The nonprofit sector prides itself on our commitment to justice and societal transformation. We speak of working to provide access, equity, opportunity and dignity to those who are either powerless or on the down side of power relationships.

My colleague David La Piana and I have both observed the dynamic of parallel process within the sector. This Nonprofit Paradox has been defined as, “what an organization seeks to solve or resolve in society, they recreate as a problem internally”. We see this as not only an issue among staff, but unfortunately in the way we in the sector can treat candidates for positions with our organizations.

I have had the pleasure to teach in the nonprofit graduate program at the University of San Francisco. You meet some great dedicated professionals in the field. I am fortunate enough that some of them keep in touch, or drop me a note about where they are and what they are doing.

Recently, a former student of mine shared her experiences of searching for a job in the field.  We all know that it is tough market, that more nonprofits are laying people off than hiring, and that there are some very talented, committed people looking for work.  That can make organizations a little cocky- sitting in the power position of having the option of choosing the cream of the cream.

Since December of 2010 this young woman has applied to over 50 jobs and has had over 30 interviews, either over the phone or in-person.

She shared with me the following experiences:

• One interviewer fell asleep in our interview.
• Another was so rude that I got home and called their HR director to complain and retract my app. Their director of programs later called me to try and convince me to go back in because the rude interviewer/potential supervisor only liked me out of their candidates.
• An org turned me down via email and in the next paragraph asked me to volunteer my time with the department that wouldn’t even interview me.
• Feedback from another was that I need to cut my hair (it’s long, but groomed and just fine).

She went on to list the number of organizations that simply canceled the position, put hiring on hold, did not make a decision or simply never responded to her.

We have to do better. We have to treat candidates with respect that they deserve.  There is vulnerability to those who are seeking work and opening themselves up to the possibilities, as well as the probabilities of not getting the job.

I will let my former student speak for herself:

Simply, if they can’t send a basic email to inform candidates of their search progress or that they aren’t advancing to the next round, they should revise their operations and staffing capacity in recruiting. They are giving their organization a bad reputation and limiting future partnerships. And I know that I’m not the only person with a list like this.

So, if you’re looking for a job and not having luck, understand that companies don’t have it together right now. Keep at it and don’t be too critical of yourself.

Tell us what you think.  Do you have any advice to add?

Consultants fix things, ranging from financial management systems to strategies to boards to staff relationships. That is why we get hired, right?

That may be what clients want to hire us for. But it doesn’t really work out that way. Just as a psychotherapist does not “fix” the unhappy patient, the consultant does not “fix” the dysfunctional nonprofit.

Excuse the therapy analogy but I have been married to a therapist for 32 years and we often see parallels in our work.

In each profession, the process of making things better is complex.

First we need to form a trusting relationship with our client by accepting them where they are and being non-judgmental.

Second, we have to get to know their world, their problems and triumphs, their values and history. Only then can we move forward together to solve problems. The client has perhaps worked deeply and for a long time in one organization, which is one context and one reality. The consultant works in a more limited way in many different contexts and realities.

For this reason the consultant may have insights into the problems the client faces that have just never occurred to the client before because this is the only context in which they have experienced this particular problem.

By sharing the learning journey, the consultant helps the client to fix their own problem, along the way building a new skill set that they can put to good use in the future. In a really good engagement the consultant also learns something new, so that the learning journey is truly shared.