We’ve been in something of a hiring frenzy here at Greenlights over the past few months. When the dust settles, and the printer cartridge gets replaced, we’ll have reviewed almost 300 application packages to bring 3 new, fantastic hires on board.
Having reviewed almost all of those nearly 300 candidate info packets (and I’ve got the eye strain to prove it), I’ve seen a tremendous number of “who is this again?” and quite a few “what were you thinking?!?” applications in the mix.
Perhaps effectively applying for a job in the nonprofit sector is a lost art? I don’t know, but I was struck by how many folks neglected to do the basics, like:
- Use your cover letter to sell your self
- Connect your skills, experiences and passion back to the job description
- Structure your resumé so it clearly shows off how your work and volunteer experiences match what the organization is looking for
Turns out I’m not the only one bothered and bewildered by the lack of effective candidate presentation in the job applicant pool these days.
After a recent hiring process, my colleague Amy Price, Grants Manager at Bat Conservation International, decided that rather than quietly kvetch with her co-workers, she’d actually offer those candidates some feedback, in the hopes they’d find more success in the future.
She shared her letter to candidates with me, and I found it so powerful I’m excerpting her seven main observations in full:
- “When I send a grant application (you want a job, I want funding…so there is a lot to learn here) I try to address any obvious challenges/obstacles in my cover letter. If I’m sending a request for funds for a project called “Bats of Mexico” to a nonprofit in Missouri—I suspect their first thought is, “Not our area—move along.” My opening line will address this—because I know there’s a gap.
Dear Foundation Director,
I know that an application called “Bats of Mexico” will, at a glance, seem like a reach for your trustees to consider—as the bulk of your funding is spent on projects that improve the lives of residents of Missouri—but the bats of Missouri (critical to pest management for regional farmers and nurserymen and a vital part of many of Missouri’s diverse ecosystems) winter in Mexico. Without urgently needed conservation efforts on the other end of YOUR BATS’ migratory corridor—there may come a day when many bats fail to return to Missouri to provide their unique services. The pest management that bats offer reduces the use of toxic chemicals on the landscape, chemicals that seep down into the water systems enjoyed for recreation, consumption and tourism dollars.”
See what I’ve done? I’ve anticipated the question, “Why?” and answered it as fast as possible. When I read some of the cover letters and resumes that came to me it caused me to ask “Why?” quite often. If someone has decided to leave teaching (based on a resume with a lot of fantastic teaching credentials) I wondered why? If someone has put the time and investment into securing a Ph.D. level education in a field—and they applied to work in my seemingly non-related office, I wondered why? What link do they see that I don’t? Telling me (or any reader) the answer to the obvious contradiction can make a WORLD of difference.
2. Typos. I make them. We all do. Still, do you want them in a cover letter and (worse) in a resume you send to a lot of readers? Emails are always a risk because I may not have spell check in place. This being said, many of the typos were GLARING and made me wonder, careless or poor speller? I set aside a larger stack of “possible interviews” to share with my colleagues for input—and more than one person marked typos. As simple as this seems—it can really cost an applicant in a job market like this one where there are so many candidates.
3. Layout. I know we don’t all have the best computers (I work in a nonprofit office—my computer is older than some of you!) and the different places we send materials will open them on their computers—so you should print out your materials and see how they look. I had resumes that didn’t print properly—the margins were so wide that everything was thrown off and I had to really struggle to find things. Same with unique fonts. If I don’t have that font, my computer goes with something basic that may not look so nice. With more than 80 sets of material to review, I found myself spending the most time and attention on those that looked the neatest. This has nothing to do with the cost of what you sent—I printed everything on plain white paper. Still, the tidiest materials were my favorites.
4. Using a cover letter or resume template. Hmmmnnn. Well, I suppose it can be a great way to start getting accustomed to sending materials, but at some point you might want to trust yourself to send something from the heart. I hope “objectives” are clear in your letter, so telling me you want to bring your skills to my workplace seems like canned language. Take a chance and tell me what you really want.
5. Previous employment. 2 of my top 5 had virtually none. There’s value in education, employment and any combination of these. BUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME YOU WORKED SOMEWHERE, GIVE ME A START AND END month and year. I don’t need dates—but if you just put 2008 I wonder if you were there for such a short time you don’t want to put it in writing. A short stay can always be overcome with an explanation in an interview, but you may not get an interview if it looks like you are trying to blur lines on a resume. We are all human and have interesting paths that bring us places, and I think the absence of a few dates is more of a negative than a positive.
6. Email addresses. This was something new for me to consider—people who used an email address that was a little “personal” for a business letter. You have every right to use what suits you—but think about what total strangers (and possible employers) might think about an application from someone who uses an email like lovetheboys@aol or kissyface@aol or yummybooty@aol–think about it. Workplaces have to be careful to maintain professional and appropriate behaviors to avoid anyone’s discomfort—or a lawsuit. I have to wonder just how much “workplace etiquette training” will be needed for someone who asked me to contact them at an email address that looks like it belongs to a preteen or a porn star. I think anyone can register for a free, professional email account at yahoo or other service provider.
7. The extra mile. The job posting only asked for a cover letter and resume—but there were a handful of applicants who sent a letter of reference as well. Two even sent a second letter, with more personal information, during the gap when I was out of office. This created some internal conflict for me—I was impressed in spite of myself but didn’t want to do anything that might not give full credit to those applicants that followed the exact instructions. After thinking for 24 hours, I decided that the candidates that did something EXTRA that I liked (the transcripts did seem a bit much…) were people who REALLY wanted to catch my attention and that’s what I want in a colleague. So this is something to know—if everyone posting jobs is getting as many great candidates as I did—this might be the time to go the extra mile and send something more. Two of my five interviews had done so. It might not have mattered for one of them, but for the second it was so earnest that it got someone from the big stack to the short stack and in the door.”
What do you think of Amy’s 7 observations? Do you have any other tips, words of wisdom, or horror stories from the land of hiring, or job searching?
Filed under: Economy, Leadership, Miscellaneous | Tagged: job market, Bat Conservation International, resumes, cover letters, job search job hunt, tips interviews, cover letter, nonprofit jobs, application
Greenlights
Tara Kirkland
Ann Starr
Kim Wilson
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Matt Kouri
Taylor Overstreet
Haila Yates
