A recent funding update from The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits included mention of contest for local non profits. The prize $20,000 to the winning organization.
The contest is simple but the benefits impressed me enough to write about this new approach to corporate philanthropy. Check out the pitch here: http://bit.ly/bundles/jjurczynski/4
I don't know that my client who is registered will win the grand prize but I love the challenge. Grappone Auto Group builds it's reputation as a community oriented brand; nonprofits can engage supporters of all levels to participate and as someone working in the sector I can check out other organizations who might be reputable partners/collaborators in the future.
What other great corporate giving challenges are out there?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
"I just want to work for myself" - Why the grass is sometimes greener
Recently a friend wrote me to ask how I make it work, referring to working for myself. He is justifiably frustrated by the dynamics in his work environment and looking for a way out. He is also a talented artist who would love to make a go at turning his part-time painting gigs into a full time venture. I hope he reads this - I think he has the talent and drive to make it happen.
His inquiry got me thinking about the challenges of working for yourself, the realities between the appealing bullet points of self-employment.
So here is what I have to say to anyone considering a shift to self employment...
His inquiry got me thinking about the challenges of working for yourself, the realities between the appealing bullet points of self-employment.
So here is what I have to say to anyone considering a shift to self employment...
Don't be so quick to only see green grass on the self-employed side of the fence. I love working for myself, it works for me, it supports the lifestyle I am excited about but here are drawbacks to consider and honest realities of dark side of self-employment...
-Success will require you to be the hardest boss you have ever worked for.
-Higher taxes.
-Wrestle with the fact you will never afford the kind of health insurance you had when you worked for a company...you will settle for basic coverage you pay too much for and family plans - forget about it
-No paid holidays, sick days or vacation. You take time off ...you don't make money.
-When you screw up there is no one to blame but yourself
-No IRA contributions
-Be prepared to work 2 + years before really making any money
-Realize that your business is YOU so it doesn't really ever get turned off (ie: trip to Peru...computer comes, emails are answered and that's vacation)
-When work is insane you don't get to run, play, visit with your spouse until the work is done
-If you don't have a spouse who is bought into the entirety of the plan above you will also contend with that
-Plan to spend less then you ever thought you would - dinners out, buying the smaller house, not buying a new car, holding off on major purchases until your business is stable.
The upside....
If you can handle the discipline required
If you can figure out the expenses of running a business
If you want flexibility
(read periods of intense work and then down time)
If the idea of kicking your own ass beats someone kicking it for you
.....you can do it.
It will be hard. You will get frustrated. There will be times you have no clue where the money is going to come from. You will have months where a day off means you don't have meetings but your read email before going for a run, answer a call while on it and check email again before bed.
If all of that is still agreeable. Find what you you love and go for it. If being my own boss has taught me anything it is that you don't have sit in a job you hate.
-Success will require you to be the hardest boss you have ever worked for.
-Higher taxes.
-Wrestle with the fact you will never afford the kind of health insurance you had when you worked for a company...you will settle for basic coverage you pay too much for and family plans - forget about it
-No paid holidays, sick days or vacation. You take time off ...you don't make money.
-When you screw up there is no one to blame but yourself
-No IRA contributions
-Be prepared to work 2 + years before really making any money
-Realize that your business is YOU so it doesn't really ever get turned off (ie: trip to Peru...computer comes, emails are answered and that's vacation)
-When work is insane you don't get to run, play, visit with your spouse until the work is done
-If you don't have a spouse who is bought into the entirety of the plan above you will also contend with that
-Plan to spend less then you ever thought you would - dinners out, buying the smaller house, not buying a new car, holding off on major purchases until your business is stable.
The upside....
If you can handle the discipline required
If you can figure out the expenses of running a business
If you want flexibility
(read periods of intense work and then down time)
If the idea of kicking your own ass beats someone kicking it for you
.....you can do it.
It will be hard. You will get frustrated. There will be times you have no clue where the money is going to come from. You will have months where a day off means you don't have meetings but your read email before going for a run, answer a call while on it and check email again before bed.
