Nonprofit CVs: What you need to know

So you want to change the world by working for a non-governmental organization and you can’t exactly say you’ve ever been a “Sandalista,” or a Birkenstock-clad activist who spent college summers on reality tours to developing nations in solidarity with the poor and oppressed? Is there any way to make your resume more “nonprofit-ish”? How do you show how your skills relate to important global causes and that you have the personality to segue from a corporate or government job? In general, employers look for a clean, concise resume that highlights related job skills and is not so jam-packed with text that it loses the reader in the first 10 seconds. Nonprofit-style resumes need to strike that fine balance between business smarts and passion for a cause, and convey that in under two pages. “You need to pack a punch with what you say because a lot of people that are reading your resume are doing so in addition to their other jobs,” said Margaret Christoph, senior administrative associate for policy and communications at InterAction, a coalition of 175 U.S.-based non-governmental organizations focusing on eradicating poverty worldwide. Many non-governmental organizations are now so swamped they are farming out resume sorting to talent recruitment agencies, making the process even less personable. Highlight the right words NGO needs vary, ranging from scientific engineers to outgoing campaigners. First words of wisdom: Ensure the vocabulary on your resume closely reflects the terms in the job description, and make adjustments without making anything up. Perhaps you do not have a strong background in professional altruism. But if you worked at a county water treatment facility, you probably have the technical and analytical know-how to provide potable water to the poor. Highlight that with key industry terms. “What NGOs want to know is if your experience at all mirrors the requirements for the job - that your skills can make that leap,” said Marie McNamee, director of programs and human resources for InsideNGO, a U.S.-based group that connects development organizations with the right technical and legal consultants to strengthen their field operations. At the same time, remember that compassion is the name of the game. Aaron Ausland, associate director of independent research at World Vision International, recently hired a highly technical Costa Rican agronomist with a background in commercial consulting in Central America. Why did Ausland feel the Costa Rican could do the job? The man not only cited his skills, he listed his church and community outreach projects on his resume. He also said - both on the cover letter and in subsequent interviews - that he felt a moral obligation to end poverty. “I really do look for a mix - technical skills are big, but the heart also matters,” Ausland said. “In NGOs, we really try to look into the person’s soul. Have they demonstrated interest in social problems? Do they have any sort of social civic engagement?” Ausland said even participation in parent-teacher association boards or volunteer coaching at a neighborhood soccer league shows a level of social concern and community interaction. “Engagement” is a word Ausland used repeatedly. That’s because he wants to know if applicants can “get their hands dirty,” regardless of the position. “I like to see the participant approach - that he or she is not offering a hierarchical gift of knowledge, but rather this person knows how to engage and facilitate a group,” he said. He spoke of “groups” in the widest sense of the term. Ausland asked: “Is this person going to be comfortable talking to a business leader, a donor, a poor rural family, or a child? Is he or she going to cower before power, wield his or her own power in inappropriate ways, or have a natural ability to close that gap?” It might help to put a statement like this on your resume: “ability to build rapport with diverse socio-economic sectors of any population.” But Ausland said NGOs are just as happy to simplify that language to “communicate appropriately and with dignity to all people.” So where would you put that kind of statement on a resume? When it comes to international development, it’s a toss-up, said McNamee, explaining that these days it is less common to see -to high-level professionals putting career objectives at the top of the page. But Ausland recommended doing so for those trying to make that nonprofit leap. Either way, it is important to integrate socially conscious messages in the resume, Christoph said. Words like “team player,” “self-starter,” “trouble shooter,” or “able to work on concurrent deadlines” are all welcome catchphrases for organizations that are not only short-staffed but oftentimes working in chaotic and difficult environments. “With a nonprofit, you jump in and help with whatever work that you can,” she said. “It might be a task that’s not really specific to anyone but still needs to get done.” McNamee said NGOs also like candidates to highlight how their previous jobs or activities exemplify collaborative decision making and patience, as many organizations have to continually reach consensus between project donors and recipients. “There’s a perception that the NGO sector is less stressful. That’s not always the case,” she said. “There’s a high demand to meet missions and work long hours.” Know the questions to answer Christoph and her InterAction associates - Linda Poteat, director for disaster response; and Barbara Wallace, vice president of membership and standards - came up with a list of questions that applicants should address through their resume. Do you have any government experience, perhaps as a legislative assistant? This shows that you are good at advocacy and outreach, and aware of public policy. Do you have any experience working in or managing multicultural teams? This shows you have a certain level of cultural sensitivity. Do you speak a foreign language? It is always helpful to be fluent in a major international language such as French and Spanish, in addition to English. Language awareness shows a certain inclination toward cross-cultural communication. Speaking a difficult tribal language may come in handy with specific projects in a remote community. Take the refugee situation for example. International refugees turn up in faraway nations, and sometimes local humanitarian groups do not have a common language for processing asylum requests. You may mention that you are willing to take writing and conversational tests so a prospective employer can get a more candid sense of your proficiency in a foreign language. Saying that shows you are confident you can communicate well enough for the job at hand. Do you have any writing samples that show some expertise in the organization’s area of interest, even if you don’t have direct experience in development? If you are a writer, blogger, or photographer, your reflections or photos can serve as a window into your social awareness. Christoph recently hired a writer without prior NGO experience precisely because she mentioned her travel blog in her resume and cover letter. “The Web site included things she’d seen on her travels, reflections on the way people had banded together to pull themselves out of poverty or conflict,” Christoph said. “I thought it was a well-written piece for someone who didn’t have that kind of experience.” Format and logistics According to McNamee, there is no one way to format a resume for an international NGO, though it’s probably a bonus to comply with the standards of the country where it is headquartered. “The NGO community gets resumes globally, so I have to tell you I’ve seen it all,” she said, adding that most NGOs are sensitive to cultural styles such as including an applicant’s picture and age, or writing long paragraphs versus simple bullet point phrases. Universal rules? Keep it under two pages, use a simple black font that is easy on the eyes, leave some white space so the reader does not tire quickly, and avoid spelling errors. If you want a format that will stand up to almost any major NGO test, download a Harvard Business School template and fill it with the needed content, Ausland said. “There’s nothing worse than trying to read a lot of information on one page at 10 o’clock at night with 60 other resumes to go,” Ausland said. Spelling errors will land resumes in the trash bin, he added. “I want to see that a candidate cares about the details in every aspect of their work and presentation,” Ausland said. “I want to see if you can put others at ease.” McNamee said when it comes to non-native speakers, a few spelling errors or grammatical flaws may be understandable, so long as the ideas are coherent. “Communication is key to every job, even if you’re just a number cruncher,” McNamee said. “You may have to talk to your boss and a working group, so it’s important that you can speak and write coherently.” If you can do that and show you are committed to making the leap to humanitarian aid, you will likely be a shoo-in for an interview. 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