NEWSPERSONAL BRANDING

The key to building a great reputation is to make sure people know who you are in the first place. If you can sell yourself as someone nonprofits would want to hire, it becomes easier not only to get hired, but also to find out about jobs that may never even be advertised in the first place. You know by now how important networking is to a job search, but if no one ever remembers meeting you, all those happy hours and business card exchanges may all be in vain.

Case in point. Last night I attended the DC Young Nonprofit Professionals Network's anniversary reception hosted at the White House. Buffy Wicks, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement opened her remarks by asking a few folks in the audience to share the names of some of the nonprofits they worked for. I remember one young African American man that said he was with a nonprofit called Dreaming Out Loud. I remembered the confidence and pride in his voice and I ended up running into him at the happy hour afterwards. It turned out that the young man's name was Chris Bradshaw and he was the Founder and Executive Director of the organization. The passion he displayed in talking about his work with youth was quite moving and I ended up looking up the nonprofit on Google when I got home that night to see how I could get involved.

I remembered Chris Bradshaw, even hours after I had met him. And being memorable can do wonders for your reputation. People will go to bat for you later on if you can stamp a good first impression in their minds. As Naomi Christine Leapheart of Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders recently advised:

Invite yourself to everything (like free nonprofit events and conferences) and make a valuable contribution when you get there. Ask a compelling question or make a comment during Q & A portion of the event.

Speaking up at events and sharing your passion for nonprofit work can definitely enhance your presence at networking events. So the next time you head out to a nonprofit event, think about how you can convey your knowledge and enthusiasm for nonprofit work while you're there. Because simply showing up at a happy hour isn't enough if you don't do or say anything that people will remember.

Photo credit: Customers Rock

I've written quite a bit about personal branding on this blog, and I'm happy to see that in the social media space, I'm starting to see more and more young professionals sharing their interests in the nonprofit sector. On Facebook and Twitter, young nonprofit workers are making connections with each other and posting resources and information online. If you're reading this, I hope you at least have a Facebook account. I'll give you a late pass if you're not on Twitter yet, but you'll need to hurry up and read my post on how young professionals can get started using Twitter. Social media can be important tool for building your professional reputation, but only if you do it right. Are you branding yourself the wrong way?

Do You Post Negative Messages...All the Time?

It's cool to find other people you can commiserate with online. That's the beauty of having such a diverse community on the Internetz. But, after a while, it gets old for your friends and followers to read how messed up your life is. Everyone has their bad days, but if all day long you're posting negative updates, it's unlikely that people will want to listen to you on the off chance that you DO have something brilliant to say or some useful resource to share. True story: I am Facebook friends with someone who works for an awesome organization. But all she ever posts is miserable status messages. All day long, she's "having a bad day at work" or "can't sleep tonight" or "wish I could have fun this weekend, but I have to work" or "need some sleep, I'm so tired" or "work, work, and more work" and so on. Very rarely does she post anything informative or inspiring. So I hid her updates. I was getting depressed just reading them.

Have You Been Oversharing a Bit Too Much?

My viewpoint on being professional vs. personal online is that you have to share things from your personal life in order to make it easier for people to trust you in professional life. You have to stop trying to be two different people. I've also written about how the power of the overshare can help you connect with others in the workplace. But, like with all things, too much can actually be a bad thing. If you want to maintain some semblance of privacy in terms of your future boss knowing certain things about you that could be used against you later, I wouldn't post anything like this:

Are You Posting Anything Useful Related to the Nonprofit World?

It's really hard to build a strong personal brand for yourself if you never talk about your skills, experiences, and what you know about the field in which you work. If you're on Facebook or Twitter, you should be posting links to different events your nonprofit is hosting, or news items about nonprofits, volunteerism, or philanthropy. You could even share articles written about your organization, community, or clients. Your status messages should show not only that you have a glowing personality, but that you know your stuff and you're on top of what's happening in the nonprofit arena. People will begin to respect your wealth of knowledge and come to know you as an expert, not just someone who's taking her dog for a walk and about to eat Cheerios for dinner.