If all of that is still agreeable. Find what you you love and go for it. If being my own boss has taught me anything it is that you don't have sit in a job you hate.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Twelve Rules to Live By In the Land of Donor Appreciation
Penelope Burk's book, Donor Centered Fundraising is the first book I purchased that I considered professional development reading. It has since become my bible. I loan my copy out regularly and encourage others to look beyond the sticker shock, what you learn will be worth it's weight in gold. I am thinking about donor appreciation and cultivation today so I felt it was good time to share these rules Burke suggests.
Twelve Rules to Live By In the Land of Donor Appreciation
-Penelope Burk
1) Statistics
a. Do your own research specific to your organization, do rely on industry standards. Figure out who your donors are, how much the give, how often and how you can cultivate them. Then implement your plan.
2) Categorizing Donors By Gift Size
a. Is shooting your organization in the foot. This is a reward and punishment system that is insulting to donors and doesn’t allow npo’s to grow the size of the gifts people are making.
i. Ex: if you only have to give $1000 to be in the CIYC, why would anyone feel compelled to give $5000.
ii. ?How do you get the information that compels your $25.00 donor to become a $100 donor out do them.
3) Urgent Appeals
a. Remember your emergency is not your donors emergency.
4) Failure to Plan
a. Don’t expect donors to fund on faith. You need a well organized, succinct plan that shows donor where their money is making a difference.
5) Failure to Test
a. Test all fundraising ideas before counting on them entirely.
i. Ex: NPO has a budget deficit, at a board meeting an innovative idea for a new fundraising event is suggested, projects are made about its potential net income and before the board meeting is adjourned the event date is set.
6) Being Unrealistic About Time
a. There is no such thing as short term fundraising. Pressure is often put on fundraisers to close deals within unrealistic timeframes. This failure to take into account the cultivation process with your donors almost always means the organization looses out in one way or another. Many failures that happen today have roots in things that were/weren’t done 2-3 years ago.
7) Solicitation/Attrition
a. Don’t fall into this cycle: Direct mail campaign happens, response isn’t what you anticipated, decision is made to send another mailing to increase revenue, this causes donor burn out (attrition), so prospecting for donors increases, no time to follow up and thank current donors, leads to more attrition, leads to more solicitation.
i. GET OFF THE TREADMILL. Spend time with your current donors.
8) Relying on Fundraising as Marketing
a. The organization should have separate budgets for fundraising marketing and general marketing. General marketing is for awareness building and fundraising marketing is to generate income.
9) Fundraising Expenses
a. You need to be willing to spend money to make money. If you aren’t you kill the ‘donor-centric’ fundraising model before it can work for you.
10) “Donors should be neither seen nor heard”
a. Donors feel privileged to give and don’t want anything in return. Don’t confuse no vested interest and no interest. There is incredible competition for donors and volunteers, an organizations meaningful communication is what will set them apart.
11) The Fundraising System
a. Be willing to break out of the current system. If you aren’t seeing results, if your solicitation strategies aren’t donor-centric don’t tinker with the old system, take it apart and build a new one.
12) Feeling Charities are Beyond Reproach
a. In 2000 83% of Americans gave to charity. As NPO’s we need to be more in tune and better prepared to change the way we do business to meet the needs of the people who keep us in business.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
External Hardrives and Fundraising Etiquette
About 20% of my professional time is devoted to prospecting. When I am not working billable hours, engaging in professional development or straightening out administrative details in the office, I am researching ways to develop and improve my business model.
This evening is dedicated to organizing files with samples of projects from each of my areas of experience so I have them on hand when new clients ask for them. I was only going to pull together a few recent samples. Like all good intentions when you are a little OCD, once I started culling the archives I couldn't stop, I search new laptop, my old laptop and then I hit the mothership.
If our house was on fire I'd save my husband, the dog and the mothership. I realized a few things going through files dating back to 2005.
1) I love what I do for work and always have. The warmth I felt reminiscing about past projects is indescribable.
2) I am fairly certain I was born taking visionary ideas and breakdown them down into excel spreadsheet and actionable lists.
In all of these files I came across several transition documents created when I left my job in Portland and moved to New Hampshire. During this transition I remember the new hire joking with me, begging me to write a book about fundraising etiquette.
