Which Are Easier? Nonprofit or For-Profit Job Interviews?

By Joanne Fritz, About.com Guide

Most of us have been in both the for-profit and the nonprofit sectors at one time or another. Is one sector tougher than the other when it comes to job interviews?

One thing I noticed about the differences between the two sectors was that whenever I interviewed for a for-profit job, I usually interviewed with one person at a time, although I could end up talking with up to three people eventually. Sometimes I had an interview with the human resource person for an initial screening, then with the person to whom I would report, and, finally, sometimes with the department head or even the head of the company if it was a rather small one.

On the other hand, the first job interview I did with a nonprofit, which was a college, I found myself facing the “search committee.” That was pretty scary and very different. I had to impress several people and take questions that cut across multiple subject areas. That format, I found, was common in higher education, and I found myself in front of several search committees over the course of my career and serving on them as well.

One of my favorite jobs, however, was with a small nonprofit, the local affiliate of a national one, and I was simply interviewed by the Executive Director who, a few weeks later, hired me.

What has been your experience? And which interviews have been the toughest? For profit or nonprofit? Single interviewer or committee interviews?

If you’re in the process of looking for a job, check out my about.com colleague Allison Doyle’s advice in her Top Job Interview Mistakes. Then take a look at the nonprofit interview questions I gathered from nonprofit professionals in Are You Ready for These Questions When You Interview for a Nonprofit Job?

One interview that we don’t pay as much attention to but should is the informational interview. These are a wonderful way to research potential jobs and to find your way to actual job interviews. See Top Tip for Getting a Nonprofit Job? Informational Interviews, and how Arlene Spencer, of the Grant Plant, used informational interviews during her search for a nonprofit career.

Finally check out my tips for job searching during a recession. We may not be in a recession, but it sure still feels like it.

Source: About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs