Most HR professionals decide whether to rule out a candidate within the first 5 to 15 minutes of a job interview, according to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.

So how do you make the most of that precious window of opportunity?

CharityVillage.com®’s director of content Shawn Mitchell has interviewed hundreds of job seekers during his career in the nonprofit sector, which has included a stint as WWF-Canada’s vice president of human resources.

He has also sat on the other side of the table more than a few times himself, giving him plenty of insights into the dos and don’ts of impressing interviewers.

DO: Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

Plenty of job seekers invest time in crafting a resume and cover letter that get their foot in the door. Where too many slip up is on preparing for the interview that follows.

“The majority of candidates come into the room not having thought through how to talk about themselves, how to talk about their experience, how to talk about the link between their skills, competencies and background, and how that ties brilliantly to the role that they’re applying for,” says Mitchell. “So they most often are making that up on the fly in the interview, and it shows.”

Anticipate what your interviewers are likely to ask, and keep practising your answers until they sound confident and polished. There’s no substitute for actually saying things out loud, so rehearse in front of a mirror or with a friend.

Give particular thought to potentially difficult questions. You may be leaving your current position because your boss is a jerk, but you’ll want to phrase that much more diplomatically in an interview.

You should also be prepared to deal with situational questions — “Tell us how you’ve handled a problem like…?” for example, or “What would you do if…?” — that interviewers use to gauge how you’ll perform on the job.

DO: Keep your answers succinct

There’s a lot of ground to cover in the space of an interview, so don’t make the mistake of one candidate Mitchell interviewed, who spent a full 20 minutes answering the first question.

“Without being insanely rude, I didn’t know how to interrupt them,” he recalls.

Succinct shouldn’t mean monosyllabic, however. The key is to include a few telling details that give interviewers a clear picture of your strengths and qualifications. Instead of saying you’ve organized successful events, for instance, mention that you worked with a team of a dozen volunteers to hold an auction that raised more than $10,000 and was covered by all the local papers.

DO: Spend some time online

In the age of the Internet, there’s no excuse for walking into a job interview without some basic knowledge of the organization you hope to work for, so budget some time to review online annual reports, press releases, and publications.

“Candidates that impress me most are the ones who clearly have done their homework,” says Mitchell.

A little cyber-research can also help you understand sector-wide trends and issues — something that is particularly important if you’ve been out of the paid workforce for a while and need to prove you haven’t lost touch.

DO: Make first impressions count

Arriving late is a big no-no, so figure out exactly where you’re going and give yourself plenty of extra time to get there. Don’t forget to bring contact information with you, so if you do end up caught behind a five-car pile up, you can call to explain the situation.

Appropriate dress is also key. While a banker’s pin-stripe suit would look out of place at many nonprofits, your clothes should show you take the interview seriously. “Rule number one is that it’s got to be something you feel comfortable in,” says Mitchell, “but you’re probably better to err on the side of business attire.”

Body language speaks volumes, so smile, make eye contact, and lean forward to convey your interest. As for that perennial worry about cold, clammy hands, bring a handkerchief, Mitchell suggests, so at least they’re not cold and clammy. Better yet, arrive a few minutes early and make a washroom stop to warm them up under the hot water tap.

DON’T: Be anything less than honest

No matter how much you want the job, don’t be tempted to bend the truth to give the answers your interviewers want to hear.

“Your best play and the best guarantee of being happy and excited and fulfilled in your new job is to make sure that you’ve given your prospective employer the best possible knowledge of you,” Mitchell says.

Exaggerating your qualifications can leave you hopelessly out of your depth if you do get the position, while trying to adapt to an incompatible working culture will only lead to unhappiness.

DON’T: Forget to ask questions yourself

An interview isn’t a one-way street, says Mitchell. Take advantage of the opportunity to size up the organization and decide whether this is a job you really want.

Don’t turn it into an interrogation, of course, or leap in with your own questions the instant you sit down, but make a point of asking about atmosphere, job responsibilities, and longer-term prospects.

“It’s really important that you understand everything there is to understand about the organization so you can determine whether it really is the right place for you,” Mitchell explains.

DO: Follow up

Once you get home, write a note thanking the interviewers for the chance to meet them and reiterating your interest in the position. Whether it’s an email or a handwritten note, it proves you’re willing to take that extra step to achieve your goals — and highlights those all-important people skills.

Making the leap from the corporate sector?

If you don’t have a lot of nonprofit experience under your belt, the following points will help you showcase yourself effectively and avoid some fatal mistakes:

• Many skills are transferable, so emphasize how you could apply your corporate experience in a new context. At the same time, be sure to emphasize any nonprofit experience you do have, whether it’s paid or volunteer.
• While you should explain why you’re making the shift to the nonprofit sector, beware of waxing rhapsodic about how you want to make a difference in the world rather than focusing on the details of the organization’s mission. “For me that’s often a red flag,” says Mitchell. “It means they don’t know enough about the sector, they don’t know enough about the work that this particular organization does, and there’s a bigger risk of the ‘lunch bag letdown.’”
• Watch your language. References to the bottom line and other biz-speak can sound jarring in the nonprofit world, whose primary mission is not the bottom-line. And if references to major donors, measurable outcomes, and stakeholder input don’t roll fluently off your tongue, invest some time in learning the lingo.
• The nonprofit sector can operate quite differently than corporate Canada: consensus-driven decision making and a collaborative approach are far more common, for example, while stakeholders tend to play a very active role. Acknowledging those differences will help reassure your prospective employer that you’ll be able to adapt to the new culture.
• Finally, ask yourself some hard questions about compensation. Salaries are lower in the non-profit sector, so make sure you’re willing to accept the going industry rates before you head into the interview. Mitchell cites far too many cases of candidates from the private sector who swear they’re willing to take a cut in pay but then turn pale when they see the offer that gets put on the table.

 

Julie Stauffer is a Guelph-based freelance writer with extensive experience in the nonprofit sector.