The truth is...when I learned about fundraising etiquette I didn't know that is what I was learning. Why? The expert who taught me lived his values, they were more then just work.
I haven't written a book in case you are wondering, maybe one day. Until then here are some things I learned along the way because a brilliant, charismatic visionary who hated organizing information into excel sheets took a chance on young women who loved taking his scraps of paper and scribbled on napkins and turning them into databases.
This evening is dedicated to organizing files with samples of projects from each of my areas of experience so I have them on hand when new clients ask for them. I was only going to pull together a few recent samples. Like all good intentions when you are a little OCD, once I started culling the archives I couldn't stop, I search new laptop, my old laptop and then I hit the mothership.
If our house was on fire I'd save my husband, the dog and the mothership. I realized a few things going through files dating back to 2005.
1) I love what I do for work and always have. The warmth I felt reminiscing about past projects is indescribable.
2) I am fairly certain I was born taking visionary ideas and breakdown them down into excel spreadsheet and actionable lists.
In all of these files I came across several transition documents created when I left my job in Portland and moved to New Hampshire. During this transition I remember the new hire joking with me, begging me to write a book about fundraising etiquette.
The truth is...when I learned about fundraising etiquette I didn't know that is what I was learning. Why? The expert who taught me lived his values, they were more then just work.
I haven't written a book in case you are wondering, maybe one day. Until then here are some things I learned along the way because a brilliant, charismatic visionary who hated organizing information into excel sheets took a chance on young women who loved taking his scraps of paper and scribbled on napkins and turning them into databases.
Appreciation doesn’t mean spending a lot of money.
Organizational culture is what people connect to, from children to the oldest donors they love what the organization is about. So my philosophy is do something to thank people that which fits the your organization's culture. Do not that try to match the dollar amount they have given.
Ex: Flowers are great, but they are dead and most often they are exotic, so they have traveled a great distance to get here at the expense of the environment and the consumer. Send bulbs or a small plant, something that will grow and continue to remind the recipient of their relationship with the organizaiton.
Ex: A major donors makes a significant gift to the organization and you want to take them out to dinner to thank them. You don’t need to take them to Fore Street, all of our major donors can take themselves to Fore Street, they didn’t donate $ to see it blow on dinner and wine. Take them somewhere unusual, offer them a dinning experience they might not have thought of….have you ever eaten sushi? African food?
When to Pay.
One of my favorite questions, here goes my formal/informal strategy.
If you are asking a volunteer, donor, committee member etc to the meeting because they are being groomed to donate, $, time or services. Always offer to pay.
If the meeting is with someone, board member, long time volunteer who you are meeting with regularly.
- Offer to pay the first time and anytime after if the meeting is about asking them to increase their efforts or up there commitment.
- Otherwise my thought is the organization pays the first time and then either split or take them up on their off to pay once or twice.
You are invited to a meeting with a constituent (s). Bring $, it is better to be safe then sorry.
- If you are in a one on one meeting, offer to cover yourself.
- If they pay and you want to contribute
- Offer to cover the ti
I always try to keep a mental log of people who I meet with regularly and work on an equitable ratio of organization buys/they buy. I also try to schedule these meetings at off times after the first few, no one needs to be spending a ton of eating out. If you have had a dinner or lunch meeting, how about breakfast or meeting for tea/coffee or a drink.
Alcohol at Events and Consumption
The saying goes everything in moderation, though I have a personal rule never to drink a large events where I am in charge.
When I plan a gathering of adults I generally ensure there is wine (typically not beer b/c it is messy, smelly and makes a lot of trash). My feeling is people are gathering after work after a long day and really appreciate the chance to unwind. Again in moderation, do the math on the number of people coming to the gathering, make sure you have enough for a glass or two a person and nothing more.
Same holds true when holding a gathering at a bar or restaurant, the organization should consider covering glass of wine for everyone….then you are on your own.
If you are having gathering with underage folks, even staff, do yourself and the organization a favor no drinking.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Special Event Detox
This year for the first time in my career I contracted to manage an event for a business. The vision for the event emphasized community, creating opportunity for peak participant experiences and there was even auction beneficiary built into the weekend festivities.
I saw the opportunity to cross train my professional skills; build relationships and explore parallel professional possibilities should I decided to jump ship from the public and nonprofit sectors.
