New to the Charity Sector – Charity Career Advice
The Key to achieving your perfect charity job is to really think about your current skills and experience and how they can be used effectively by the charity you wish to work for. For example, fundraising is all about raising money. Arguably it is sales for good causes. This is not dissimilar to someone in a company chasing leads, selling their products and creating sales for their company. There are obvious crossovers in accountancy, marketing and senior management too. As the job market remains tight in 2022 it is likely charities will look far wider than their own sector to recruit staff.
Charity Career Advice
Apart from thinking carefully what your transferable skills are you should also know as much as possible about the sector you wish to work in. For example, there are dozens of homeless charities. Find out the facts about homelessness, why it exists and where the money comes from to support these organisations. The more you know about your chosen sector the better the chances are you will get the job you want.
There are lots of online resources. Please check out the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). NCVO also runs courses covering a range of subjects. Even if you are well qualified it might be worth gaining a voluntary sector qualification.
Charity Career Advice – Sector salaries
The salaries in charities are as broad as the career path you choose and fairly competitive with the private sector, except at a senior level. Salaries ranging from £30,000 to £60,000 for management positions are common. Job satisfaction is one of the driving forces why so many people choose to work in the sector, not the financial gain, but with rising living costs, the money on offer will certainly play a bigger part than it once did.
If you are working in the third sector read on
Most employers are interested in your recent successes. What changes have you made within your role and the wider organisation. How did you perform against your targets and what legacy are you leaving behind.
How to get your dream job
- Be sure you articulate exactly what you want and why you are applying for the position
- Highlight your main responsibilities and successes
- Call the organisations you want to work for even if they do not have any jobs advertised. You have to become visible and you have to stand out in the crowd. Most people respond to ads so be difffernt.
Charity Career Advice Tip: Pick up the phone and make the call, because most people don’t.
Useful Links
Guardian