Networking (Unfortunately) Still Makes the World Go Round
Many people say you can only get a job in the social impact space by nepotism or sheer luck.
A few years ago, a senior leader at the Clinton Foundation asked me how I had started working there… Who did I know?
I told them I had not known anyone.
I had applied online. With a resume and a cover letter. I had done all the interviews via Skype (now it would be Zoom) from London, Beirut and Amman. They had offered me the job sight unseen except virtually.
They were flabbergasted! They said they told people never to bother applying online for roles unless they knew someone who worked in the organization. I laughed but really, that is definitely terrible advice, and terrible practice if they themself only hire people through networks.You will not find the best candidates or build the best, most diverse team if you only rely on your existing networks.
However, there is no denying a clear fact: no one is going to build your career for you in this sector.
This may be quite unlike big multinational companies or even government offices, where many employers have set up a clearly defined set of steps, and where you can expect to be promoted every two years provided that you perform well. Even in the biggest non-profits and foundations, structured professional and especially career development is generally lacking. That’s quite short-sighted and inefficient of them, but hard to change.
And to get your foot in the door, or continue going up, good connections will help, whether in your organization or across different organizations. When looking for a job, good connections are worth cultivating to get inside knowledge on open positions and even potentially good recommendations.
Here are my thoughts on improving your chances through networking, and making your own luck:
1. When you are starting out, internships.
They’re almost essential if you have not had previous work experience. Doing them during your studies two to three days a week may be time- and money-saving so I recommend that if you can. Or of course, over the summer.
Be sure to look for internships in:
The actual team you’d like to work in (do not apply for the marketing internship if you don’t like marketing per se but like the name on the door)
Where there is a possibility to be hired after. That can be hard to know, and there are never any guarantees, but if you join a fast-growing organization/team and you’re a star, chances are there’ll be an open position sooner or later that you can fill.
The ones that pay (even if not a lot!) and/or give you credit if you are still a student.
2. Boards, skills-based volunteering, and young patrons clubs.
Think of the top five organizations you admire or would like to work for. Chances are most of them have a way for you to get involved: in their fundraising, by volunteering for a day or several, or most sophisticated through a young patrons club or even their Boards.
None of these will get you a job on their own, but demonstrating interest in their organization early on, and meeting like-minded people at regular socials, whether from that organizations or others, can’t do any harm.
And if you really want to work in this sector, you should be motivated to do something good in your spare time anyway.
Some of them you have to pay for but usually the young patrons clubs are much more ‘affordable’, and anyway, the money goes to the organization and is usually tax-deductible, so count it as a part of your giving!
When I moved to New York City, even though I was already working at the Clinton Foundation, I wanted to get to know other people in the space and also meet new people and learn new things, so I joined the young patrons club of Echoing Green, which supports social entrepreneurs all around the world, and the Juilliard one. The latter more for fun because you got free tickets at the time to all the student concerts, plays, dance performances, and more (in my view, this is the best deal in New York City as a few years later, these students are at Carnegie Hall and on Broadway).
For volunteering, focus on skills-based volunteering opportunities.
Planting trees is great if you know how to do it, or you enjoy it or can use a meditative practice. But unless you want to do that as your job, you will be better off volunteering to help with the non-profit’s website if that is what they need and what you are good at. FYI - I think almost all non-profits would say they need help with their website so if that is a skill you have do not hesitate!
For joining a proper Board, you might need more experience and/or to contribute more funds, often in the form of give/get (you either donate the funds or you raise them through friends). That might be hard when you are just starting out, but plenty of Boards do want younger members too and might admit you more on what you might be able to contribute in-kind. Or focus in on smaller non-profits and social enterprises!
3. Collecting business cards and adding people to LinkedIn.
Whenever you meet someone interesting in this sector, be sure to add them to LinkedIn even if they don’t work for an organization you’re interested in — you never know where either of you will be in two to three years, and when a relationship may come in useful. If you made a good connection and do want to follow up with them soon after meeting them, don’t be shy — people are often happy to go for coffees and provide advice, and it may help you think through where you want to go even if they don’t have a job available for you.
However, I would completely avoid sending unsolicited LinkedIn messages to people you don’t know, or asking them to meet without any defined agenda. I get a number of these requests every few weeks, for example:
“Oh I went to LSE a few years ago, and I see you did too. I will be in Boston next week, I would love to have coffee”
I usually respond unless it’s clearly a pro-forma sales request, but unfortunately cannot meet or speak on the phone with all the people who send these types of messages and it would be more useful if they were more specific and directed - Are you looking for a job? Did you check the careers page? Is there a job available?
If there is a job available, I often get these types of messages on LinkedIn, or by email:
“Dear Mr Amouyel [person has not checked LinkedIn in this case and assumes that I am a man because my name is Alex and I lead something – nice!],
I am interested in the position of X [a somewhat junior position that does not report to me]. I think I would be very well suited for the role [well you think I am a man, and the position does not report to me, we do look for people who do their research, and you have not bothered doing the work and applying online nor have your attached your CV].
Whenever your free [oh shoot, grammar mistake!], I would love to discuss my application with you, etc”
I usually respond to these saying thank you and asking them to apply online and that the hiring manager will be in touch if they are shortlisted. Surprise surprise, none of those have been - as far as I know - successful.
Generally, I would stay away from sending an email or LinkedIn to someone you do not know, and if you somehow really feel like it makes sense, then do your research, and do the work e.g. submit your application with a great tailored resume and cover letter first, so that if they do read your note, they can check out your application and of course, do find the actual right person (and their right gender).
I did hire one person who sent me a LinkedIn message once, but they had done their homework, had already applied online, and sent a short, well-formulated note drawing attention to their application. I would have shortlisted them anyway though, so I do not think their LinkedIn message helped per se.
Interacting with people on Twitter or other social media is another story of course, as one expects to have conversations on Twitter with strangers, although again I would not say “tell me more about this job” without doing your homework first.
One thing to be clear about — good connections will almost never replace you actually being qualified for the job.
Demonstrate this first through a CV and cover letter which is tailored to the core skills listed and without spelling and grammar mistakes.
And if you don’t have the skills listed, the relevant experience, or have 3 years less than the required experience, don’t apply. You are wasting your time unless perhaps, you are really really close. Focus instead on the jobs you are qualified for, and in the meantime, invest in your learning and in side gigs that can build up both your experience and your connections!
