Third in a series of three articles by Charles Cunningham on being unemployed in the non-profit sector.
Sure, I don’t know positively that an employer will see my past experience and my education and offer me the chance to skate from unemployment into employment for their position. I don’t know if the world really sees the faith-based nonprofits or those that have worked for them with the respect that they might think that they deserve. What I do know is that I am more ready right now for that kind of opportunity to happen then I ever was before.
I know that I have raised my own leadership lid to a much higher place than I have ever had it. I have personally researched through and took notes on almost every area of nonprofit management and leadership. I have even studied for-profit management. No, I don’t have a degree in every area of management, nor am I willing to spend the additional money to pay for getting this. I think that employers should recognize that I do have degrees. I have taken plenty of extra college courses, and I do know how to study and learn. I believe if a potential employer were to ask me about various management topics, they would quickly realize that I have the expert knowledge that they want me to have for their position.
Right now I am skating through the unemployment to employment maze, even though I have taken temporary employment as I do have a family to support throughout this process. Where will the maze take me? I have had a few interviews and no I did not land the Triple-Axel (meaning I did not get the job). I spent several months having various people review my resume and portfolio website, finally hiring a professional writer several months ago to assist me in building a resume that should help me, though spending the money on this has not paid off yet.
I think right now I am in a holding pattern, running up and down the stairs of potential employers, exercising my skills, practicing my ability to interview. I have thought of hiring a interview coach to help me improve this skill. Ultimately my abilities to do the job should count for much more than the 15 – 45 minute interview should do; however it is the resume that gets the interview, and it is the interview that gets the job. Knowing that I have and can balance budgets, raise millions of dollars, recruit and lead staff and volunteers will only help if I get the job. Where that job will be, I don’t know. That is part of the maze!
