I graduated from law school in 2009 with a stellar academic record, relevant part-time work experience, published writing samples, glowing references, and a carefully crafted cover letter customized to each individual job opportunity – and yet, it still took me a year to find a non-profit job in DC. When I changed my strategy, however, I got an interview at the first non-profit I used that strategy on, and I’m working at that organization today.
How to Write an Effective Resume
One thing I can’t emphasize enough is the importance of a custom resume. Is non-profit employment possible without one? Sure. The best resume for any job is the resume the person reading the resume likes. But it’s impossible to predict what that will be, and with thousands of resumes coming in during this economic crisis, it’s best to stand out with specific details and a tailored, effective resume.
An effective resume is tailored to the non-profit job description. Anything irrelevant gets left out. For me, this was difficult – not include the impressive fact that I was published at 25? But I was applying for an administrative job with no major writing requirements, so it got the ax. Only include what directly fits the job description, and make it very clear how that match is made with details about each piece of experience or education.
A custom resume should include numbers to prove the traits listed in the non-profit job description. These might be hours volunteered, dollars raised, or number of complaints resolved each week. It also can be helpful to have a skills summary at the top of the resume, making it clear right off the bat why the candidate is applying for this particular non-profit job and why the non-profit should consider the candidate.
How to Conduct a Non-Profit Job Search
Once you know the basics of writing a custom resume, the hard part is applying that knowledge to a non-profit job search. Tweaking a resume to every single job is difficult, but necessary. First, it’s helpful to apply to jobs with very similar requirements. Second, it’s good to break non-profit job opportunities into categories based on requirements – for example, one resume strategy for jobs heavy on writing and research, another for communications.
When organizing a job search like this, of course, the candidate is looking at the skills required to do the job. But what about the type of non-profit?
Most people looking for a non-profit job are interested in a particular issue area. I recommend first narrowing the search to only look at jobs in an area of passion. In this economy, it may seem like any job would be great, but in truth any candidate will do the best work for an issue he or she is passionate about. There are also far more positions than there is time to apply, so narrowing by issue area concentrates a candidate’s energy on jobs that would be the best fit.
The cover letter is the place to declare passion and show interest in a particular interest area, even if the experience that demonstrates a candidate’s skills doesn’t involve that area. It’s also a place to show a candidate’s strengths in communicating with a potential employer, and a chance to add narrative stories to the numbers in the resume.
Above all, the best advice I can give in a non-profit job search is to be diligent. Craft a strong custom resume for each job, pair it with a great cover letter, and apply to at least one job every day. It’s easy to get discouraged during a long job search in an economic crisis, but there is a job out there for everyone who wants it badly enough.
Judith Faucette - Education Judith graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2006 with an honors Bachelor of Arts degree in History ...
