Interview Tips for Charity Jobs!

Georgina D'Souza

Digital Marketing Executive at CharityJob

Member for more than a year • 5 posts

Over on CharityJob twitter we've been discussing top tips to ace interviews. And oh-boy have people delivered! We've had such fantastic advice coming in from a whole bunch of different tweeters: from those currently going through the interview process, right through to recruiters and career coaches. So I couldn't not share a few of the best ones with you!

Let me know what you think of the list - I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

1. Research! Mention a recent charity event you or the charity took part in or big news in the industry to demonstrate your interest.

Never risk winging it on the day! Showing industry knowledge and enthusiasm for the sector (particularly in the charity world) is often vital. Make sure you have an understanding of not just the job but the cause that the charity supports and why it’s meaningful to you.

2. Treat everyone you meet properly. I often ask reception about candidates. It's not unheard of for a candidate to appear great in the interview, but to have been rude or disrespectful to reception. Guess what? They don't get the job!

Your interview starts the second you enter the door. Take the time to introduce yourself to the people that you meet and always be polite. It doesn't matter whether you’re meeting a receptionist, CEO or a volunteer, everyone deserves to be treated well. Remember, you want to be memorable for all of the right reasons!

3. Be early and be passionate. Basic stuff but so often missing

If there was ever a good time to show your keen, it’s a job interview. It’s often easy to get anxious about remembering all our points and prepping for certain questions, that our passion for the role takes a back seat. But passion really matters when you're applying to a charity. Make sure to let yours shine through, arriving early will even help you with this by putting your mind at ease rather than rushing about last minute!

4.Don't feel you have to answer a question instantly - it's okay to pause and take a breath and be calm in your reply, or even to ask to come back to it if you need time to think of a good example or experience. We aren't robots!

It’s easy to say anything that pops into your head when there are questions being fired at you – but try and remember that it’s absolutely fine to ask for a minute and think carefully before answering. Recruiters would definitely prefer you to take your time and come up with a considered response over a garbled one.

5. Ask at the end of the interview whether you've sufficiently answered all the interviewers' questions and if there's anything they'd like you to clarify - gives you a chance to go over anything you might have forgotten.

Never rush out of the interview room when they’ve finished up with all of their questions. Take a few minutes to ask any questions that you have, expand on points that you made previously and get to know the people in the room a little bit better. After all, you could end up working with them.

6. I always make a point of asking my interviewers what their favourite part of working at the company is. Gives you the chance to see if they really like the place (or whether you're walking into a mistake) - and they associate meeting you with good feelings about their job!

The moment an interviewer asks you if you have any questions for them is the perfect opportunity for you to dig a little deeper and see whether the company really is a good fit for you. But if those words fill you with dread, then you can always fall back on the question suggested above and know you’re on to a winner!

Does anyone have any other tips to add to the list?