applying for a job with no job in mind
December 31, 2009 9:31 AM   Subscribe

I have an interview next week at a mid-size non-profit. There is no vacant position, but the interest seems to be mutual, and I would really like to work for this organization (and also have a job!). Please help me with suggestions on giving a great impression, when I'm not really interviewing for a specific job.

I recently earned a Master's degree in a pretty specific field. Job searching has been incredibly difficult. But this organization, this project... I feel is The One. I am interviewing for a project within a (mid-size, pretty well funded) organization, and my background is very well suited for their goals. I've only communicated via e-mail and some phone with one person, but they have expressed that I could provide valuable insight and experience for them, and would like to meet.

My personal and professional commitments are aligned with their interests, and I would really (really!) like to be a part of their team - it would be a job, yes (currently unemployed), but also a job working for an organization I believe in. But… what would I do there?

I have some skills, interests, and experience. I have some solid strengths I can talk about. But how do I talk about them when there is no particular position? How do I sell myself, when I'm kind of an amorphous package at this point? I am very good at adapting to new and different situations, but I'm kind of unsure how to articulate that even though there isn't a job title I'm vying for now, they should still give me a chance?
posted by anonymous to Work & Money (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
But how do I talk about them when there is no particular position?

They key will be how persuasive you are that adding you to the team will a) help them meet their program goals, and b) that you'll pay for yourself (not literally, but that the value you will add will be so great that its worth it to add you to the team). Get a copy of their past few annual reports and read them cover to cover, so you can talk expertly about their projects and goals ... and if you have personal connections with any of their funders, that never hurts.

Understand their mission and be able to speak in very specific, concrete ways about how your skills help them advance their mission.

Have a job in mind. From your conversation with them, what challenge do they face that you could help solve? What deficit do you see that hiring you would correct? Assume that their is a position, but that you just don't know what it is. Don't be afraid to do a little research and ask them direct, specific questions about what they feel their biggest current challenges are -- and then be prepared to describe the very specific ways that hiring you will help them to meet that challenge.

For the purposes of this interview, you are not an "amorphous package". You are a specific person with specific skills that will help them do a specific thing. FWIW, I would guess that if they're talking to you, they either have a new position in mind or (perhaps) they have an underperforming employee they'd like to replace. It will probably become clear in the course of your conversation what skills they are looking for -- be prepared to sell yourself heavily in very specific ways, and don't be afraid to show how much you already know about their organization.

Good Luck!
posted by anastasiav at 9:42 AM on December 31, 2009


You solve problems.

That's how I think of all jobs. It's true, isn't it? They have problems, and you solve those types of problems. Now, make a short list of the types of problems they may have (problems that are common for the type of organization it is), and examples of how you solved similar problems. Make each item in your list into a short (only a few sentences) story. The story follows this general outline:
a. Identification of problem.
b. Your solution to the problem.
c. Results of your solution to the problem.

Memorize those stories. The will help you answer almost any question related to your background, what you can bring to the company, and so on.
posted by Houstonian at 9:51 AM on December 31, 2009


Have you read up on strategies for "informational interviews"? This is what you're going in for, and it might help to do some searching on this front.
posted by cmgonzalez at 10:48 AM on December 31, 2009


Can you help write a grant to raise money to fund your position?
posted by Jacqueline at 8:02 PM on December 31, 2009


Find out who is on their board of directors and find out who you know that knows them (even better if you know them directly). Get someone from the BOD on your side.
posted by IndigoSkye at 11:04 AM on January 1, 2010


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