Logistics are logistics so I entered the planning undaunted by this piece.
Securing sponsors proved less challenging then I imagine. The demands of marketing purse string holders are reasonable and formulaic. Consider and generate information on the following and you will likely get support - prove your target demographic and their products are the same; address how participants will interact with their brand and finally bring creativity to the table and share opportunities unique to your event which will show case the sponsor.
This year this event earned more in sponsorship then prior years. Numbers of day participants grew thanks to targeted sign up discounts and social media engagement. Evening activities were well publicized and their numbers soared too.
So why in the wake of this success do I feel disenchanted and uneasy?
Driving to meet another client this morning I imagined myself the subject of a New Yorker cartoon. In the image, two doctors were wringing me out like a bloated washcloth. The spray from their efforts included beer koozies, window decals, keg cups and sundry other plastic give aways (read the made in china, fun for a night toys which fill rural landfills).
Starting to see the challenge?
Don't get me wrong the event was also a blast, the sponsors a delight and the clients talked all weekend about the impact of their experience. Still I can't shake the feeling this way of building community may not be for me.
Time to survey folks and record debriefs, maybe in the feedback I'll find a diamond that sways my vote the other way. For now I am pleased about the success and looking forward to spending the next few weeks working on a groupsite to facilitate social capital building in a rural community and facilitating the mapping of fundraising initiatives to support a community building program for youth facing the loss of a parent to cancer.
I saw the opportunity to cross train my professional skills; build relationships and explore parallel professional possibilities should I decided to jump ship from the public and nonprofit sectors.
Logistics are logistics so I entered the planning undaunted by this piece.
Securing sponsors proved less challenging then I imagine. The demands of marketing purse string holders are reasonable and formulaic. Consider and generate information on the following and you will likely get support - prove your target demographic and their products are the same; address how participants will interact with their brand and finally bring creativity to the table and share opportunities unique to your event which will show case the sponsor.
This year this event earned more in sponsorship then prior years. Numbers of day participants grew thanks to targeted sign up discounts and social media engagement. Evening activities were well publicized and their numbers soared too.
So why in the wake of this success do I feel disenchanted and uneasy?
Driving to meet another client this morning I imagined myself the subject of a New Yorker cartoon. In the image, two doctors were wringing me out like a bloated washcloth. The spray from their efforts included beer koozies, window decals, keg cups and sundry other plastic give aways (read the made in china, fun for a night toys which fill rural landfills).
Starting to see the challenge?
Don't get me wrong the event was also a blast, the sponsors a delight and the clients talked all weekend about the impact of their experience. Still I can't shake the feeling this way of building community may not be for me.
Time to survey folks and record debriefs, maybe in the feedback I'll find a diamond that sways my vote the other way. For now I am pleased about the success and looking forward to spending the next few weeks working on a groupsite to facilitate social capital building in a rural community and facilitating the mapping of fundraising initiatives to support a community building program for youth facing the loss of a parent to cancer.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Namaste to the Interns
It's time to set the record straight about interns. I can't vouch for every intern. I can tell you in the eight years since I started my professional career I can count more outstanding interns then years of work experience on my resume.
If this were facebook I would @ tag each of them at this point in the post. It isn't and there is no need to perpetuate that facebook mania of "friending" everyone you have every heard mentioned.
The point I want to make is about the quality of work done by these young people, their tenacity and accountability, all in the name of tasting a profession of interest.
Two interns I worked with most recently created the event, Caution: Gingerbread Construction from scratch to raise money for On Belay.
Right now I am working with a women who is professionally accomplished and eager to pursue a career as a professional climbing guide. She is kicking butt and taking names to put on an ice climbing festival for over 200 people.
These women impacted their internships in profound ways at no direct cost to the organization's hosting them and in exchange they gained meaningful professional experience.
This is what internships are meant to be.
In the interest of "the feedback sandwich", I put the best stories first.
I have also been witness to interns who are brought into organizations with the promise of a quality educational experience, read internship and what they got was all together different.
Upon arrival the fresh intern is ask to perform all sorts of tasks which have nothing to do with their internships. The intern becomes the catch all for the crap other people don't have time or interest in doing. This is not an internship.
