Category Archives: Phil’s Ponderings

By Philippe Gerard
Appeared originally in Hilborn Charity eNEWS

http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/Looking-for-a-job-Shush-don-t-say-a-word

Here’s news: You are in the best position to look for a job if you don’t need one just yet. Job hunting when you are unemployed or when you desperately need to find a job soon is extremely stressful. You are not in a position of power, so you cannot be choosy and are at the mercy of the recruiters. You may make hasty decisions and potentially land in a situation worse than your current one.

I continue to hear from people who widely broadcast their job search. That is a mistake. Whether you need to find a job or are just curious to see what is out there, the number one rule is to go about it discreetly and with integrity. Managing your job search discreetly is wise for many reasons.

Changing your manager’s view of you

Generally, I strongly encourage open communication with your supervisor about your career path and progression. But it is never, absolutely never, a good idea to speak about your job search with your boss. That seems to be a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many people do it.

Maybe they are trying to send the message that their supervisor better try harder to keep them. Whatever the objective it is just not a smart thing to do. You are sending confusing messages to your supervisor. Are you still dedicated? Do you want a better offer from your present employer? They might make an offer to accommodate you, but I believe that this is not a long-term solution. If you are looking in the first place there is something fundamentally wrong, and your future staying power will be limited.

Risking embarrassment with your colleagues

Ok, so talking to your boss is taboo, but what about your co-workers? I think it is acceptable to confide in someone about your job search, but it must be someone you can fully trust and ideally, not someone who works in the same place as you.

Generally, however, never talk openly in your organization about your job search. You may come across as a busybody – and that’s the best case scenario! The situation will be really embarrassing if you do not get a new job and everybody knows you are still looking.

Honesty – to a point – about absences

So you have managed to secure an interview, but of course it’s in the middle of the day. Or worse, your interview is out of town and you need to be away for a few days. What do you do now?

I personally believe it is crucial to be transparent. You do not need to announce that you are interviewing for a job, but you do need to let your supervisor know that you will be away from the office for a personal appointment.

You and your supervisor can negotiate the best way of making up for the time. Maybe it is just a matter of taking an extra-long lunch break if the interview is over lunchtime. Or you can come in later in the morning and stay longer. If you need to leave town for the interview, take a few days off as vacation time. You do not need to give a specific reason, particularly not if you are taking a vacation day.

I just don’t believe in taking time off, ever, without officially booking that time with your boss. Some might think we put in enough hours as it is, and it all balances out in the end. However, you will always err on the safe side if you are transparent and correct about it.

Managing references

Recruiters and HR managers have different procedures on the timing for reference checks. Some hiring managers check references of a number of shortlisted candidates before they offer the job to one successful candidate. Others verbally offer a job conditional on a positive reference check. It is always a good idea not to include your references on your resume. Instead, add a line that reads “references available upon request.”

One reason for this is that it gives you the opportunity to notify your supervisor when the time is right. You may also want to customize the references according to the preference of the hiring organization. Every employer has a different idea of the kind of references they want to see.

Personally, I have always asked during to be informed prior to the reference check so I can advise my supervisor. It is not advisable, in my view, for a recruiter or potential employer to call your supervisor before you have informed him or her. You need to be the one telling them, not a stranger. As long as you are employed, it is your job to make your boss look good, even in this situation.

Dealing with recruiters

Being in touch with recruiters is a good idea even if you are not looking for a new job, because it is likely the most discreet way of exploring opportunities. Having a good relationship with a recruiter you respect will keep you up to speed on the latest opportunities. The recruiter is sworn to complete confidentiality, so you know you are safe (with respectable recruiters at least).

As a recruiter myself, I have sometimes heard remarks about how annoying we can be when we call all the time. Count your blessings! You want that phone to ring – it means that you are still in demand.

Yes, recruiters can be tenacious and you may not want to consider a particular career opportunity, as attractive as it may be. But I strongly advise always to be kind to recruiters – you may need them one day. Being rude or not responding to emails is bad karma! You do not want to call that same recruiter when you are desperate and need a job.

