As a personal branding tool, blogging really serves so many different purposes that I’m surprised more of us are not doing it. Thankfully, networks like Brazen Careerist are out there to connect young people who are using blogging as a tool to advance and even shape their careers. The possibilities are endless.
So I asked my blogging friends on Twitter:
What’s the biggest benefit you’ve experienced with professional blogging?
This is what they said.
Blogging Helps You Become a Better Writer
Blogging Helps You Stay on Top of What’s Happening in Your Niche
Blogging Helps You Build Credibility in Your Field
Blogging Can Help You Get a Job
Blogging Can Help You Make Extra Money
Blogging Expands Your Network
Blogging Allows You to Share Your Expertise
Blogging Helps Spread the Word About Causes You Care About
Here are two more significant benefits I’ve observed in the blogosphere.
Blogging Can Help You Position Yourself as a Thought Leader
- Andre Blackman has been using his blog, Pulse + Signal to market himself as an expert in the field of public health and technology.
- Ian David Moss is widely respected as a go-to person on all things arts policy, in large part due to his popular industry blog Createquity.
Blogging is the Ultimate Marketing Tool for Jobseekers
- Jessica Journey used her blog to build her brand while she was still in grad school as a way to make herself more attractive to employers.
- Elizabeth Campbell is new to the nonprofit scene, but her blog, Will Work for Free, makes it very clear that she wants to work in nonprofit administration after graduating.
If you’re already blogging, how has blogging helped you in your career? If you’re not blogging yet but want to, what’s holding you back?
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