Hiring the Right Candidates for Non-Profits Part 3

Now that you’ve thought through what you are looking for and prepared your team, keep in mind a few common pitfalls to avoid:

1. You snooze, you lose – If you keep candidates on hold for too long, you’ll most likely lose them.

2. No one is perfect – You have to make hiring decisions based on the best candidate you’ve seen, not an ideal candidate you haven’t seen.

3. Selling yourself short – Your organization is fighting for a mission and has a unique culture. Don’t forget to talk about all of the non-monetary aspects of your culture, because these will be selling points to the right candidates and deterrents to the wrong ones. (Great benefits? Relaxed office environment? Flex hours? Collaborative approach? Professional dress?)

4. Pitching just a Job – If people are looking at your organization, they want to make a difference. Talk about career trajectories, potential for professional growth, and advancement potential. Let them know you see this role as a starting point on their journey with your organization.

Hiring is a critical process that has lasting impact on your organization’s culture, productivity, and even potential for legal risk. By instituting good – and compliant – interview practices at your non-profit, you will have more success identifying qualified, hard-working employees with a positive impact on your organization’s culture.

Liz Hine and Sarah Field are at the Center For Shared Services in Arlington, VA