Yes, I do want to work here

October 28, 2006 10:11 AM

How do I convince a prospective employer that I really do want the job...

I've worked in IT for 7 years or so and my first job was for an insurance company (you take what you're offered when you have no experience). With the exception of time with a IT consultancy, that has been the pattern since, which I've never been particularly comfortable with. I've always wanted to work within a non-profit, charity or public sector organisation but have never had any luck at interviews.
I've always suspected that these organisations are sceptical of the motives of those who want to move into a sector that basically has less money. To back that up, the last two interviews I went for in the insurance industry I got both jobs. The feedback I got after one interview from the charity was that they thought I was likely to be applying simply for the management experience, then I'd be off to bigger things.

I have an interview for a charity that works disabled children & young adults this week and I really want the job. It's still IT, and I'm more than qualified for the job, in fact the job spec could have been written with me in mind. It will be more or less a sideways step with substantially less money but I'm okay with that.
I have no personal connections with what this charity does but would love to have a job where I believe in what the organisation actually does. I'm sick of being at parties and half apologising when answering the question, 'and so, what do you do then?'.
How do I convince a prospective employer that I'm not about to up sticks in six months for a better paid job in the city?

posted by qwerty155 to work & money (13 comments total)

Well, for one thing, make sure you say this: "I would love to have a job where I believe in what the organisation actually does. I'm sick of being at parties and half apologising when answering the question, 'and so, what do you do then?'."
posted by winston at 10:19 AM on October 28, 2006

One of the first questions they're likely to ask you is "So tell me about yourself" or "What have you been doing".

That's your entry point. You want to have a 30 to 90 second response that lays out exactly what you want them to know about you. You'll use a variation of the same response when you're wrapping up the interview, and in the thank you letter you're going to send them after the interview.

Basically something like:

I was really excited when I saw this opportunity because it looks like it could have been developed with me in mind. Over the past ____ years, I've been doing [related task 1], [related task 2] and [related task 3]. That allowed me to [measurable accomplishment 1], [measurable accomplishment 2].

Now though, I'm coming to a point in my life where I'm very interested in working for an organization that is working towards more socially relevant goals. I was most impressed with [name of company] because [item 1 from research you've done], and most especially [item 2 from research]. I did have 1 question though. Could you tell me [question that shows you've done your homework and that you're already thinking about how you can help them]?
posted by willnot at 10:29 AM on October 28, 2006 [2 favorites]

I work for a non-profit legal organization. It is often difficult for lawyers to switch from the corporate world to our kind of work because there's so much competition for the lawyer jobs and because they often don't have much relevant experience. But we often hire people into our non-lawyer jobs (e.g. tech, accounting, HR, paralegal) who are coming in from non-do-gooder-y jobs.

The main thing, in my opinion, is for you to stress your skills (and how your prior jobs helped you develop your skills and how these skills will help the new organization) and how much you would like to be part of an organization with principles/programs/goals/values that you believe in. Talk in a non-sentimental way about values, and about how much you believe in the organization's programs and goals. Mention that while you really enjoyed your co-workers at your prior positions, and the challenge/enjoyment of applying your skills and abilities (you don't want to "dis" your prior positions), you always felt that there was something missing for you because you wanted to be doing something more in line with your values. And that for several years you have been looking for openings that would match your skills/abilities and values.

Do a little research into the organization, and try to think about a small, tangible, and personal way to talk about the programs. For example, if they provide assistive technology to disabled teens, and your brother/friend/cousin uses a screen reader due to low vision, talk briefly about the difference that that technology made in his/her life. Don't go on and on -- always remember that from their point of view they know more than you about this stuff -- but make some kind of connection.

If you find out anything about the culture or reputation of the organization -- if they are known for X (hopefully for treating their employees well), try to work that into the conversation. Nonprofits are notoriously self-centered about their little kingdoms, so try to do some reconnaissance so that you can speak about this non-profit in particular (and not oh, I want to work for any non-profit, it doesn't matter which one, they're interchangeable).
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 11:34 AM on October 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

In my experience, nonprofits are wary about people trying to cross over from the for profit sector with no previous evidence of dedication to "the cause" (whatever that cause might be). But this mainly only applies to people working in the programmatic areas of the organization. A smart nonprofit will know that it needs good IT people, and won't be overly purist about your background because IT skills are much more directly transferrable than any other job category.

In fact, I'd say that you'd want to steer away from any nonprofit that was overly rigid about its IT staff not having corporate background. That would evince bad HR policy (which, unfortunately, is not that uncommon in nonprofits).

