Nonprofit job search: It's different

Interested in working for a nonprofit? Here's some seasoned advice from employers about your job search.
As director of the Center for Nonprofit Management at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., Patricia Wilder coordinates certificate and degree programs for training in the nonprofit sector. Last year, 2,100 students came through her center's courses, up from about 800 when she started five years ago.
In addition to a master's of business administration in nonprofit management, the program features institutes for community leaders, ministry leaders and executive directors.
One of the center's most popular classes is short and free. In "Explore Working for a Nonprofit Organization," people unfamiliar with the nonprofit sector learn the basics of "crossover" job search. The monthly class is always full.
Wilder, who has done more than her share of hiring in 20-plus years of nonprofit management, peppers the session with personal experiences and advice. Her sternest warnings are reserved for those who would try to impress her with corporate-speak.
Translating the lingo
"You have to transfer the language and experiences into the nonprofit lingo," she said in a recent class. "I'm not talking about putting too many Kumbayas in there, but don't make it all about revenue and production. What was your input in other ways?"
To get this right, Wilder recommends asking someone in the nonprofit arena to review the r & eacute;sum & eacute; for tone and language. Even in the 1990s, Wilder says, she was receiving 150 r & eacute;sum & eacute;s for each opening. With that many to review, she learned to drop those that showed no nonprofit experience.
Now, she advises candidates who cross over from for-profit jobs to include a commitment statement at the top of the r & eacute;sum & eacute;, defining their intention to work for nonprofits and to put volunteer jobs under a category called "community experiences. "
"I don't care if you got paid or not," she says. "I just want to see those skill sets."
Wilder relies on cover letters to tell her more about candidates, and she prefers a two-page r & eacute;sum & eacute; to a one-pager that doesn't give enough information.
Sean Kershaw, executive director of the Citizen's League in Minneapolis, agrees with Wilder's penchant for cover letters -- as long as they don't go too far.
"There are very few people who deserve a three-page cover letter," he said recently, after receiving such a letter for a job he posted in September.
What impressed him
On the other hand, Kershaw saw some very good candidates in this search.
"One of the best cover letters literally said, 'Here are the things you requested and here are the bullet points of why I'm good at them.' That person got an interview."
Kershaw used a committee to make his hire, with former employees helping to sort the applicants and an adviser assisting in the interviews. Such committees are quite common for nonprofit employers, which place a premium on consensus decision-making.
Meanwhile, the candidate he was preparing to hire was doing his own research, asking others what they thought of Kershaw's management style. It's a move that impressed the executive director.
Kershaw and his committee conducted several rounds of interviews before making their choice. Despite the hard work, he would do it that way again.
Advice from pros
Ready for a review? Here is what these two seasoned nonprofit directors advise:
UWrite a commitment statement in your r & eacute;sum & eacute; showing your intent to work in nonprofits.
UStrengthen your nonprofit experience.
UConsider a r & eacute;sum & eacute; section called "community experience" for volunteer posts.
UShow your nonprofit skills on your r & eacute;sum & eacute;.
UWrite a brief but targeted cover letter to show your strengths for the job.
UStay open to other possibilities in the organization.
UBe ready to multitask.
UResearch the management as well as the mission.
UPrepare for a long round of interviews, or a committee process. The final step, once you have your new job, is to manage your nonprofit career.
XAmy Lindgren, the owner of a career-consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn., can be reached at alindgrenpioneerpress.com.