Charity Job Search Tips for Older Workers

When I decided to make the move to the charity sector, I thought it would be reasonably straightforward. I had valuable experience, I had worked at a senior level for years in impressive companies, I had led teams of various sizes, I got results and I was prepared to take a pay cut.

I’d be snapped up—right? I found the opposite was true. My network was in the corporate sector. To third sector hiring managers I had no reputation, I wasn’t on their radar. And ironically I’d ignored the foundations of marketing: to understand your audience and tell a compelling story that can change behaviour.

Would a hiring manager care that I had launched TV channels and smartphones? If anything, it probably put them off. My CV explained what I’d done, but that held little meaning for them. I was starting in the wrong place. What I should have done was thought about what the hiring manager needed, and how to demonstrate through my experience that I had the qualities and skills they were searching for.

Here are my charity job search tips for older workers:

1. Leave no doubt as to how your skills are transferable

Don’t list what you’ve done in any great detail on your CV. Instead, focus on your skills and how you’ll use them in the advertised role. A quick search of what all employers are looking for throws up communication skills, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, leadership, time-management and creativity. What examples can you give of how you’ve used these skills?

2. Demonstrate your empathy for the cause

If you search for what charity employers are looking for there are additional things mentioned—enthusiasm and dedication for your chosen charitable cause, commercial/business awareness, pro-activity and flexibility. Research the charity. Explain why you have an affinity with what they do and give examples of how your personal values align with their cause.

3. Over-qualified? Directly address it

Are you applying for a role more junior than the level you’ve previously worked at? Will you be earning less? There may be an assumption that you’ll get bored, or won’t stay. Don’t tiptoe around a perceived mismatch—explain outright in your cover letter why the role is attractive to you. Interviewers will want to know if older workers view a lower-level position as a temporary situation, or want to work at this level long-term.

Remember that many charities are stretched thin and only have limited resources. If you’re faced with several candidates and one has no previous charity experience, the manager will need to spend more of their already-stretched time helping the newcomer understand the culture. Who would you pick?

Think about what you can include in your application that will address this. Can you give examples of times that you’ve learnt quickly?

4. Use your commercial experience to your advantage

An HR lead from a large charity told me they actively recruit from outside the sector because those with a commercial background tend to be more comfortable around numbers and metrics.

Charities are dependent on funding and as the market shifts they need to diversify their income streams. So one of my top charity job search tips for older workers is to give examples of how any commercial experience you have will benefit the charity.

How have you proved impact? You may have experience of things that a corporate has been able to invest in that a charity wouldn’t. Your commercial perspective is an asset, but it’s up to you to explain why.

5. Show you can adapt to a new culture

Another reservation some charities have is that older workers coming in for the first-time will rush around suggesting how to improve things. Non-profits tend to be more cautious and risk-averse and therefore can be less open to people who they think are potentially going to rock the boat or be too impatient.

This environment is most likely very different to what you’re used to, so it can be helpful to give examples of where you’ve been flexible and adapted to a different culture. Once in a job remember the maxim to listen twice as much as you speak.

6. Communicate the benefits of having more experience

If you’re switching career as an older worker, then again put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. What might they think about managing someone older, with more experience? If you’re at interview stage then be proactive in addressing this.

Research shows that co-generational teams are more productive and creative. Teams can solve more complex problems with a mixed-age workforce because different age groups think differently. Your age is an asset if you make it one.

7. Get a foot in the door

Do you know anyone who works in a charity who can offer advice or introduce you to someone who works in the discipline you’re interested in? Many people are generous with their time and will make time for a coffee. That’s how my eventual move to the sector started—with a coffee and me asking for advice.

You could also look for project work and interim contracts—anything that will give you some charity experience to add to your CV.

8. Believe in yourself

I had days when I never thought I’d make the switch and almost gave up. On those days I’d look at my CV and remind myself what I was capable of. Believe in yourself. You know who you are. You know your value. That’s the story you need to tell.

So there are my charity job search tips for older workers. Never forget that who you are is just as important as what you’ve done.

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