To illustrate my point I'll share a moment of my professional career that I am not proud, don't worry it ends well.
It was the summer of 2007, the week before I put on a Kayak Regatta for 35 donors to a small nonprofit. This Regatta was a-typical. Think traveling drummers, massage therapists, lobster bakes and island with no running water or electricity.
Logistically intense? Yeah you could say that.
I was at least a few Americano's into my day. My summer intern
(who later played violin at my wedding processional) and our organization's second summer intern popped their heads into my office to ask if they could help.
My brain was working overtime...donations logged, special dietary needs to report, where are those face paints...all swirling the moment the girls offered to help.
"Uhhhh. Ummm. Just take my dog for a walk ok!" And I shut my office door.
Click for unbearably cute dog photo
A few moments later there was a knock on my door, it was my intern.
"Can we talk?" she said.
I could tell from the look on her face I was out of line. She walked in and I asked her directly,
"OK, how bad was that? Honestly."
She smiled sweetly, paused.
"You know Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada...
"THAT BAD!" I exclaimed and started laughing, so did she.
"Yup." She said between giggles "And, just so you know Catherine is afraid of dogs."
I pulled $20 from my wallet, apologized for being a jerk and sent the girls to grab themselves a coffee and something sweet while I collected myself and thought of an appropriate way for them to support the event planning efforts.
I won't argue, there are unflattering, unappealing tasks in every job and they need to get done. My suggestion, lay that out ahead of time and tackle those tasks as a team.
Don't take interns for granted. Love them , appreciate them, treat them well.
To all the under appreciated interns out there, may the light within me honor the light with in you.
If this were facebook I would @ tag each of them at this point in the post. It isn't and there is no need to perpetuate that facebook mania of "friending" everyone you have every heard mentioned.
The point I want to make is about the quality of work done by these young people, their tenacity and accountability, all in the name of tasting a profession of interest.
Two interns I worked with most recently created the event, Caution: Gingerbread Construction from scratch to raise money for On Belay.
Right now I am working with a women who is professionally accomplished and eager to pursue a career as a professional climbing guide. She is kicking butt and taking names to put on an ice climbing festival for over 200 people.
These women impacted their internships in profound ways at no direct cost to the organization's hosting them and in exchange they gained meaningful professional experience.
This is what internships are meant to be.
In the interest of "the feedback sandwich", I put the best stories first.
I have also been witness to interns who are brought into organizations with the promise of a quality educational experience, read internship and what they got was all together different.
Upon arrival the fresh intern is ask to perform all sorts of tasks which have nothing to do with their internships. The intern becomes the catch all for the crap other people don't have time or interest in doing. This is not an internship.
To illustrate my point I'll share a moment of my professional career that I am not proud, don't worry it ends well.
It was the summer of 2007, the week before I put on a Kayak Regatta for 35 donors to a small nonprofit. This Regatta was a-typical. Think traveling drummers, massage therapists, lobster bakes and island with no running water or electricity.
Logistically intense? Yeah you could say that.
I was at least a few Americano's into my day. My summer intern
(who later played violin at my wedding processional) and our organization's second summer intern popped their heads into my office to ask if they could help.
My brain was working overtime...donations logged, special dietary needs to report, where are those face paints...all swirling the moment the girls offered to help.
"Uhhhh. Ummm. Just take my dog for a walk ok!" And I shut my office door.
Click for unbearably cute dog photo
A few moments later there was a knock on my door, it was my intern.
"Can we talk?" she said.
I could tell from the look on her face I was out of line. She walked in and I asked her directly,
"OK, how bad was that? Honestly."
She smiled sweetly, paused.
"You know Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada...
"THAT BAD!" I exclaimed and started laughing, so did she.
"Yup." She said between giggles "And, just so you know Catherine is afraid of dogs."
I pulled $20 from my wallet, apologized for being a jerk and sent the girls to grab themselves a coffee and something sweet while I collected myself and thought of an appropriate way for them to support the event planning efforts.
I won't argue, there are unflattering, unappealing tasks in every job and they need to get done. My suggestion, lay that out ahead of time and tackle those tasks as a team.
