The WetFeet Insider Guide to Careers in Non-Profits and Government Agencies

116 Pages·2003·0.78 MB·English

by  WetFeet

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The WetFeet Insider
Guide to Careers in
rr Non-Profits and
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Government
dd Agencies
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2004 Edition
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I Helping you make smarter career decisions.
The WetFeet Research Methodology
You hold in your hands a copy of the best-quality research available for job seekers.We have
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The WetFeet Insider
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Guide to Careers in
G Non-Profits and
Government
Agencies
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2004 Edition
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I Helping you make smarter career decisions.
WetFeet Inc.
609 Mission Street
Suite 400
San Francisco,CA 94105
Phone:[phone] or 1-800-926-4JOB
Fax:[phone]
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.wetfeet.com
The WetFeet Insider Guide to
Careers in Non-Profits and Government Agencies
ISBN:1-58207-315-5
Photocopying Is Prohibited
Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.All rights reserved.This publication is protected by
the copyright laws of the United States of America.No copying in any form is
permitted.It may not be reproduced,distributed,stored in a retrieval system,or
transmitted in any form or by any means,in part or in whole,without the express
written permission of WetFeet,Inc.
Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.
Table of Contents
The Industries at a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Bottom Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Industry Trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Non-Profit and Government Lingo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Industry Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Breakdown of Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Key Non-Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Key Government Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
On the Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Non-Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Real People Profiles—Non-Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Government Agencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Real People Profiles—Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.
The Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Lifestyle and Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Workplace Diversity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Perks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Vacations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Career Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Insider Scoop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Getting Hired. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
The Recruiting Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Interviewing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Getting Grilled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Grilling Your Interviewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
For Your Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Recommended Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Other Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.
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The Industries at a Glance c
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Opportunity Overview
• Entry-level and midcareer jobs exist for people with degrees in just about any
area of non-profit or government.
• Paid internships are common for government positions,but unlikely in the
non-profit sector,where you’ll be working for free.
• It’s a crowded market—interest in working for non-profits or the government
is booming.While non-profits aren’t really increasing their hiring rates,a number
of government agencies,especially in security and foreign affairs,are.
Major Pluses about Careers in Non-Profits/Government Agencies
• You’ll really,really care about your job.
• You’ll be able to make a difference relatively quickly on issues that matter to you.
• There’s a lot of job security,especially in government positions.
Major Minuses about Careers in Non-Profits/Government Agencies
• The pay is substantially less than what you’d make in a similar position in the
private sector.
• The amount of bureaucratic paperwork in government positions is enormous.
• The lack of structure in non-profits can be challenging—you’re often doing a
little bit of everything.
• Politics and policy affect your work,and if the administration or management
changes to one you don’t support,you’ll have to think about moving on.
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Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.
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At Recruiting Overview
• Non-profits generally don’t recruit,while large federal agencies recruit for
almost all positions—recruiting takes place on most major campuses and at
career fairs,industry trade shows,and conferences.
• Both non-profit and government organizations have extensive job listings on
their websites,so check those regularly.
• The hiring process at both types of organizations can be lengthy—non-profits
often don’t have the resources to quickly respond to resumes,and government
employment moves at a typical bureaucratic pace.
• Internships or volunteering is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door.
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Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.
The Industries
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• Overview tr
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(cid:127) The Bottom Line
(cid:127) Industry Trends
(cid:127) Non-Profit and Government Lingo
(cid:127) Industry Rankings
(cid:127) Breakdown of Industries
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Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.
Overview
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ri Maybe you’re a college student and you don’t think you want a career in corporate
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T giving up 40 to 50 (or more) hours a week to work on projects or products you
don’t really care about.You’d rather use your skills to serve society than develop
or sell a new enterprise software package without which the world would do just
fine (or a new tax shelter for high-net-worth individuals,or a new super-absorbent
bathroom tissue,or ...you get the idea).To you,the trade-off of a lower salary
and a smaller chance of getting rich are totally worth it,if you can do something
real to help children learn or people eat or protect your country or the environment.
(How many people really get rich working in business,anyway?)
Still with us? Then you’re a good candidate for a career in non-profit or
government.And,these days,you’re not alone.Whether it’s because of the
demise of the dot coms,the spate of layoffs across the business landscape,or
the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001,many people seem to have changed
their career focus from getting rich quick to doing something meaningful for
themselves and for society.Both government and non-profit organizations are
seeing a huge surge in applicants,which is good news for the country and the
world,but which can be bad news for job seekers.
Non-Profits
Non-profit organizations are businesses designed to make change,and not in
the monetary sense.Granted 501(c)3,or tax-exempt,status by the government,
these organizations focus on a wide variety of causes,including everything
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Copyright 2003 WetFeet,Inc.