My Nonprofit Founder to Full-Time Academy -- with online trainings to guide you through the steps to start a nonprofit (in the USA) and more -- is now LIVE! foundertofulltime.com/
I love this video - not only for non-profit interviewing, but for helping people understand what they need for themselves when looking for work. So many people don't think as much about the fit as they do the steady paycheck. Thought provoking and real....
Key points: Passion Understanding of the cause Fit for organisation What is your understanding of this organization and position? What questions do you have about this position? What are your expectations for this position. Who was the best boss and worse boss you’ve ever had and why? What is your experience and comfort level working with an organization our size? How do you handle disagreements with people? What are your strategies? What is the most severe critique to say about you? What do you think that our organization can do better to meet our mission? Why do you think you are the best candidate for this job?
Hi amber , thank you so much for your educative non- profit organisation interview lessons, you doing a great job. My recommendation would be besides outlining the questions for what to expect an a non-profit organisation interview it would be great to have you assist with different answering opinions thank you Emmanuel from Zambia I work in NGOs
Thank you for this! I am interviewing my very first candidate today for our very first staff position/internship at Project BEAR and these questions were very helpful!
Hey Amber! I immensely appreciate this video. Do you have any special advice for folks who are just emerging from undergrad? I've been feeling a little bit of imposter syndrome and someone pointed out that this is a very specific feeling to being a recent graduate; got any advice for us folks who are just starting out our careers? Thank you!!
Definitely! The best advice I can give you is to spend as much time as you can meeting with people in the nonprofit field in your city. Build a network of others who care about the community and the causes you care about. These are the people who will be "in the know" about available jobs that might be a good fit for you, and any nonprofit you'd work for would hope that you'd have some ties to your area!
i would ask to a candidate to give examples of what they are saying they do or not. Something like behavior interview. If they said something just to sound good, it can be confirm with their examples, pay attention to the details, little details make the difference.
I recently was interviewed by a non profit organization and I was turned down in the same week with 3 other organizations. I believe it was because I didn't answer their question right, and I was thrown off by the much personal question that I am not use to being asked...
Hi Amber! Thanks for the video! I am up for some education outreach "Project Management" roles within arts non profits. I have teaching experience in and out of the country, some admin work (but not much) and theatre work including producing plays and doing children's plays. The project management roles includes outreach to districts and educators, revising and archiving lessons, hiring artists and volunteers which I think are applicable to my experience but also have grant writing/fundraising aspect, website revision which I have less experience with. This is me trying to transition from teaching to education arts non-profit Do you have any advice for me? I'm worried I'll see incompetents. I recently finished a masters in education and have a BA in theatre as well.
You don't sound incompetent to me! If you're willing to learn some of the skills you lack, at least for me personally, that would be a selling point. Nobody knows EVERYTHING. :) And a lot can be taught (like updating website content).
@@AmberMelanieSmith thanks for the feedback! What are some ways you’d expect the candidate to be proactive about learning the tasks they don’t have much experience in? I automatically say I’m a fast learner but probably need to be more specific!
@@stephaniej5960 I also work at a non profit, as a job developer. I just stumbled upon this comment but I would recommend that if you don’t have a lot of website updating experience, that you can actively seek out training for backend on the appropriate platform. It’s worth asking what website hosting or platform services they use so you can start getting familiar with it though free online tutorials.
One question that I know I totally botched was “what is your proudest accomplishment?” Raising my 3-year old son is easily my greatest accomplishment, so I responded immediately, but I had a hard time relating that success to the role I was interviewing for. I ended up rambling. If I could go back, I would have said “my greatest personal accomplishment is being a mother to the best kid in the world, BUT my greatest professional accomplishment is XYZ.”
That's a major accomplishment! Any employer or manager with empathy wouldn't consider that a "botched answer". :) And who wants to work for a manager with no empathy or humanity?
This was a great video, and once again very informative and helpful! I’m just wondering if the last three criterion you mentioned can apply to interviewing for board members as well? Thank you again for your time!
There is a bit of cross over for sure! I think the most important thing for hiring paid staff OR recruiting volunteer board members is to clearly write out duties and expectations and make sure they are clear.
Hi Amber, Im so happy I found you! I will have my Bachelor in International relations this year, any advice what I should do next? I have no professional experience ( which scares me, but we all have to start somewhere) But I always feel like they will know more than me that's why I'm very scared of applying in internships? any advice dear!
DEFINITELY apply for internships! Learning on the ground is invaluable! We have had a few people who interned for my own organization that I ended up hiring later because of their experience.
@@AmberMelanieSmith thank you for replying, so nice of you x! would be great if you can do a smilar interview but internship version! ( everyone is applying now, and all students are looking for similar vid )
So far my biggest challenge has just been getting an interview. I cannot understand why my resume is not being picked. While I dont have any previous experience working for a nonprofit organization, all positions I am applying for (customer service, project Coordination and Admin) I have years of experience in several industries and really good recommendation letters. I dont know anyone in these nonprofit's and the HR department claims they have no connection to Talent Acquisition. I have so much passion for these nonprofit's that I am applying for and it just seems like I am hitting a brick wall. Any advice?