Don't take interns for granted. Love them , appreciate them, treat them well.
To all the under appreciated interns out there, may the light within me honor the light with in you.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Attention Job Seekers.
No not me, I am still content running my business here in New Hampshire.
This is the second time in six months I've worked with an organization as part of a hiring team. In the summer of 2010 I managed the hiring of a part-time program staff person for a small nonprofit. Right now I am in the middle of the search process for an Executive Director, again for a small nonprofit.
When applications arrived this summer for a part-time program coordinator, my expectations were rooted by entry level nature of the position. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the candidates and simultaneously shocked at the number of applications which were assembled carelessly. I wrote off the amazement reminding myself, you are hiring for an entry level position. I won't leave you wondering, we hired an extraordinary young women who has mastered her job and then some in less then six months.
I am back to the hiring game. This time the stakes are higher. I am on a team working to fill the shoes of women who started her work with this institution doing part-time administrative duties and today she is now a power house fundraiser, manager and leader.
This hire is a year in the making. The group brainstormed, planned, convened ad hoc committees and in December the posting went out. Credit where it is due, we received many strong applications. In addition we received others that stopped me in my tracks, several applications arrived screaming for a reminder about simple measures which can make or break an application.
I am not a career coach or a veteran HR professional.
I have a background in visual arts drilled into my brain, an obsession with detail and the ability to find value and intrigue in a-typical candidates, so long as they present themselves well.
Here are a handful of tips I wrote down while reflecting on these two hiring processes, share them, use them personally or to help evaluate your next hire.
1) Don't try to be cute
I love the color pink, dresses and small bossy dogs. I am completely turned off by applications: on colored paper, which included clip art graphics, catchy slogans or cheesy fonts. Even if you are working with small children or animals a hiring committee expects professional applicants, be one.
2) Formatting Nightmares: Don't be one
Imagine twenty plus applications (resumes, cover letters, letters of reference) sitting in your inbox. Now imagine opening the documents to find these documents are a formatting disaster. Regardless of the content these candidates start out at a deficit or don't start the process at all.
What can you do?
Save as a PDF! It's simple and will ensure what you see on the screen is what the hiring team sees.
Use bold, underline or italicized text for emphasis when appropriate and if you use it be consistent.
(Ex: Bold one company you worked for....bold them all)
Only send what your asked for and offer access to further information if requested. A pile of attachments takes time to print and organize, if you weren't asked to provide them you are likely adding more work and frustrating someone.
3) Proof Read
No one is perfect. Second only to my mother, I am pretty sure I am the world's worst speller so I am especially attentive in grant writing, applications and professional writing to triple check for errors. Cook dinner for a trusted friend, babysit for a professor, bake cookies for a co-worker....bottom line make sure your eyes are not the only eyes to fall on these documents.
4) Right Resume, Right Time
This one may cause you to sigh deeply and stop reading...I'm not sure who perpetuated the idea that one resume works for every job but it doesn't in my world. Consider carefully the wording of the job you are applying to, highlight the skills you have that match that job specifically. Edit your resume so it presents the education and experience that will serve you well in the position for which you are applying.
5) Your time and mine
If you are applying for jobs that doesn't just mean sending out applications and going back to business as usual. After your applications go out, be attentive to your email and voice mail messages. If you know you will be away or unavailable, be proactive and include a note in your application with the details on when you will return or how to contact you while you are away. Return calls or emails within 24 hours, great general rule of business and critical in a hiring process.
6) First rule of sales: Know the product
Applying for a new job is about sales. You are selling yourself to a future employers with the promise of being a future sales person for their company or organization. You will find lots of information out there about how to present yourself and significantly less about the impotence of knowing the company or organization you would like to work for.
Do your research - check their website, look at staff profiles, check their social media sites for photos, comments and any other information that can provide insight into the culture, values and vision of the company.
7) Voice on the machine
Like many people many I only have one phone, a cell phone and I hold great disdain for cutesy voicemails messages. I outgrew my taste for entertaining voice mails in highs school. This isn't a judgment just fact, I spent untold hours of my youth recording creative, musical messages on my home answering machine. Be sure your contact information and associated replies are professional.
