5 Tips For Landing A Not For Profit Job

It’s not often that you get to hear from not-for-profit or for-purpose employers about how their recruitment process went, so we thought we would give you insight into our own experience when hiring for two different positions here at Do Good Jobs. We know first hand how tricky it is to know what employers want to see and how apprehensive you can be when hitting ‘send’ or ‘submit’, so hopefully these tips help you to feel more confident next time you apply for a not-for-profit job (or for-purpose role) in New Zealand.

When you are applying for a not-for-profit job in New Zealand it is important to remember that the sector is vibrant and diverse, the sector as a whole embraces individuality and recognises that people are a key resource.

Manager of Do Good Jobs, Julia Capon, looked closely at over 50 CVs and cover letters in her search for the next Business Development Manager and Website Developer to join our team. In the end she had this list of 5 things that you need to know when you are applying for any job - but particularly a not-for-profit job in New Zealand.

What do employers really want to see in an application for a not for profit job?

Tip #1 - Include a cover letter

When employers don’t see a cover letter or have only a very limited intro email, they *cringe*. Your cover letter is a space where you can speak specifically to the skills you have that not-for-profit employers are looking for that were outlined in the advertisement. Not having a tailored cover letter is a BIG missed opportunity if you want to land that not-for-profit job in New Zealand.

Tip #2 - Personalise your cover letter

In tip #1 we let you know how important a cover letter is… now it’s time to make it personal and fresh. Nothing like a regurgitation of the job ad - speak to WHY you want this role and genuinely what you bring to the organisation you want to work for. In our experience, not-for -profit employers do not want to read; “I am applying for _____ role and think I would be a great fit”. Sounds a bit like a robot wrote it right? Everyone seems to want to use this sentence and while it may very well be true, it doesn’t do your application justice! So instead, think about how you can stand out and shine a light on who you are and what you bring - upfront in the first paragraph of your cover letter.

Tip #3 - Show attention to detail AND the ability to be direct

Julia came across a few examples of 10 page long CVs that went into loootssss of detail about experience but had a heap of errors and information that just wasn’t relevant to the job they were applying for.

A not-for-profit New Zealand style CV is centered around simplicity. The average length of a CV is about two to three pages long. The average employer spends about 30 seconds reading a CV. So, don’t feel discouraged when submitting a single page CV, just make sure you follow tips #1 and #2 for a top notch cover letter to go along with it.

Don’t forget to spend time proofreading your CV to get rid of the fluff, and replace it with relevant information to the job you're applying for. Read your CV out loud twice to yourself, or a friend - or hot tip, even get your computer to read it to you as you'll pick up way more errors! Highlight any errors you find so you can fix them after you finish reading.

Tip #4 - Identify the key skills needed for the job and highlight them in your CV

Identify the 3-4 key things the role is asking for by reading the job advertisement and description carefully and highlighting any recurring skills mentioned, and the skills that appear to be the most important for the particular job you are applying for. These skills are the ones that you need to focus on highlighting in your CV, they will usually be a mix of both technical AND power skills.

Once you have identified your key skills to highlight, consider using data to add context to the skills you are highlighting to show how you have been successful in this area in the past. For example, perhaps ‘Audience engagement’ is one that you wish to highlight for the person reading your CV, you could demonstrate this skill with a sentence including data, like: “strong desire to achieve results, producing an online audience increase of more than 30% in 6 months in my previous position.”You can also briefly describe how you achieved your results, and the overall impact of your success on the wider organisation.

The most important element of selling your skills is telling your future not for profit employer how those 3 - 4 key skills will add value to the job you’re applying for.

Tip #5 - Talk about your awesome value alignment

A lot of the applications Julia went through did make mention of some awesome value alignment - but it was sometimes hidden in the volunteering section - this is THE bit you want to highlight in the cover letter for a not-for-profit job - your passion for this role and sector and what makes you unique.

When it comes to values based recruitment, used for many not-for-profit jobs in New Zealand, employers don’t just want someone who can recite their values back to them, they want to employ someone who will genuinely embody these values in their day-to-day.