The survey results are in
In the previous newsletter, I mentioned that orgs are launching more searches right now. It's all anecdotal, but my phone and inbox are blowing up with candidates coming out of the summer looking for a job and clients posting roles to take advantage of candidate excitement.
If you are looking for a job, whether you just started or you’ve been at it for a small eternity, you may feel isolated. In today’s Get Hired, we have the results of our survey that might help you to feel a little less alone.
We sent out a survey about your job search experience and hundreds of people responded. One thing that was clear from the survey: a lot of the job search process feels like a shot in the dark. It's clear that candidates want recruiters to know about their experiences.
People want feedback as to why they weren’t chosen to move forward. At NRG we are currently working on some tools that give more insight into what we do. This might mean sharing what we use to evaluate resumes or interviews or this might mean sharing more advice about how to navigate the process.
In the meantime, we plan to be fairly tight-lipped on feedback. Our colleagues operate similarly. Multiple lawyers have discouraged me from giving feedback. As frustrating as it is, try to move on with your search and focus on what you know and can control: your application materials and the jobs you choose to apply for. Even though we may not give specific feedback, I do have resources from past Get Hired newsletters where I let you peak behind the curtain. Please use those resources.
Another thing that was explicit: people want remote jobs and salary matters. 92% of our respondents said that salary matters and 66% of people are only looking for remote jobs. We all know this, but seeing it reflected in this survey makes it crystal clear.
Other insights from the survey are:
The majority of people apply for 1-3 jobs/week: 66% of respondents
92% of respondents use LinkedIn to look for jobs but there were a variety of other sites listed as options. Most of those places are on this list.
We have a pretty balanced spread among how long respondents have been on the job hunt:
28% began their search 1-3 months ago
23% began their search 4-6 months ago
21% began their search 7 months-1 year ago
17% bean their search at least 12 months ago
11% began their search in the last month
The most frustrating aspect of the job search (respondents were allowed to choose 3):
Side note: Over 60% of respondents have not participated in an NRG process yet so I’m hopeful that the percentage of people referring to NRG is low. I know we aren’t perfect but we do our best to never ghost anyone.
Other write-in responses include:
Being asked to perform time-consuming unpaid work
Not getting feedback
Potential employers calling references even though they eventually make an offer to someone else
Not knowing how to convey value as someone with a nontraditional background
The awkwardness of Zoom interviews
Convincing the hiring team to give them a shot even though it appears taking this job would be a demotion
Other things we heard from respondents:
It feels like there is a gap between companies and organizations saying that they know not every candidate fits all qualifications and the reality of how skill sets are rated.
Several respondents have over 15 years of experience and struggle to find a meaningful job. Some feel as if they are perceived as overqualified.
Several are trying to switch from for-profit companies to nonprofit organizations and are having a hard time translating those experiences.
The job descriptions sometimes inaccurately or incompletely describe the position or the priorities of the organization/hiring manager.
The nomination form is a hit. We include nominations for the majority of NRG searches and people like them.
People are unsure how to work with recruiters.
People want personalized responses when they don’t make it to the next round.
Some people want phone calls instead of emails when not moving to the next round.
Some are working several jobs to make it financially and don’t have time to apply for jobs. Many talked about the time consuming nature of the job search.
Some people want to meet the staff at the organizations sooner in the process.
Some people want to participate in a matching process, not an application process.
People love getting interview questions in advance.
Again, thank you for being here and taking the time to share your experiences in the survey. We hear you and will use this information in our work with clients but also to make this newsletter helpful to your job search.
In the meantime, if you are fortunate enough to have extra income to have an expert look at your application materials, listen to your story, and provide feedback you’ve been wanting on your interviewing skills, then sign up for 15 minutes with my colleague, Kristin Saybe. The initial meeting doesn’t cost anything. You can find more about what’s available here.
Here’s a quote from a coaching client:
“Your support was so important in helping me to get this role and I just wanted to thank you and the whole NRG team.” –Cortney B.
If you don’t have the extra cash to throw at coaching right now, I get it. We’ll try to address these topics in upcoming Get Hired newsletters.
On to the jobs! Check out all of NRG’s searches here. Fifteen of those positions are remote.
Opportunities NRG is hiring for:
Chief Operations Officer at Rethink Priorities; $130,000-$135,000; Remote
Chief Human Resources Officer at UTEC; $130,000-$150,000; Lowell, MA
Organizing Director of Network Capacity at Child Care for Every Family Network; $81,500-$97,600; Remote
Organizing Director at the Miami’s Worker Center; $70,000; Miami, FL
Director of Finance at TransLash Media; $120,000; Remote
Executive Operations Coordinator at TransLash Media; $95,000; New York City
Interim Executive Director at Connecticut Students for a Dream; $75,000-$120,000; Hybrid, Bridgeport, CT
Engagement and Communications Manager at Women Count; $65,000-$85,000; Remote (SF Bay Area, Denver, DC, or New York preferred)
National Policy Associate at Azul; $60,000-$65,000; Washington, D.C.
Mock Trial/Mock Appeal Program Manager at Discovering Justice; $60,000-$70,000; Boston, MA (hybrid)
Senior Director of Campaigns and Organizing at Mothers Out Front; $136,000-$145,000; Remote
Director of Operations at Mothers Out Front; $106,000-$126,000; Remote
Interim State Manager at Mothers Out Front; $78,000-$88,000; Remote from Massachusetts
Operations Associate at The Families & Workers Fund; $75,000-$85,000; Remote
Administrative Assistant at The Families & Workers Fund; $60,000-$70,000; Remote
Executive Director at Financial Education Associates; $95,000-$110,000; Remote
Legislative Analyst at City of Seattle; $91,642.32-$163,970.64; Seattle, WA
opportunities nrg is hiring for in education:
Associate Chief of Recruitment at Achievement First; $170,258; Within commuting distance of their schools in New York, Connecticut or Rhode Island.
Several open teaching positions including an Elementary Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Math Teacher, and a Science Teacher at Achievement First; $47,330- $78,482; Rhode Island
Executive Director, Research, Data, and Analytics at Denver Public Schools; $123,711-$143,466; Denver, CO
Middle School Teacher at Shore Educational Collaborative; $55,308-$109,165; Chelsea, MA
In addition to this list, you can find more opportunities on the website. Follow NRG on LinkedIn and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.
Let’s move,
Naomi
P.S. Whether you just started your job search or you have been looking for several months, sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you.
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