If you don't care about your online presence, throw my advice out the window. But if you want to build a strong personal brand to enhance your nonprofit career, you should think through how you want to be perceived before you post that next tweet. What have your experiences been in building a name for yourself through social media?

Photo credit: Wikimedia.org

This morning I was at Walden University's annual Social Change Conference in Washington, DC. Over 200 social entrepreneurs, students, and nonprofit leaders packed the ballroom at the National Press Club. Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green, was one of the keynote speakers. Since 1987, Echoing Green has provided seed funding and support to more than 470 social entrepreneurs with bold ideas for social change in order to launch groundbreaking organizations around the world. After giving her opening remarks, Cheryl was asked by a member of the audience, "what makes social entrepreneurs successful?" While her answer pertained to the social change agents she selects for Echoing Green fellowships, her advice also rang true for nonprofit jobseekers. What will make you successful as you present yourself for leadership positions? It's not educational pedigree, according to Cheryl Dorsey. There are three, more important components.

Passion

I will bet on a passionate leader any day of the week. Someone who lives and breathes their issue. Someone who, at dinner parties, only wants to talk about the good work they are doing.

Responsibility

I think the human capital component is most important, someone who wakes up everyday and takes responsibility for a particular problem. Every social entrepreneur has a "moment of obligation" where they realize that they HAVE to do something to make change.

Worldview

Since our early days as humans, we've had a scarcity mindset. Even now, many of us tend to look at everything as a problem to be solved. Social entrepreneurs have an asset-based worldview in that they see challenges as opportunities.

Where do you fall in line with Cheryl's observations? Have you had success in showcasing these qualities in yourself?

Want more advice from Echoing Green? Tune in to their bi-weekly podcast on creating a life with meaningful impact.

Photo Credit: foreversouls

"Mediocrity is self-inflicted." - Walter Russell

Six months into her new position as a Development Associate at a small, youth development organization, a friend of mine (we'll call her Dana) realized that she was really doing the work of a Development Director. She was in her early 20s just starting out in her career. Yet Dana's job duties had become more and more complex, and while she enjoyed all the different aspects of fundraising, she felt that her title and salary should change due to the advanced nature of her work. In just six months, Dana had implemented their first online giving program, engaged new donors and successfully organized a large fundraising event that brought in thousands of dollars. When she came to the Executive Director to ask for a raise and a title change to Development Director, her boss was all too happy to oblige. After all, they certainly didn't want to lose Dana, a valuable employee with proven results.

Sound like a Cinderella story? Well, it's not. It's true, and Dana shows that young nonprofit professionals CAN get promoted very quickly in an organization if they play their cards right.

Ask for a Title Change
Especially if you work for a small nonprofit, where job descriptions and titles can be fluid, you can buck the system and get promoted "in title" as they say. If you find yourself with managerial duties on your plate, while working with the title of "Assistant," it may be time to have a conversation with your boss about what's possible. I would request a 30 minute meeting (don't make a big deal about it) and explain how your job description is really equivalent to that of a manager or director. It also helps to have a few job descriptions from other nonprofits handy to prove your point. You may not get a raise to go along with it, but future employers will always offer you more money if you have 'manager' or 'director' on your resume quicker than they will if all you have is a history of being an 'assistant.'

Do Your Job Really Well
The first year of a nonprofit job is critical. Don't be a slacker just because you can. Come in to work on time and do an excellent job within the position you were hired for. If you are in charge of a program or project, make sure it doesn't just get done, but do it in a remarkable way, on time and within budget. Instead of coming to work just to "do your job," try to exceed the goals that the organization has for you or your department. If you need to raise $100,000, raise $150,000. If you're tasked with recruiting 20 mentors, go out and find 25. While you'll still get a paycheck, doing the bare minimum is not going to be enough to get you promoted to a job with more responsibility and/or more pay. Doing your job well means going the extra mile when your colleagues need help, too.