By Philippe Gerard
Appeared originally in Hilborn Charity eNEWS

http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/Making-information-interviews-work-for-you

While I have not been on many information interviews myself, I have given hundreds over the last five years. When I started my fundraising career I did not know about information interviews. I just applied for jobs as they became available. Now that the awareness of information interviews has increased, more people take advantage of them.

Information interviews are a great way to research possible career options. Maybe you want to be a Director of Development one day and speak with someone about how to rise to that position. Maybe you want to explore which fundraising sector you want to work in or which organization to work for. One of the great things about our profession is that we fundraisers are an outgoing, welcoming and helpful bunch. We are usually happy to meet and chat.

Making connections – building the pipeline

The more you network and get your face and name known in the fundraising community, the more results you will see in the future. Have you ever heard a colleague or your supervisor who is hiring a fundraiser ask if you know “anybody good”? This is when we rattle off the names of the fundraisers we know. Sometimes they are former colleagues, but often they are just people we know from professional organizations or networking events, or because years ago we met them in an information interview.

Managers who make a regular practice of giving information interviews start to build a pipeline of prospective hires. Again, this is long-term thinking. In most cases, information interviews are being requested by junior or aspiring fundraisers. However, while you may not consider hiring this person yet, they might be senior enough in the future for a role in your organization. Social networks like LinkedIn make it easy to stay in touch, follow the career progression of potential candidates, and connect when the time is right.

No agenda

An information interview doesn’t have as obvious an agenda as a job application. If you’re applying for a job, it is clear that you want that job and you want it now. An information interview is non-committal for both parties, so the interviewer is most likely going to agree to meet with you. It is a chance for you to get a meeting with someone in an organization even when you are not qualified for any jobs that might be vacant. The power dynamic is more balanced than in a regular interview – you are not really wanting something immediate, but researching as much as possible about the organization or a particular job and whether it is right for you.

Be strategic 

If you are seeking an interview in the charity you really want to work for, be strategic. Contact one, maybe two people at most in the organization. People talk – if you introduce yourself too frequently you risk your behavior being interpreted as desperate rather than proactive. Do your research. Seek out the individual who would be most valuable for you to connect with. Don’t automatically reach for the top, the Executive Director, but the person who holds a position that you are interested in.

Etiquette

An information interview is usually more casual than a formal interview. Often the location is a coffee shop. But do not make the mistake of considering it less important than a “real” interview – because it is a real interview. You might not be in a competition for a job at that particular time, but the impressions about you will be registered in the same way. Positive impressions will last, and when the next position that is a possible fit for you becomes available, your phone will likely ring.

The etiquette for information interviews is the same as for a formal interview. Be prepared with intelligent questions, do your research about the organization, and most of all – be on time. The people in an interview are paid to talk to you as part of their job. In an information interview, though, the person might be giving you their coffee or lunch break. That makes it even more important for you to be on time.

Information interviews are really a focused form of networking that can bring great results for your career. Make them a part of your career advancement strategy and get noticed.

By Philippe Gerard
Appeared originally in Canadian Fundraising and Philanthropy

http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/Professional-development-2013-On-your-marks-get-set-plan

Happy New Year!

I enjoy the month of January. It always feels like a new start as we look at our lives, our careers and new opportunities for growth and self-improvement. January usually brings me the highest number of inquiries for upcoming job opportunities as well as requests for informational interviews.

But I don’t want to write an article about seeking new career opportunities, since I have just written about not leaving a job too early in your tenure. Growth opportunities can be found right where you are. The beginning of the year is a great time to look at your professional development, determine your goals and create an action plan.

What’s my long-term career goal?

Maybe your current position is not your dream job, but the experience you are gaining will help you to get there eventually. It is important, however, to know what your long-term career goal is. Only then can you have a strategic approach to your career development and ensure the experience you are gaining is relevant to what you want to be doing.

For example, you may want to be a frontline major gifts officer but currently you are in a role behind the scenes supporting the major gifts team. The experience you’re gaining is valuable and relevant to your ultimate career goal.

