The Non-Profit Sector

Utilising the informational interview

This is a sector where it’s both practical and wise to take advantage of the informational interview if you can. For anyone unfamiliar with this, an informational interview is an interview where a person looking for employment in a certain field seeks advice on a job or organisation within that field from a person who has an in-depth knowledge of it

When it comes to the informational interview, one of the biggest problems most people will encounter is sourcing the contacts and finding someone to conduct the interview with in the first place. You’ll also need to get that person to take the time to sit down and hold the interview with you, which is typically one of the reasons why this is a method mainly used by people with career or professional backgrounds who have accumulated such contacts. The good news is that the non-profit sector is an area where people are sometimes willing to give you their time to do this, hence why it’s suggested as a practical option here

The informational interview is a great way to get inside information about the organisation you will be interviewing with which can be invaluable when it’s time for the actual interview itself, on top of which, it can also be a great way to network and build up valuable new contacts and acquaintances as you make your way along your chosen career path. You can even note the fact you’ve held an informational interview in the personal statement on your C.V, which is another great way to show your interest and show the initiative you are prepared to take to land the role

An informational interview is the exact opposite of a normal interview in that you are the one who is conducting it. To hold an informational interview, you would simply approach a person within the industry or organisation you’re looking to get into and ask them if they would be willing to take the time to participate in one with you. You could either do this by asking them verbally, or write this out as a formal invitation to them. On it, you’d be looking to express your reason for wanting to hold this interview, which may go something along the lines that you are looking to gain insight into a certain field or organisation. You would want to explain what working in that particular role would mean to you, and personalize your request by telling them how much taking the time to do so would mean too. When looking to hold an informational interview you’ll need a venue to do this, but the great thing is that nowadays many venues can be facilitated online, providing a quick, convenient, and inexpensive means to host functions like this. You may also want to explain to your participant what the informational interview will entail, including details like where the interview will be held, how long they can expect it to last, and what types of questions they might expect to encounter. As you are responsible for hosting this interview, if you choose to hold it in a physical location, you may wish to consider things like providing refreshments for yourself and your participant too!

Hosting an informational interview also means it will be up to you to compose the questions of which it is compromised. Thankfully though, this is a lot simpler than you might think.
There are not really any legal guidelines on this, as it is essentially an informal meeting that is not regulated in any way. You may however wish to advise your participant to seek advice from their employer before they meet with you first though, as there may be some things which they are not allowed to divulge. If there are any concerns in this regard, you could also perhaps suggest providing the list of questions you plan to ask to their employer so they can vet them first.  
A list of 10-15 questions will normally be sufficient. While the time your interview might take is subjective and can vary from interview to interview, the general advice is to keep the length to around that of a standard interview, which is between 25 – 30 mins. Your participant has graciously offered to give you their time to conduct this interview. As such, it is a great opportunity to network with them, that’s why you don’t want to be rude and keep the interview going for an excessive amount of time. It’s also why another shrewd tactic is to compose an additional 5 questions on top of your original questions list, that way, if you find the conversation continuing on, you can tacitly introduce a few additional questions into the discourse

Although conducting the informational interview under the auspice of an actual interview gives you a much more professional bearing and will give structure to the questions you ask and help you gather information more efficiently, remember that this is not really an interview in the strictest sense, but can be more adequately described as an informal meeting with someone who has given their time to assist you. As such, you should try and make it as conversational as possible – talk with your participant and do your best to get to know them. Not only is this an opportunity to gain valuable information, but it is also an opportunity to network and gain a new contact in the industry too! Remember that you are there to learn what you can about the company or role in question. That’s why you should always have a pen and notepad to hand and be prepared to take extensive notes, and you should also be ready to get your participant to go back over anything that you are unsure of, taking as much time as you need to clarify a point until you understand it fully. Most important of all though, try to relax. The informational interview is a great opportunity to expand your horizons and gain valuable insight into a particular job or organisation. Enjoy the experience and the rest should take care of itself!

Understanding the non-profit
It is a myth that the not-profit sector is easier than the public or private sectors, and that people who can’t handle it in these sectors, (particularly the private sector), are the ones that then seek to move over into the non-profit sector instead

The non-profit sector is results orientated, being primarily concerned with sustainability and inward investment. It seeks a very high calibre of employee – no different to any other sector of the economy. As such, non-profits and not-for-profits have the same hiring procedures as any other company. The job is posted and advertised, C.V’s and applications are accepted and processed, candidates are interviewed, then job offers extended. Unfortunately, it does tend to be true that salaries with non-profit/ not-for-profit organisations tend to be slightly to moderately lower than you would receive if performing a comparatively same job in the public or private sectors. With this particular facet of non-profit interviewing, it does provide you a unique opportunity though. For roles where you have researched the salary and are aware that its lower than the industry average – a great tactic is to acknowledge this fact at some point during the interview. Emphasizing the fact that the pay will be lower and using this as one of the motivations you have for performing that role will underscore the passion you have for it and is sure to score you points with the interviewer. Another drawback is that many of the jobs in this sector have a relatively flat career structure. However, if you have a profession or formal career qualification in fields like; nursing, human resources, accounting, auditing, etc…then there is a much better chance that there will be a structure through which your career can progress on an upward path

The non-profit sector has become more difficult to get into in recent years, mainly because there are fewer positions available due to a fall in donations from cash-strapped households and cutbacks in government grants and spending. Having said that, this is a sector that quietly goes against the norm when it comes to hiring practices. In an economy where youthfulness is prized and hiring fresh young graduates is the norm, it is a notable departure then that non-profits and not-for-profits tend to shy away from this practice in favour of hiring older, more experienced candidates. This is probably due to the nature of non-profit sector work, as well as the sorts of paid jobs available in the non-profit sector, which tend to be highly skilled and specialized.
It is also a fact that most non-profit organisations are smaller than many of the big employers within the rest of the economy. That is why there tends to be less opportunity for advancement within the non-profit sector

If you’re looking to get into this field, keep in mind that specialist recruitment agencies hold a lot more jobs than general recruitment agencies in this regard, with most such agencies being based in your capital cities. It is also true that speculative C. V’s and cover letters are considered more successful in this sector than in the public or private sectors too

And lastly remember…If you have plans to work or volunteer abroad, keep in mind that regulations governing charitable/ corporate activity and the accepted documentation and qualifications you’ll need to work there varies greatly around the world – so be sure to check this carefully before making any plans…