ALT-12 Nonprofit Service Sector
The nonprofit world is about providing service. The profit world is about making money. How do you create the transition from the nonprofit world, that depends upon providing good service, into the profit world that depends upon earning good money?
While there are exceptions, a business does not hire you based on the job you have had. Businesses hire you based on the skills you have. Since you have been employed in the nonprofit sector, you have high ranking service oriented skills. You probably are well versed in completing paperwork, and have developed written skills. Most likely you work well with people.
It's highly likely you have developed excellent people skills, and know how to work well on teams. If you have worked in the nonprofit sector, you have learned to be resourceful, as nonprofits often have a continual shortage of money. A nonprofit organization lives with the constant reality that funding may be cut, budgets slashed, and staff put out to pasture. People employed in the nonprofit sector are highly proficient at operating a business with a shortage of resources.
A deficit of funds in an organization is an excellent teacher for developing resourcefulness among employees. It inspires creativity and an understanding about how to achieve goals, without depending upon writing a check to accomplish them. Since businesses are in the business of making money, they need people skilled at working with scarce funds and resources.
A business depends upon people who work well with others. A team player is an extraordinary resource for a company, as the profits of a business depend upon the ability of teams to accomplish a goal. Since you have worked in the nonprofit sector, team work is probably natural for you.
All businesses operating for profit, or for nonprofit, depend upon good communication skills. Chances are high that if you have been employed in the nonprofit sector, you have learned good communication skills. You might even be more skilled at communication, then your nonprofit coworkers, since you chose a service oriented profession.
The combination of skills you have acquired in the nonprofit world such as working with limited resources, working on teams, and completing paperwork have given you the ability to work in the business world. It takes good service to make good money, and you are skilled at providing good service, so this should transfer well into earning good money.