Become a Rainmaker
A rainmaker is someone who has a knack for using their connections to benefit their company with new clients, customers, or investors.  When you come into a new nonprofit job, don't be afraid to use your personal networks to connect you to opportunities that will benefit the organization. If you belong to an alumni association, ask your fellow classmates to volunteer or donate to your cause. Put messages out on your Facebook and Twitter profiles to increase attendance at your nonprofit's events. Help garner press for your agency by calling in a favor from your friend who works at a local newspaper. If you can bring in new assets that the nonprofit didn't have before they hired you, your name will be at the top of the list when an internal leadership position opens up.

Dana was promoted within six months because she did a great job, brought in new assets, and then asked to be promoted. While it's easy to get comfortable in your job, you really have to stay at the top of your game if you want to move up in your career in your current organization or otherwise. What are some techniques that you've used to get promoted during your nonprofit career?

The woman on the other end of the phone is pleasant enough, I just couldn't figure out why she was calling me. "Hi, my name is Susan," she said. "And I'd like to speak to you about an exciting new job opportunity." I was confused. I already had a job, and I wasn't really looking for another one. I ask her where she's calling from. It was a local recruiting firm here in DC. Susan was a job search consultant, otherwise known as a "headhunter." She tells me that someone referred me to her, saying I would be perfect for the job. We spoke for a few minutes about the position, and while I was not inclined to put my hat in the ring, I promised to forward the opportunity to others in my network. I hung up the phone thinking, so this is how the whole word of mouth job search thing really works.

If you're looking to take the next step in your career, utilizing a recruiting firm may be the way to go. People like Susan are retained by organizations looking to hire employees with exceptional talent for a particular position. Their job is to use their networks to find the perfect candidate without going through the typical process of posting a job online and taking in applications from any old person who wishes to apply. There are many recruiting firms out there now that specialize in nonprofit positions and could be looking for you!

If you don't already have a connection to a nonprofit search firm, it may be time for you to introduce yourself and let them know you'd like to be included in their network of candidates. This article offers a few ways to make yourself known:

• Go where search organization consultants go.
• Use some of your contacts to get invited to high-end business receptions.
• Attend human resource seminars in your community or industry.
• Ask a friend or colleague recommend a search organization consultant to you-or even better, have that friend or colleague recommend you to the consultant.
• When you do make a connection, be sure to phone the consultant right away. It is the best way to initiate contact with an organization.
• If you do not have a personal introduction, send the résumé with a cover letter describing your credentials, abilities, and objectives.

Here are a few more tips I've learned from my experiences with nonprofit search firms:

• Do a great job at your current nonprofit job. Search consultants are looking for candidates with a record of high performance, so don't slack off just because you know you're on your way out the door.
• Remember that the firm is working on behalf of their nonprofit client, not you. They are not being paid to find you a job, they are being paid to find the perfect candidate for their client.
• When you contact a search firm, you should have your resume and references ready, just in case they have a search open that's perfect for you. Show yourself prepared from Day 1.
• If you are contacted by a search firm for a particular position, it's always a good idea to ask why the previous person is leaving the organization. The answer could potentially save you some heartache later, and you want to walk into the process with your eyes open to the challenges the job could bring.

If you don't yet have a connection to a recruiting firm in your area, here are a few that work locally and nationally:

• Dewey & Kaye
• Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group
• Issacson Miller

I've been told by my search consultant friends that about 15% of positions are placed by a search firm. If you have the kind of talent that is in demand by nonprofit organizations, they would love to hear from you. It's worth it to work with a search firm as part of your job search strategy. Who knows? Pretty soon, you could pick up the phone one day and have Susan on the other end of your line, offering you the perfect nonprofit job.

True story. I'm sitting at my desk one day when my phone rings. It's someone calling for an employment reference on a person I had never met. Apparently, the candidate had mentioned my name to the person who interviewed her, and they were calling to ask about my impression of her. Well, guess what? Since I had never met this person, I had no impression to speak of, only a puzzled feeling, wondering why someone would drop my name in an interview when we have never even met. But maybe I did meet her, maybe in passing, maybe at a nonprofit event or happy hour somewhere in Washington, DC. Maybe I just didn't remember. Either way, her using my name didn't really help her get the job, because I couldn't confirm that I knew her at all, let alone vouch for her job experience or work ethic.