On the other hand, you could be wasting your time. Getting face-to-face experience by going out on donor calls is great if you want a career in major gifts but not if you have decided you want to leave fundraising altogether. In that case, stop investing in the wrong type of professional development and start investing in your new career.

What do I want to achieve this year?

Look at some key areas and skills you want to develop this year – specific objectives rather than overall goals or visions. The objectives will help you achieve your goal. If your goal is to become a major gifts officer, an objective might be to find a mentor at work who will take you on a specific number of donor calls.

Find the right opportunities

Now that you know how you want to develop, look at the offerings that are available. Try to pick conferences by relevance and not by location. We have some great Canadian professional development options. Every November, AFP Toronto’s Congress features relevant Canadian content and many different tracks that offer something for every type of fundraising professional. In the West there is AFP Calgary’s Banff Compass, which will be offered again in 2013.

Conferences are not everything

There are many great professional development opportunities in addition to conferences. Workshops or continuing education classes are great if you want to expand your knowledge in a certain area, such as perfecting your Microsoft Excel skills, accounting, or learning a database program. One of the best professional activities I have ever done is joining a Toastmasters club. Toastmasters is not only about public speaking but about professional communication in general, time management, sales, etiquette, and so much more.

Get a head start on 2013 by planning your professional development right. As well as this website, a number of others (AFP, CASE, CCAE, Charity Village) can help you find the right educational opportunities. I also invite you to visit my blog and follow me on Twitter for professional development opportunities.

All the best for your career in 2013!!

For more information, follow @philscareers, or visit http://www.philscareers.com or http://www.gerardconsulting.ca.

By Philippe Gerard
Appeared originally in Canadian Fundraising and Philanthropy

Turnover is a big challenge for the fundraising profession. A few years ago a recruiter would have been concerned about a candidate who had moved jobs every two or three years. Now if you have completed three years, you have serious staying power!

While I am half-joking, the tragedy is that I am only half-joking. I am hearing more and more about fundraisers who leave a job under one year of service – even less than half a year!

Too many opportunities? 

There are many problems with this. First of all, turnover hurts the organization’s bottom line and its relationships with donors. It also hurts the job-changing fundraiser’s reputation. Yet in an environment where recruiters call fundraising professionals weekly to present attractive career opportunities, it is tempting and easy to make a career move.

In an environment where you don’t have so many options, you may consider staying in a job longer even though it is not perfect. And this is where I think the problem lies. We have too many options these days. Positions at the director’s level and above appear daily on job sites. We simply have too many jobs and not enough senior-level fundraisers.

Short stay may mean little value 

In our efforts to find the perfect job, we look for alternatives right away if a new role is not what we expected. Unfortunately, if we keep giving up and starting all over again, we have no chance to build our reputation, our track record, and above all, value for our employers.

Isn’t it time to think not only about ourselves, but also about what we can do for a nonprofit? There are two reasons why people get hired: to make money for the employer or to save money for the employer. If we cannot demonstrate that we bring value, then we have little of substance to add to the “Achievements” section on our résumés.

Take time to learn, build relationships 

When my family and I came to Canada 17 years ago, a good friend advised us not to make any decisions before experiencing all seasons in the new country. There is a lot of truth in that statement.

We can apply that concept to a job as well. The first year barely helps you understand the organization and get a full picture of its work. As well, we know that securing a $1 million gift takes on average about 18 months from the first contact to closing. If you leave your job every year, how are you going to cultivate any meaningful relationships and be fully responsible for achieving significant gifts?

Have a long-term career vision 

Right now there is high demand for fundraisers. There are many opportunities and very few professionals. We can afford to behave like brats and try out something new whenever a seemingly better opportunity knocks.

What if the tables turn and we experience another economic downturn like 2008, when many fundraising shops laid people off? We have to have a long-term vision for our careers. There is no perfect job – every position has its ups and downs. It may not sound very exciting, but sometimes we just need to stick it out and do a job even if it’s not perfect.

