補習-Interview: Through the Looking Glass

24EN Editor's Note：Today's post is by Tracy Desmond Welsh, a seasoned executive search consultant, and a Vice President at Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group (I am moving this weekend, and am a wee bit overwhelmed by boxes and all the rest). As a nonprofit executive recruiter, Tracy has interviewed hundreds (maybe thousands) of candidates and provides a great perspective from the other side of the table.

Even the most seasoned and fearless candidate of the corporate sector can feel like Alice walking through the looking glass in the interview process for non-profit organizations. What is important to remember is that organizations mirror the markets that they serve. Understanding the similarities and differences of organizations that are predominately mission-driven and somewhat market defined versus organizations that are almost completely market-driven and somewhat mission differentiated is critical. You must embrace and synthesize the best that each sector has to offer to not only be successful in landing the job, but in thriving in the role and the organization.

Group Interviews - while sector switchers may be familiar with group meetings of future direct-line staff at the finalist phase of an interview process, they may not realize that group interviews are often the first step in a series of interviews in non-profits. A common first step is to meet with a search committee representing a range of key constituents from board members to administrators to program and field staff. Each constituent will be interested in your perspective of their area. Given the breadth of the audience it is easy to fall into the trap of either being too vocal and alienating one group or being too vanilla and coming off as underpowered. The best antidote for such a situation is to be prepared with questions to ask each stakeholder. If time allows, make sure each member is heard from and that you are attentive so that you can tailor your own answers in a way that will resonate with their needs and aspirations.

Outcomes and Process are equally important - You might have a resume touting an impressive list of outcomes at your last job. Being quantitative about your accomplishments is important in any interview situation. By all means, do list key accomplishments. The cue that many sector switchers miss is that the process is often as or more important as the outcome. If you describe how you arrived at an outcome as a unilateral event, you will be perceived as someone who doesn't get the cultural nuances. Before talking about your accomplishments, think about all the people who touched that project. Did you have to persuade people to get them on board? What were the challenges? Offer what you would do differently. Try not to use the pronoun I too often. It will sound like you are unwilling to give others credit. Also, most sector switchers understand that the speed with which decisions are made can sometimes be longer in the non-profit sector, however, this should not be mistaken for an inability to make decisions. These organizations are not measured on quarterly market performance. The drivers are different and are predicated more on mission forces than market forces. There is an intrinsic sense of employee equity in the firm, born of passion, hard work, and dedication. The payout is not in monetary shares but in the sense of community and the ability to have an equal voice.

Do be passionate not patronizing - merely saying that you want to give back or work for a cause not widgets is not enough. Do avoid the pitfall of making it sound like your transition to the non-profit sector is a down shift from your corporate career. It's important that you are passionate about the organizations' mission, but you also need to convey how your skill set might add value to the organization and how the role will enhance your own professional growth. If you don't have personal or volunteer experience to draw from, you can differentiate yourself by learning the dynamics of the sector and the organization's place in it. You might envision something they hadn't thought of and your conversations will be more like working discussions than a trite answer about your desire to now give back.

If you have any interesting or funny interviewing stories to share, post them in the comment section.