Finding a Career In The Charity Sector: a Candidate’s Journey

6 minute read

We know a lot of you are out there working hard to find your first job in the charity sector. It can be competitive, but we’re also here to help you along the way.

In this post, Jacquelyn, a recent graduate, explains how she found her first job in the third sector, shortly after graduating as well! And now she’s working as a Supporter Care Assistant at Crohn’s and Colitis UK. These insights could be just what you need to get your foot in the door.

We’ve asked Jacquelyn a few questions about her job hunt, so take a look at what she had to say, her experiences  could help find the charity career you want.

How did you find your initial job search, where did you search, and what was the response like from charities and recruitment agencies?

My initial job search was very daunting, I had no idea where to begin so I started off with the first big jobsite to pop up when I did a google search for ‘job vacancies near me’. I really struggled finding jobs in the health/charity sector on there, most were jobs in hospitality and retail which I was not interested in. I also used sites where I was able to upload my CV and I then had a few calls from recruitment agencies. I decided to sign up with one agency and did temp work while job searching which was really helpful. They sent me to a few interviews, but they did not have any vacancies in the charity industry. I did not apply to many specific charities as I struggled to find vacancies that were suited to me on their websites.

Finding a Career In The Charity Sector: a Candidate’s Journey

How did you discover CharityJob and what was your experience like of both the website and the application process of the charities you applied to?

After not finding many charity jobs on other job boards I did a general search for charity jobs near me on google and CharityJob came up right away. The website was great and I liked that I could upload my CV and create a profile. As I do not live in a large city it was still a bit difficult to find charity jobs near me so I only applied for a few. The application process was easy; the website would direct me to the charity’s website or provide a contact detail to receive an application pack. The website made it easy to navigate through different jobs to discover ones that I was suited for.

What were your plans after graduation? Did you always intend to work in the charity sector?

I did my degree in Public Health so I had a few different ideas about what I wanted to do after graduation. I was really interested in public health research, along with health promotion and health policy so I had a lot of different options and decisions to make. My Mother and Grandmother are both active charity workers and I grew up helping out by volunteering alongside my mother, so the charity sector was definitely always in the back of my mind.

After graduation I realised that my three main public health interests were related to the charity sector and I could have a job where I was both having a positive impact on people’s lives and following my interests. I always knew that I wanted a career that would give me the opportunity to change people’s lives and would allow me to feel that my work was really having an impact, and the charity sector is a great place to do so!

Did you face any difficulties in trying to break into the sector? How did you overcome them? And what did you feel the response was like from recruiters regarding your experience level?

I faced some difficulties breaking into the sector but looking back it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would have been. I had an interview for a position at a children’s charity straight after graduation and I was really confident that it went well. When I was turned down for the position, and told that I interviewed well but did not get it because someone else had more experience, it really hit me hard.

I started to think that someone was always going to have more experience than me and that I would never break into the sector. Like a lot of other graduates, I thought that my education had given me a one up and I felt invincible. After failing my first interview in the charity sector it was a bit of a reality check, and in hindsight I’m glad I had that experience. It encouraged me to volunteer more and get more experience, because I knew that this was definitely the sector I wanted to go into.

Finding a Career In The Charity Sector: a Candidate’s Journey

Had you done much volunteering prior to working in the charity sector? If so, did you do that with your career goals in mind? Have you found it to be worthwhile?

I always grew up volunteering with my Mother, she was diagnosed with a rare heart and lung disease when I was young and she created a monthly meeting for others with the condition and helped the charity grow. Growing up I would often help her out at different events to raise funds for the charity and promote awareness of the disease.

I started volunteering independently during my postgraduate degree. I did do it originally with my career goals in mind, but also because I loved the experience and how happy it made me feel to help other people. I mostly did volunteer work with children, including going to Sri Lanka for a month to teach English to young girls living in an orphanage. Each volunteering experience I have had has been truly worthwhile and I do not plan to stop volunteering even while being employed.

What kind of interview questions did you face?

While job searching, I attended a lot of interviews in completely different sectors and I think my interviews for jobs in the charity sector were the least nerve-wracking ones. While preparing for the interview for my current position I was so nervous because it was a job I was really excited about and desperately wanted. However, the minute I walked into the office and met the interviewing managers I was immediately relieved, as they were so incredibly kind! That is a major bonus of working in charity, everyone is so nice and all have the same passion for changing people’s lives!

The questions I faced during my interview were completely varying, I had questions about customer service experience such as, “Please tell us about a time when you went above and beyond for a customer”. I also had questions about why I was interested in the position, which was a great time to expand on my passion for working in the charity sector and my previous experience. Some questions were usual interview questions that you face at any interview such as, “Tell us three words to describe you”, “What do you think is an important characteristic for a good manager?”, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”. Some questions were aimed at my specific position within the charity such as “What is an important principle of fundraising?”. Additionally, as part of my interview, I had to reply to a mock email as well as have a mock telephone conversation with a prospective supporter.

What is the role you are now doing and how are you enjoying it so far?

My new role is as a Supporter Care Assistant at Crohn’s and Colitis UK, in the fundraising team. Our Supporter Care Team is responsible for providing exceptional customer service to our supporters. We are the first point of contact for all supporters interested in organising their own fundraising events or registration for a current event.

I have been in this role for just over two weeks now, and I am absolutely loving it! I love that I have the opportunity to speak to tons of truly inspirational people who support the charity every day. My colleagues are also amazing and are always there to answer any question I have without hesitation. I am so happy to have landed a position where I am around other people who have the same interests as me and where I get to contribute to helping others!

Do you have any tips for other graduates hoping to follow in your footsteps and break into the charity sector?

My main tip would be to have confidence in yourself and believe in what you have to offer! I was always wary of applying for jobs in the charity sector because I believed that they wouldn’t be interested in someone who had no paid experience in the industry, but I’m so glad I did it.

Hopefully Jacquelyn’s answers have given you an extra boost of confidence to apply to that charity job! Applying to your first job in the third sector can be daunting, but it shouldn’t be, check out all the entry level charity jobs and graduate charity jobs live now! Or, if you’d like to learn about the career path Jacquelyn’s has take, read our guide on getting into a fundraising career.

Sanjay Bheenuck

Former Content and SEO Lead at CharityJob. Writer of obscure fiction and global wanderer in my spare time.

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