I had a conversation with someone the other day about résumés and cover letters and the best approach. In one of my last columns I wrote about creating a successful résumé and mentioned that I personally do not care as much about the format of a résumé as long as I can see a candidate’s successes effortlessly. Similarly, I do not place too much value on the cover letter. I personally believe that LinkedIn or some other social medium will redefine the rules of how we seek and apply for jobs in the not too distant future (it has already started). However for now writing a cover letter is just part of protocol. And furthermore, while some folks like me pay more attention to the résumé other recruiters dissect the cover letter and see how well you sell yourself or how good a writer you are. So include one in your application and cover your bases.

“You want to interview me on what?!” How to survive a Skype interview

By Philippe Gerard
Appeared originally in Canadian Fundraising and Philanthropy

http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/You-want-to-interview-me-on-what

Skype has been used for interviewing for several years now, but it is still uncomfortable for many, including me. The thought of not being in the same room with the interviewers is somewhat frightening. It can feel like losing control over the interview situation. Here are some tips to help you perform at your best during your Skype interview.

1. This is just the beginning

Skype interviews are mostly conducted as a first step with out-of-town candidates to help decide whether it is worthwhile to fly the candidate in for further consideration. Remember that everything will not depend on this one contact – offers are not made on Skype interviews alone. At the same time you need to perform well enough to advance to a face-to-face interview in the future.

2. Be prepared

Technology always plays tricks on us, so do not leave the preparations to the last minute. Make sure that your equipment works well before the interview.  Check your speakers, microphone and camera settings. You don’t want to find out when the interview starts that something doesn’t work. Skype has a handy test call feature that you can dial up to check your audio and video settings and performance.

3. Set the stage

If you are doing your Skype interview outside your professional office, make sure that you are in a private spot where you can focus and not be interrupted. Make sure all cell phones or other beeping devices are turned off, that no children, spouses or other family members can enter your room, and that no dogs or other animals make noises that can distract or embarrass you. Even if the interview is audio only, try to focus on the interview task. I have once spoken to a candidate who I am certain was doing the dishes while talking to me! An interview is not the ideal time to practice your multi-tasking abilities.

4. Keep it real

Try to think of the Skype interview like a personal interview and present yourself just as you would in a face-to-face situation. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Just because you are not in the same room does not mean you should dress down or that your demeanour can be more casual.

5. Make a trial run

One of the biggest challenges I have seen with Skype is managing where to look while you speak. The natural tendency is to look at the screen, not in the camera. Cameras are usually located at the top of your screen, while the picture is a bit below. Looking at the picture on the screen will make you look down and give the impression that you’re avoiding direct eye contact. Try to look into the camera and get comfortable with it. If you’re using a laptop, you can move the laptop and camera closer to eye level, rather than placing it on a desk that forces you to look down.

6. Just wait!

With Skype the connection is always a bit of a gamble. Sometimes there is a delay, so speak clearly and reasonably slowly and allow pauses, especially at the ends of sentences.

Skype will not replace a personal interview in the same place with your potential employer. But especially if you’re exploring an opportunity out of town, a good Skype interview could be your ticket to a face-to-face interview.

Greetings,

I thought I would try something new!

I will be sharing from now on some quick thoughts about HR , workplace, or career related issues – let’s see how long it lasts until I run out of ideas . I look forward to your participation through comments and suggestions for future ponderings. In this first blog post of this sort I would like to talk about an irritating behaviour in interviews – name dropping:

In interviews we are asked to demonstrate our fundraising experience and give examples of previous successes. It is very tempting to mention names of well-known philanthropists, who we have previously worked with. However, most of the HR professionals I know are turned off by name-dropping. Not only could it come across as pretentious it also makes one wonder about a person’s discretion and ability to keep affairs confidential. It is better to give examples of projects and gifts, not donors.

By Philippe Gerard
Appeared originally in Canadian Fundraising and Philanthropy

http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/8-tips-for-a-successful-resume

I personally do not enjoy resumés much. I would rather meet a person face to face and have a chat. I can learn much more about people’s career aspirations, their backgrounds and their successes this way.

However, in most cases you need a resumé to get in the door for that personal meeting. So make that document work for you as effectively as possible. Here are eight ingredients that can help.