All this said, it wouldn't be a bad thing to hold tight in your corporate job and do a little volunteering on the side if you don't get the current nonprofit job you're interviewing for. Many nonprofits are dying for free IT help and you shouldn't have a problem finding a volunteer gig making a database or something like that.

Last thing: don't be discouraged if it takes a while to get into a nonprofit -- nonprofit jobs open up more rarely and tend to attract more qualified applicants per job than in the corporate world.
posted by footnote at 11:41 AM on October 28, 2006

In order to convince a perspective employer you are serious about the job, offer to sign a 2 year contract. Or a 1 year contract where all your salary is paid on your one year anniversary and if you are not still there because you left, you don't get it. (If they let you go, they owe you your time served plus whatever severance.)
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:07 PM on October 28, 2006

Is JohnnyGunn kidding?

Anyways, have you tried saying why you want a job? You seem to have pretty clear reasons. I think nonprofit people know that there are folks out there willing to take a pay cut ... or else nonprofits would have absolutely no staff.
posted by shownomercy at 12:27 PM on October 28, 2006

No joke. Actions speak louder than words. I doubt they will take you up on it, but it shows the highest level of intent. If they do take you up on it, you have a two year contract. That is a good thing. If they accept the 1 year payout option, as long as you can fund your living for a year, which is a good assumption if you are taking a job that pays significantly less, then it also works out great. It will shift taxes out a year and will give you the incentive to stick around and see if the grass is greener on this side of the fence.

Just begging and telling them how much you want the job, will prove nothing. It could mean desperation or a whole host of things. the OP's intentions could be pure and sincere. But, three months later he could see that it is crab grass on the other side. If I were hiring, I would be looking for something beyond words that proves at least some minimal level of commitment to the job and organization.

Another demonstration of commitment would be to volunteer at the organization now before applying. The only thing I's add, is that the OP had better have done his research and really like the organization and the concept of doing good versus getting paid before he commits.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:10 PM on October 28, 2006

Well, it's one thing to take a pay cut in order to take a job that you're really interested. It's quite another to do it for free and without a secondary source of income. I think that is really above and beyond the kind of committment than is necessary to convince them.
posted by amanda at 1:28 PM on October 28, 2006

Read my post again. I did not say to do it for free. Just that you get paid at the end of the year. It ensures you will be there for the year. You get full pay. You just need to be able to finance your living until you get paid back.

Maybe I am naive, but to me nothing shows commitment like action, like putting your money where your mouth is. Just telling the employer how much you respect the organization and want to work for them is talk.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:10 PM on October 28, 2006

JohnnyGunn - A worthwhile nonprofit would never take an employee up on the sort of deal you proposed.
posted by footnote at 3:31 PM on October 28, 2006

Well, I am obviously not in the world of non-profits, but I do not see why they wouldn't understand the level of commitment. Although, one of my comments said that I doubt they would take you up on it, but the offer alone would show a level of commitment beyond just "I really want to work for you so I can help needy people".

Look at wall street. It is done as a matter of course. Most partner salaries are in the $150,000 to $250,000 range with bonuses being 10 to 20 times that. It is relative, but they work all year for a small portion of their comp and rely on a big bonus at the end of the year.

Non-profits can maximize the amount they are able to give to their cause by treating their operations as a business and keeping expenses low or at least as efficient as possible. There is no reason they cannot treat the employee-employer relationship the same way that it is often treated in the for-profit world.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:09 PM on October 28, 2006

You make a good point -- in some respects, nonprofits should absolutely be more professional and treat their employees more like the corporate world does, because the profit motive often makes organizations in general work better. It's all too common for nonprofits to have terrible management policies because they see themselves as exempt from the normal rules of business.

But another side to is is that often nonprofits do try live their ideals and treat their employees as people rather than profit. My ideal organization would combine both these principles and solid management techniques from the corporate world. Your particular proposal, though, wouldn't qualify, because I think it would put somebody in the position of losing a whole year's worth of salary even if it wasn't their fault -- for example, because the job was different than advertised, health problems, bad working condictions, etc. etc... And on the flip side, it wouldn't be good for the organization to keep an employee on for a year who didn't want to be there except for his salary.
posted by footnote at 4:46 AM on October 30, 2006

I don't suppose anyone is reading posts all the way down here now, but I thought I would let ya know that I got the job...
Thank you AskMeFi!
posted by qwerty155 at 12:16 PM on November 9, 2006