Not my words. But I have experienced it. Heard it from others. Often get asked why I think it’s so hard to switch. And what to do about it.
Feels like it should be an exam question. “The charity sector is impenetrable. Discuss.”
In an attempt to do this, I’ve spoken with people who have successfully made the move, to learn how they managed it.
Transferable Skills. You need to become adept at explaining how your skills are relevant for a charity role. When I wanted to switch I made the error of talking about what I had done. But on reflection, why would launching TV channels be handy for a charity!
Commercial marketing is focused on building brands, raising awareness, attracting more customers, increasing income.
Every charity needs to tell its story. To show the impact of its work. They need to hear how your experience will enable them to do that. Expressed in a way they will understand. Avoid marketing jargon.
Sell your skills to the hiring manager. Make them relatable to a charity setting.
Skills come from all parts of life, not paid work alone. I spoke with someone who had taken a career break and was lamenting that “there are a lot of young gatekeepers on LinkedIn who don’t appreciate the skills and experience of a returner.”
There is such a shortage of skills across all sectors, that recruiters need to search in different talent pools beyond the one they are used to. For charity recruiters that means looking outside the sector. There is sometimes a discomfort with this because when you hire someone who is already working in a charity, they understand the culture. You won’t have to ‘train them up’ in the ways of the charity world. I know from The Well Placed’ pilot that some of the line managers did need to answer more questions at the beginning than they were expecting. But a little more time invested at the beginning reaped rewards from experience.
Another person commented to me that it is “right for hiring managers to be hesitant about bringing people in. Personality is important. If you are in the commercial world show some humility. Some commercial people can come across as a bit arrogant. There are many hugely talented people in the charity sector. Remember that profit is not the key driver for the work. The cause is.”
Wise words. There is a big difference between a job and a vocation. Most charity workers are driven by an absolute passion for the cause.
If you are applying for a role you are clearly overqualified for, address it head on. I heard from someone who applied for an admin role and called the CEO to explain she was over qualified and why she wanted the job. On her CV she put all her volunteering work before her actual career. She wanted a low level job to get her foot in the door, knowing that once she was in she’d make a difference. 4 years later she is the acting CEO.
Larger charities have the infrastructure and resource to open their doors to job seekers from outside. I read a job ad recently for Barnardo’s that stated, “Non-profit experience is not required and if you’re interested, we would love to hear from you.”
Amen to that.
Maya