This incident reminded me of all the times we tell jobseekers that "it's all about who you know". I now need to clarify that statement. It doesn't count as "knowing" someone if you've only heard of them, read their blog, or met them once at an event.  I mean, just because I know everything about Oprah, it doesn't translate into "knowing" her personally. Trust me. It definitely doesn't help your career if a person you use as a reference doesn't remember who you are. While you may think you "know" them, they may not even know you exist.

The moral of the story?

• Don't name drop unless you know for a fact that the person you're talking about will be able to vouch for you if asked.
• If you do meet someone once at a conference or event, be sure to follow-up with a nice note so they will at least have a fond memory of your sparkling personality.
• Ask your references in advance if it is okay for you to use their name in your job search.

All of these precautions will help prevent your own embarassment when the hiring manager for your dream nonprofit job finds out that you don't really "know" Oprah, you just watch her show every day. Who you know is certainly important, but only if they "know" you too.

Photo credit: Oprah.com

Young professionals with few years of work experience are often at a loss for how to talk about their skills when looking for a new job or moving to the next level in their career. That's why cover letters and resumes are filled with cliche sentences like, 'I am honest, punctual, and hardworking.' Telling your future employer that you're hardworking doesn't really add value to your application. I mean, who in this world would admit that they are not hardworking??? Maybe in the industrial days when we all working in factories and mines, it was an asset to be hardworking, because the work was physically hard. But now we're in an age where most professionals are knowledge workers, where we use our brains rather that our braun to get the job done. The term doesn't really mean anything anymore. You could be "working hard" reading emails, filing your fingernails, or checking your Facebook page for notifications and photos tagged of you.

Even in the nonprofit world, it's not about who works the hardest anymore, it's about who works the smartest and gets the right things done quickly and within budget. It's better to show potential employers what you've accomplished in the past and what you're capable of accomplishing in the future. Actions always speak louder than words.

So do yourself a favor - stop bragging about how "hardworking" you are. Stop putting that you're "willing to put in long hours" on your resume. It really means nothing to your employer except that you're willing to be miserable in your nonprofit career. If you work smart, you won't have to stay late every night.

And why would you want to?

Even if you're not single and ready to mingle, you've no doubt heard of Match.com, the most popular online dating site in the world. Because of the continuing social stigma of finding love on the Internet, Match.com's motto assures customers that "It's okay to look" at the profiles of potential mates on the site.  Match.com offers a laid-back, discreet option of finding a date by allowing you to post your profile and send messages to anyone you may be interested in. You could even take the super lazy route and just wait for people to contact you! This same approach applies to If you are seeking a new nonprofit job but don't want your colleagues at your current job to know.  If you're not ready to have a frank conversation with your boss, it can be difficult to find new opportunities without letting your boss know that you're looking. But don't let that keep you from finding a great new nonprofit job. Even though you may feel like you're betraying your current boss, just remember the Match.com motto: It's okay to look.

Post a Good Profile

Posting your resume online can bring you unexpected opportunities. Take some time and post an overview of your work experience and skills on sites like LinkedIn and Visual CV. Be brief, but detailed in describing your previous positions, education and training, and skills you'd like to use in your next job. Don't forget to mention any relevant awards you've received or professional associations you're affiliated with. Be sure to list any career opportunities you may be seeking, for instance "looking for new opportunities in nonprofit administration and finance" so that the appropriate people can contact you. Also consider posting a photo of yourself along with your resume so that potential employers can see your smiling face as someone they would love to work with.

Browse New Opportunities

Don't be afraid to browse for new jobs that might interest you. It may take you six months to a year to find something that's just right for you, so don't rush it by jumping on the first thing that sounds interesting. Set up alerts on nonprofit job sites that will deliver results to you every week. Take your time and apply only if the job sounds like a good fit. You don't have to tell your boss about any interviews you have unless you've received an offer from another organization and you're ready to leave your current job.

