Articles & News About Jobs & Employment

Consider the Nonprofit Sector to Expand Your Career Option

As an environmental nonprofit professional at that time, I was shocked that this woman would think she had no skills to bring. Too often, people making the transition from for-profits to nonprofits assume that they have nothing to bring to the table but an interest in the nonprofit?s mission. I tried to dissuade her of this notion. As we spoke, it seemed to dawn on her that her current skill set would be amazingly valuable for a nonprofit organization. That skill coupled with her passion for the environment made her a great candidate for nonprofit work.

Recently, I have been thinking deeply about work in the nonprofit sector. I have taken a position at a technical college where nonprofits are not on the radar screen as employment alternatives. As I try to expand the base of available jobs for graduates, I encourage students to consider the nonprofit sector. Reaction has been mixed. Students seem to share similar concerns: How do a find a job in a nonprofit? Can they pay well? Do I have to be an expert in the issue the nonprofit works on? What can I do at a nonprofit?

For all those considering the nonprofit sector, here are some tips on expanding your job search and breaking into nonprofits:

Find the jobs 1. Let Your Interest Point You to non profit job boards Do you watch the Discovery channel? Volunteer at a local school? Love food? Care about particulant-caused childhood asthma? Want to reform politics? Worry about missing and exploited children? All of these interests can lead you to organizations doing good work. Perhaps your local aquarium is looking for a finance guru. Maybe the nearest shelter is looking for an executive chef. A local hospital is wishing for a computer wizard. Many people come to a career circuitously; they begin volunteering and get more and more involved in the group?s activities; a family member is diagnosed with an illness and they derive help from a support group. Why not seek out organizations doing good things in the world? You do not have to be an expert in the field, and in fact, it may be a benefit that you have expert skills in something else. For example, every monkey expert in the world wants to work at the Primate Research Center, but the center also needs HR professionals, accountants, and Web gurus.

2. Let Your Job Point You to an Interest The opposite strategy works as well. When I began working at the New England Aquarium, the job itself drew me there. I was not particularly interested in the ocean and ocean animals per se, but who doesn?t love sea lions and cute kids? Seven years later, I can argue about deep-water sonic booms, fishing rights for indigenous people and funding for science education with the most ardent ocean activist. As a Web guru, consider the Primate Research Center, even if you are more of a flamingo or cat or dolphin person. Take a job in a nonprofit - perhaps your passion for the issue will grow on you.

3. Use the Specialists By far, the single best search engine on the web for finding nonprofit positions is ideal. A nonprofit itself and founded by true idealists, this is The place for finding non profit careers and information about the nonprofit community both in the Canada and abroad. I recently sat in a focus group for nonprofit recruiters and the only thing everyone agreed upon was the usefulness of listing on idealist.org. Because it is inexpensive for nonprofits to post jobs, many do. Job seekers have free access to all listings, and idealist.org will send a daily email of jobs meeting your desired specifications.

Know and be able to sell your transferable and transportable skills The most important strategy for the nonprofit job-seekers is to carefully examine their current skills. I make a distinction here between transferable and transportable skills. Transferable skills are those used in one position and related to the ones needed for the new position. An example would be a salesperson trying to secure a position as a political lobbyist.

An articulation of transferable skills would be something along the order of "while I have never worked directly as a political lobbyist, I have extensive selling and networking skills. The skills that have served me well in selling widgets are easily transferred to the lobbyist setting.

I am confident that I could use these skills to successfully lobby on your behalf." Transferable skills could include sales (for fundraising and donor cultivation), journalism (for grant writing or press releases), conflict management (good for any organization), human resources (for volunteer management), teaching (for any kind of public outreach or program), and entrepreneurship (for creation of new initiatives).

Click for more information on non profit jobs and careers.

An environmental nonprofit professional

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

2 Major Reasons to Get a Computer Work at Home Job
It surprises me how many people are still skeptical about putting their computer to work Thousands of people earn work at home incomes via the internet

Work From Home - How To Prepare For A Work From Home Job
Surely, you must have already heard about the perks of working from home Not only do you get the opportunity of being with your loved ones, but also the chance of earning good money doing what you like

Work at Home Agent - Job Ideas For a Work at Home Agent
Are you interested in jobs that require you to spend hours on the phone talking to customers If you like personal relations work and have good interpersonal skills, then do consider the opportunity of being a work at home agent

Work From Home Jobs For Moms - Jobs You Can Do at Home
A Legitimate Work from home job is a desire that many moms have, and being able to generate a great income while working from home is very possible I created this work from home jobs for moms lens to give you information about legitimate work from home jobs for moms, and for anyone looking to make part time to full time income

At Home Work - Find Your Next Work At Home Job
At home work is easy to find these days thanks to the internet Work from home jobs are a form of self employment, which is hitting today's society in huge numbers

7 Benefits of Owning a Computer Work at Home Job
Computer work at home jobs are growing in numbers Some cost very little to start-up and others are completely free to start

4 Legit Work From Home Jobs That Work
Everybody is turning to the internet to work from home and hopefully leave their day job. This means that finding legit work from jobs has become more popular than ever and you can understand why when hundreds of people weekly are quitting their day job and are working out of the comfort of their home.

Finding that Work at Home Job - A Job in Itself
The trend of corporate America creating work at home jobs for telecommuters is growing, which is good news for those of you who are looking to do your work in your pajamas every day. Technology has made the work at home job more appealing to both bosses and employees, though it does not mean the trend has hit the mainstream, so a work at home job can still be hard to find.

Work at Home Data Entry Jobs, Work at Home, Data Entry Jobs
37 Work at Home Data Entry Jobs - The New Age Career Move

Legitimate Work at Home Jobs Career - 4 Amazing Tips to Increase Efficiency
When you have picked one of the many legitimate work at home jobs career and are ready to settle down and make some money, it helps to make your home based business as efficient as possible One of the most important benefits resulting from obtaining legitimate work at home jobs career is the ability to improve income levels through increased efficiency in performing the tasks associated with the jobs

Work at Home Jobs Vs Self Employment
Work at Home Jobs vs Owning a Home Based BusinessNot everyone is interested in owning their own home business, but a lot of people are interested in dropping out of the rat race a little bit. More and more jobs are available where you can work from home.

Work at Home Businesses Versus Work at Home Jobs
Is a work at home business better than a work at home job? You bet. Hands down. But each option has pros and cons. It may be that for right now you're just not ready to start a work at home business. Its a big committment. That's OK. But if you're dedicated, smart and willing to work harder than most, settling for a work at home job could be selling yourself short.

Legitimate Work From Home Jobs - 4 Important Things to Consider Before Starting This Career Path
When you are selecting legitimate work from home jobs career, money is important, but there are some other factors that should be considered before making the final decision Before beginning even legitimate work from home jobs career, you should think about some of the factors that will help to make your venture succeed or fail

On Campus Interviews - A Chance For Your "First Job" As Well As Career Employment
During the course of training or secondary educations some organizations - companies, firms as well as major non-profit organizations of great status and reputation will offer campus interviews to graduating students in such fields as engineering, electronics, business management, law accounting, computer information systems and marketing