Hey Amanda! Given your description here, one thing I'd advise is to very clearly explain how your past skills are connected / "transferrable" to the nonprofit space. If you can explain that to someone who may have difficulty seeing the connection it can help.
Mam can you help me to join in your organisation i want to help people i want to join in such organisation at present I am working in government sector in railways i want to join in your organisation can you please help me how to join
Hey there! Start by searching to see what nonprofits / NGOs are in your city! There may be some great ones that could be a good fit for your interests!
Thanks for reaching out! :) If you're looking for a nonprofit job this website may help! www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/03/25/the-7-top-websites-for-nonprofit-jobs/ I also made a video about work from home nonprofit jobs, you can see it here: th-cam.com/video/mVANq9PyyGs/w-d-xo.html
@@AmberMelanieSmith Not making any judgement just saying that I have come across quite a few nonprofit offices where only women were employed. Don't think I've ever seen an all-male nonprofit office.
I wouldn't say not real world but work that involves passion, these types of people tend to be so focused on the cause they miss the bigger picture and other related factors. This sometimes makes them their own worst enemies because of their emotions.
I too have seen that nonprofits employ a disproportionately large amount of women, BUT I believe that’s because a disproportionately large amount of women show interest in nonprofit work. I have worked in the for-profit industry for awhile, and it’s very predominantly men. But is business a frat house? Nope! In spite of our increasingly progressive world, traditional gender roles are still very much in action here. Men tend to go for bread-winning roles, and we all know nonprofit work doesn’t pay well. Meanwhile, the women who do work are often motivated more by purpose than by money (at least in my experience-and like anything else, there are plenty of exceptions), so nonprofit work is more appealing.
My Nonprofit Founder to Full-Time Academy -- with online trainings to guide you through the steps to start a nonprofit (in the USA) and more -- is now LIVE! foundertofulltime.com/
I love this video - not only for non-profit interviewing, but for helping people understand what they need for themselves when looking for work. So many people don't think as much about the fit as they do the steady paycheck. Thought provoking and real....
Thank you!
Key points:
Passion
Understanding of the cause
Fit for organisation
What is your understanding of this organization and position? What questions do you have about this position? What are your expectations for this position.
Who was the best boss and worse boss you’ve ever had and why?
What is your experience and comfort level working with an organization our size?
How do you handle disagreements with people? What are your strategies?
What is the most severe critique to say about you?
What do you think that our organization can do better to meet our mission?
Why do you think you are the best candidate for this job?
🙂
Hi amber , thank you so much for your educative non- profit organisation interview lessons, you doing a great job. My recommendation would be besides outlining the questions for what to expect an a non-profit organisation interview it would be great to have you assist with different answering opinions thank you Emmanuel from Zambia I work in NGOs
Hey there, thanks! I shared a few of my opinions on what I would look for in answers if that helps!
This Is My Favorite Content Creator... Love This Channel.
Thanks!
Thank you for this! I am interviewing my very first candidate today for our very first staff position/internship at Project BEAR and these questions were very helpful!
Best of luck!
Hey Amber! I immensely appreciate this video. Do you have any special advice for folks who are just emerging from undergrad? I've been feeling a little bit of imposter syndrome and someone pointed out that this is a very specific feeling to being a recent graduate; got any advice for us folks who are just starting out our careers? Thank you!!
Definitely! The best advice I can give you is to spend as much time as you can meeting with people in the nonprofit field in your city. Build a network of others who care about the community and the causes you care about. These are the people who will be "in the know" about available jobs that might be a good fit for you, and any nonprofit you'd work for would hope that you'd have some ties to your area!
@@AmberMelanieSmith Thank you!! This is helpful. I'll be putting more effort into working on this :)
Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure!
i would ask to a candidate to give examples of what they are saying they do or not. Something like behavior interview. If they said something just to sound good, it can be confirm with their examples, pay attention to the details, little details make the difference.
Like how they would respond in different situations you mean?
I recently was interviewed by a non profit organization and I was turned down in the same week with 3 other organizations. I believe it was because I didn't answer their question right, and I was thrown off by the much personal question that I am not use to being asked...
I'm sorry to hear that Whitney! Don't be discouraged!
Hi Amber! Thanks for the video! I am up for some education outreach "Project Management" roles within arts non profits. I have teaching experience in and out of the country, some admin work (but not much) and theatre work including producing plays and doing children's plays. The project management roles includes outreach to districts and educators, revising and archiving lessons, hiring artists and volunteers which I think are applicable to my experience but also have grant writing/fundraising aspect, website revision which I have less experience with. This is me trying to transition from teaching to education arts non-profit Do you have any advice for me? I'm worried I'll see incompetents. I recently finished a masters in education and have a BA in theatre as well.
seem incompetent*
You don't sound incompetent to me! If you're willing to learn some of the skills you lack, at least for me personally, that would be a selling point. Nobody knows EVERYTHING. :) And a lot can be taught (like updating website content).
