Hi all

I am hoping for some guidance from people already working in the charity sector. I have been applying for roles where my skills and experience match the requirements, but I often do not receive a reply or any feedback. I would really appreciate some insight into why this might be happening.

I have worked in policing for twenty five years in roles that were community based, engagement focused and centred on partnership working. I am a manager in my current role as the Engagement Lead, where I devise and deliver bespoke presentations, workshops and events with internal and external partners. This includes creating interesting and accessible content for both in house audiences and local communities. My wider policing career has involved supporting vulnerable people, building relationships with organisations, coordinating multi agency responses and delivering public facing initiatives. These are core skills in community engagement and stakeholder collaboration.

Policing is a forward thinking profession that actively recruits people from other industries because it recognises the value of diverse skills and perspectives. However, it does not always feel the same the other way round. I sometimes wonder whether there is an unconscious bias when people see policing on a CV and assume it is only enforcement based, rather than understanding the volume of engagement, safeguarding, partnership work and communication experience that officers bring. Many officers have extensive evidence of community work that aligns closely with charity roles, yet this is not always recognised.

I am very committed to working in the charity sector and would be grateful for any advice from people who understand the recruitment process. Is there something I should be doing differently, or is there a perception of policing that I need to address more clearly in my applications? Any guidance would be appreciated.