Use Email as a Discreet Networking Tool

If you don't want to announce to the whole world that you're looking for a new gig, it's best to contact a group of select colleagues via email. You should definitely use your work contacts (excluding your boss) as resources for your job search. Let them know that you're exploring new career opportunities and you would love their help if they come across any positions that fit your expertise and interests. It doesn't hirt to also attach a copy of your resume so they can pass it along to folks who may be interested in hiring you. Your network can be your most powerful ally in job searching before you leave your current job.

What are some other ways to conduct a successful nonprofit job search without letting your boss know you're about to jump ship?

Did you hear about the recent college grad that sued her university because she couldn't find a job? I'm not making this up. According to CNN.com:

Trina Thompson, 27, of the Bronx, graduated from New York's Monroe College in April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology. On July 24, she filed suit against the college in Bronx Supreme Court, alleging that Monroe's "Office of Career Advancement did not help me with a full-time job placement. I am also suing them because of the stress I have been going through."

I agree with most people who say that Trina's lawsuit was a dumb move. It's obvious from the details in her legal complaint that her college was not to blame for her job search failures. But I highlight this example because many young professionals believe that their education entitles them to a good job, regardless of their own actions. While a college education is an important asset to be able to bring to the table in your nonprofit job search, it doesn't matter if you don't use the negotiating power in can bring to your career.

Leadership scholar Gary Yukl explains that there are several different types of power, one of them being the expert power that can result from formal education. When you have extensive education or knowledge in a particular subject, people are more likely to listen to you because they believe that you have special knowledge about how to perform certain tasks. In other words, when a hiring manager, your colleagues, or your boss perceive that you have a high level of expertise, they are more likely to respond favorably to your suggestions and ideas.

How, then, do you use your education to your advantage?  At the very least, it's clear that it's not enough to list your degree on your resume.

Shameless Self-Promotion

If you have a degree from a great school, don't be afraid to tell people. It may seem pretentious, but what good is a degree from Harvard if no one knows about it? It's ridiculous to assume that people you work with are keeping track of your educational accomplishments, so it's your job to remind them. When you're networking or introducing yourself in a meeting, briefly mention the degree you have as a point of reference for others to get to know you and your background. Also consider using MBA. MS, or PhD after your name as part of your email signature if you have completed these kinds of advanced education.

Demonstrate the Link Between Your Job and Your Education

It's important to be able to talk about how your degree or expertise in a given subject is relevant to the nonprofit job you'd like to have. I once met a recent grad who had completed a bachelor's degree in African studies and worked for the Save Darfur Coalition. His degree was a unique asset to the organization because he knew about all of the intricate issues involved in the cause the organization was working for. It was clear to the organization that he could play a key role and hit the ground running, something that few recent grads would be able to do. As Steven Pascal-Joiner, a nonprofit midcareer transitions coordinator for Idealist.org, advises:

"It's not enough to say, ‘I want to work for a nonprofit,' " he said. "You need to know what kind of organization you want to work for, the role you want to play and why."

Has your education served you well in your nonprofit career? What strategies have you used to use your expert power to your advantage?

Your main task, especially in a new nonprofit job, is to prove to the organization that you're worth the salary they're paying you. How you perform in your position dictates whether or not you will be considered for raises or promotions within the organization. There are two main ways to prove your worth:

1. Go the extra mile. Don't just come to work to collect a paycheck; do your job like a rockstar.
2. Get in good with your boss.

Yes, it's true: most nonprofit CEOs are overworked, underpaid, and are often so busy that they don't know which way is up. And if you can find ways to help your boss, they will be more willing to help you further your career. I'm not talking about brown-nosing, here, but showing genuine concern for the person who supervises you. Hopefully you like and get along with your boss, but even if you don't, it's still super important to develop a good working relationship. Here are a few ways to do that.

Ask About Their Weekend

Your boss is usually the one asking everyone about their weekends to show concern for their staff. Remember that it's okay for you to inquire in return. Oftentimes, you can tend to get caught up in telling your own fun stories about your weekend without thinking to ask about the boss' time away from the office. Same thing when your boss returns from vacation. When given the chance, people love to talk about themselves and their life outside of work, including your boss!