@@AmberMelanieSmith thanks for the feedback! What are some ways you’d expect the candidate to be proactive about learning the tasks they don’t have much experience in? I automatically say I’m a fast learner but probably need to be more specific!
@@stephaniej5960 I also work at a non profit, as a job developer. I just stumbled upon this comment but I would recommend that if you don’t have a lot of website updating experience, that you can actively seek out training for backend on the appropriate platform. It’s worth asking what website hosting or platform services they use so you can start getting familiar with it though free online tutorials.
What are some of the best questions YOU've been asked in a job interview? And the ones you hated most (and why)? :)
One question that I know I totally botched was “what is your proudest accomplishment?” Raising my 3-year old son is easily my greatest accomplishment, so I responded immediately, but I had a hard time relating that success to the role I was interviewing for. I ended up rambling.
If I could go back, I would have said “my greatest personal accomplishment is being a mother to the best kid in the world, BUT my greatest professional accomplishment is XYZ.”
That's a major accomplishment! Any employer or manager with empathy wouldn't consider that a "botched answer". :) And who wants to work for a manager with no empathy or humanity?
This was a great video, and once again very informative and helpful!
I’m just wondering if the last three criterion you mentioned can apply to interviewing for board members as well? Thank you again for your time!
There is a bit of cross over for sure! I think the most important thing for hiring paid staff OR recruiting volunteer board members is to clearly write out duties and expectations and make sure they are clear.
Hi Amber, Im so happy I found you! I will have my Bachelor in International relations this year, any advice what I should do next? I have no professional experience ( which scares me, but we all have to start somewhere) But I always feel like they will know more than me that's why I'm very scared of applying in internships? any advice dear!
DEFINITELY apply for internships! Learning on the ground is invaluable! We have had a few people who interned for my own organization that I ended up hiring later because of their experience.
@@AmberMelanieSmith thank you for replying, so nice of you x! would be great if you can do a smilar interview but internship version! ( everyone is applying now, and all students are looking for similar vid )
WOW you are absolutely gorgeous. But also good info.
So far my biggest challenge has just been getting an interview. I cannot understand why my resume is not being picked. While I dont have any previous experience working for a nonprofit organization, all positions I am applying for (customer service, project Coordination and Admin) I have years of experience in several industries and really good recommendation letters. I dont know anyone in these nonprofit's and the HR department claims they have no connection to Talent Acquisition. I have so much passion for these nonprofit's that I am applying for and it just seems like I am hitting a brick wall. Any advice?
Hey Amanda! Given your description here, one thing I'd advise is to very clearly explain how your past skills are connected / "transferrable" to the nonprofit space. If you can explain that to someone who may have difficulty seeing the connection it can help.
Jackson Lisa Anderson Kenneth White Kevin
Mam can you help me to join in your organisation i want to help people i want to join in such organisation at present I am working in government sector in railways i want to join in your organisation can you please help me how to join
Hey there! Start by searching to see what nonprofits / NGOs are in your city! There may be some great ones that could be a good fit for your interests!
DEAR MAM CAN I WORK FOR YOU
Thanks for reaching out! :) If you're looking for a nonprofit job this website may help! www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/03/25/the-7-top-websites-for-nonprofit-jobs/
I also made a video about work from home nonprofit jobs, you can see it here: th-cam.com/video/mVANq9PyyGs/w-d-xo.html
Work in a nonprofit is nothing more than being in sorority. It is NOT the real world.
That's an interesting perspective. What makes you say that?
@@AmberMelanieSmith Not making any judgement just saying that I have come across quite a few nonprofit offices where only women were employed. Don't think I've ever seen an all-male nonprofit office.
I wouldn't say not real world but work that involves passion, these types of people tend to be so focused on the cause they miss the bigger picture and other related factors. This sometimes makes them their own worst enemies because of their emotions.
I too have seen that nonprofits employ a disproportionately large amount of women, BUT I believe that’s because a disproportionately large amount of women show interest in nonprofit work. I have worked in the for-profit industry for awhile, and it’s very predominantly men. But is business a frat house? Nope! In spite of our increasingly progressive world, traditional gender roles are still very much in action here. Men tend to go for bread-winning roles, and we all know nonprofit work doesn’t pay well. Meanwhile, the women who do work are often motivated more by purpose than by money (at least in my experience-and like anything else, there are plenty of exceptions), so nonprofit work is more appealing.
I look to see if the candidate is a man!
Would you mind elaborating?
@@bubblerose292 Men hire men. Women hire women.