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Allan had been job
searching for over 3 months when he called upon me to help him
with his search. He was beginning to feel discouraged and was
lapsing into patterns of aimlessness. Like many people who find
themselves unemployed he was experiencing a lack of structure
and meaning in his life and having few recreational activities
or moments.
You may wonder why someone
who is lacking in income would invest what they have to work
with a coach. Read on and you will soon understand the benefits.
Allan has been using a
recruiter, the newspaper and online services in his search.
First we tackled the loss of structure and the need to continue
to present as a good candidate. Allan’s “interim job” became
“job hunting”. Three mornings a week he would look for
positions, send resumes and make phone calls or visits. The
other 2 mornings, Allan would exercise for 40 minutes before
beginning his day. The focus of these days was household
maintenance including shopping etc. A recreational or social
activity was scheduled once a week. An avid reader we added a
weekly trip to the local library and reading time.
Once Allan’s life was
“re-structured” with his “interim job”, he regained his sense of
momentum, purpose and hope. We then turned our attention to
Allan’s job searches.
Although very devoted to
working with a non-profit organization, Allan was very
unfamiliar with the “cultural norms” common in the “non-profit”
world. To this end ,
Allan began research those
organizations in which he was most interested. Several
opportunities surfaced in educational institutions so. Our
coaching was a mix of information and exploration; Information:
What information is available about the institution and it’s
services? What are their goals and priorities? What is the
organizational structure? What are the spoken and unspoken
expectations?
Exploration: Is Allan a
good fit for the job and the culture which surrounds it?
Does the organization
function more like a community or a business? Is the job really
just 40hrs/week or more like 60?
Allan started getting more
interviews and two months after we started working together had
offers for two different jobs. He was offered and accepted a
position with a highly respected and solid community educational
institution. As we celebrated his success, we discussed the
actions which influenced the outcome for Allan. Consider these
“Success survival Tips for Non-profit Cultures”:
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Do your homework- find out about
the history and current mission of the non-profit
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Assess the level of “community”
involvement required for your job; evening board meetings,
fundraisers, etc.
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Be certain that you are a fit for
the “character” of the non-profit; Don’t seek employment with
a religious organization if you can’t tolerate their practices
and politics.
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Be aware that non-profits are
highly political; develop skills to survive or prepare to be
disappointed or taken advantage of
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Notice the advantages lacking in
traditional business cultures; strong sense of purpose and
community, humanitarian mission, etc.
Do you still
want to work for a non-profit? Good for you! Good Luck!
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