Advice for Starting a Career with the Charity Sector – Part 2

Continued on from part 1 here are a few pointers to help answer those questions you might have and provide a bit more insight into the charity sector.

 5.     Rewards

Working within the third sector comes with a lot of opportunities and rewards and can often very surprising. Like most instances in life, the more you put in, the more you get out. Everyone working in the charity sector is very passionate and well trained so you will learn a lot from your colleagues.

 6.     Working with your manager

A great way to start off your working relationship with your boss is to think of your boss as part of the team, this is also known as managing upwards. If you are facing a tight deadline a good manager will recognise the issues and work with you to resolve them. To get the most out of your career don’t see them as someone to avoid or be intimidated by, you will gain more by being open, honest and communicating with them regularly.

Certain charities will have best practice guidelines for their managers which sometimes don’t apply to every situation and can actually be detrimental to work progress. Sometimes it is a good idea to hold regular monthly support meetings with your employees but again it just depends on the working environment and people involved. A great way of working is create a bespoke approach to your staff, this way everyone feels happy and is able to produce the best work. Flexibility is essential for smooth progression and adapting quickly to your team creates a better working environment.

 7.     Third Sector Influence

Charities have the power to create influence over big organisations such as the government and other large governing bodies. This really helps bring awareness for what the charities are campaigning for and then more people can receive help.

 8.     Knowledge

It is likely you will gain skills and knowledge that are going to set you up for the rest of your career. The diverse range of subject areas you will be exposed to in any charity is going to enable you to transfer between different sectors/departments. This is great for ensuring the job stays fresh and there is always a new challenge to take on.

 9.     Unique Selling Points

Due to the number of charities operating, it is very important to establish a unique selling point to distinguish your charity from everyone else.

 

Hopefully this answers most of your questions and provides some insight for the third sector, click here for a full list of third sector jobs.

 

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