I'll sign off with a lucky seven. Happy hiring, good luck applying and feel free to add your own best practices in the comments section of this blog.
This is the second time in six months I've worked with an organization as part of a hiring team. In the summer of 2010 I managed the hiring of a part-time program staff person for a small nonprofit. Right now I am in the middle of the search process for an Executive Director, again for a small nonprofit.
When applications arrived this summer for a part-time program coordinator, my expectations were rooted by entry level nature of the position. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the candidates and simultaneously shocked at the number of applications which were assembled carelessly. I wrote off the amazement reminding myself, you are hiring for an entry level position. I won't leave you wondering, we hired an extraordinary young women who has mastered her job and then some in less then six months.
I am back to the hiring game. This time the stakes are higher. I am on a team working to fill the shoes of women who started her work with this institution doing part-time administrative duties and today she is now a power house fundraiser, manager and leader.
This hire is a year in the making. The group brainstormed, planned, convened ad hoc committees and in December the posting went out. Credit where it is due, we received many strong applications. In addition we received others that stopped me in my tracks, several applications arrived screaming for a reminder about simple measures which can make or break an application.
I am not a career coach or a veteran HR professional.
I have a background in visual arts drilled into my brain, an obsession with detail and the ability to find value and intrigue in a-typical candidates, so long as they present themselves well.
Here are a handful of tips I wrote down while reflecting on these two hiring processes, share them, use them personally or to help evaluate your next hire.
1) Don't try to be cute
I love the color pink, dresses and small bossy dogs. I am completely turned off by applications: on colored paper, which included clip art graphics, catchy slogans or cheesy fonts. Even if you are working with small children or animals a hiring committee expects professional applicants, be one.
2) Formatting Nightmares: Don't be one
Imagine twenty plus applications (resumes, cover letters, letters of reference) sitting in your inbox. Now imagine opening the documents to find these documents are a formatting disaster. Regardless of the content these candidates start out at a deficit or don't start the process at all.
What can you do?
Save as a PDF! It's simple and will ensure what you see on the screen is what the hiring team sees.
Use bold, underline or italicized text for emphasis when appropriate and if you use it be consistent.
(Ex: Bold one company you worked for....bold them all)
Only send what your asked for and offer access to further information if requested. A pile of attachments takes time to print and organize, if you weren't asked to provide them you are likely adding more work and frustrating someone.
3) Proof Read
No one is perfect. Second only to my mother, I am pretty sure I am the world's worst speller so I am especially attentive in grant writing, applications and professional writing to triple check for errors. Cook dinner for a trusted friend, babysit for a professor, bake cookies for a co-worker....bottom line make sure your eyes are not the only eyes to fall on these documents.
4) Right Resume, Right Time
This one may cause you to sigh deeply and stop reading...I'm not sure who perpetuated the idea that one resume works for every job but it doesn't in my world. Consider carefully the wording of the job you are applying to, highlight the skills you have that match that job specifically. Edit your resume so it presents the education and experience that will serve you well in the position for which you are applying.
5) Your time and mine
If you are applying for jobs that doesn't just mean sending out applications and going back to business as usual. After your applications go out, be attentive to your email and voice mail messages. If you know you will be away or unavailable, be proactive and include a note in your application with the details on when you will return or how to contact you while you are away. Return calls or emails within 24 hours, great general rule of business and critical in a hiring process.
6) First rule of sales: Know the product
Applying for a new job is about sales. You are selling yourself to a future employers with the promise of being a future sales person for their company or organization. You will find lots of information out there about how to present yourself and significantly less about the impotence of knowing the company or organization you would like to work for.
Do your research - check their website, look at staff profiles, check their social media sites for photos, comments and any other information that can provide insight into the culture, values and vision of the company.
7) Voice on the machine
Like many people many I only have one phone, a cell phone and I hold great disdain for cutesy voicemails messages. I outgrew my taste for entertaining voice mails in highs school. This isn't a judgment just fact, I spent untold hours of my youth recording creative, musical messages on my home answering machine. Be sure your contact information and associated replies are professional.
I'll sign off with a lucky seven. Happy hiring, good luck applying and feel free to add your own best practices in the comments section of this blog.
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