Transitioning Into a Nonprofit Job: Tweak Your Resume and Cover Letter to Fit

Parts I and II of this article covered several ways to revise your resume to fit the nonprofit job market. In this final installment, we will look at the packaging for your resume: your cover letter.

Nonprofit jobseeking is not only about professional skills and experience. Of course, any employer will necessarily be interested in those things. And they should be uppermost in your mind as you craft your cover letter.

But nonprofit jobs are also about your personal interest and background concerning the mission of the organization you are approaching. Your personal commitment, concern, and empathy for others are especially important to emphasize as you make the transition into the sector.
Focus on What You Care About

Demonstrate your passions, values, motivations, and enthusiasm. You will want to talk about how past volunteer work has been so important to you, and how you have educated yourself about topics related to the target organization’s mission.

If any of your previous corporate or public sector work was related to the issues your target nonprofit deals with, this is the time to talk it up. That is, you may have learned about issues that concerned and motivated you to pursue a new career with a nonprofit in that field.

For example:

• If you worked in the real estate business advising future homebuyers on loan options, you would want to point out how that experience led you to concern about today’s sub-prime mortgage crisis. Many nonprofits deal with related social issues.

• If you worked as a consultant or banker supporting entrepreneurs as they develop their businesses, you have insight into the challenges and opportunities of economic development locally or globally. That can apply to a host of community nonprofits.

• If you have a background in computer hardware or software, you may know about digital divide or e-waste issues that affect your community. You should mention that concern to any related organization.

• If you managed the construction of affordable housing projects, you probably are familiar with the consumer end of the process. Share that with any potential employer working on housing issues.

While your personal connection to the organization’s work is most likely not the first thing you want to focus on, it represents an important part of the impression you want to leave. It should make some sort of appearance in your cover letter.

But be Realistic

Often, when folks approach the nonprofit sector they bring with them plenty of idealism and big plans for change. But reality sets in when they see the job descriptions. You may find that you need to enter the nonprofit sector via a position at a level slightly lower than the one you occupied in past jobs. That is, you may need to prove yourself in the new arena. If that is the case, be sure not to refer to required tasks as “low-level” (e.g., “I am willing to perform low-level tasks to earn my wings”). Instead, use something more inclusive and less critical, such as:

“I am interested in learning about your organization from the ground up and am open to both administrative and managerial tasks.”

OR

“I am a team player who stands ready to do necessary administrative tasks as well as overall strategizing.”

As you transition into the nonprofit sector, take some time to tweak your resume and cover letter to fit the new sector you are about to approach. With a little planning and practice, you will soon feel at home in your new jobseeking surroundings.

Dalya F. Massachi specializes in helping nonprofit professionals advance their missions through outstanding written materials. She has worked with community-minded organizations for more than 15 years: authoring countless successful marketing pieces, articles, and grant proposals; teaching popular writing workshops; and coaching professionals one-on-one.

Download her free tip sheets and subscribe to her free e-newsletter at:
http://www.dfmassachi.net
dalya@dfmassachi.net

NOTE:For many more writing tips, check out my forthcoming book, Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact. If you pre-order right now, you will get a pre-publication discount of 15% at:http://www.dfmassachi.net/wmd.html