​Conscious that I have an innate tendency to talk at a million miles an hour and with the added pressure of public speaking, I wanted to share some of the ideas and thoughts that came out of Tuesday’s Career Mapping conversation with the Institute of Fundraising in Manchester. It’s probably quite on topic, as public speaking is one of the areas I’m working on personally at the moment.The event was a collaboration between the IoF and Charity People aimed at fundraisers looking for professional development and personal growth. We know that career mapping can be challenging in our sector when salary increases, training budgets and upwards movement aren't always readily available. We had an open and frank discussion about career progression, personal development tools and practical tips on how to develop skills, gain career momentum and forward plan for future ambitions.We covered how to challenge and push internally to achieve your goals for development. Here, I’m going to focus externally and where you can look for learning opportunities (on a budget). Some of these may be specific to Manchester because that’s where I live, but there will be similar local events and activities if you’re willing to do a bit of digging. This is by no means an exhaustive list – just a few ideas to get us started. If you’d like to add to this list, please drop me a message and I’ll update in a few weeks’ time.I’d start with this brilliant TED Talk by Eduardo Briceño, ‘How to get better about the things you care about’. It talks about how people who are really good at something only continue to get better by learning, which is just common sense. But the interesting thing is that the learning doesn’t have to be in that subject or specialist area, but any learning at all. Watch it and see what I mean – Eduardo explains it a lot better that I do. Since watching this, I’ve started learning in lots of different areas and you start to see where your learning is fluid and seeps into other areas of your life – including your job. Please bear in mind that these suggestions are not all charity related – that’s kind of the point. You can pick and choose to your own interests and hobbies, but the idea is to enrich and enhance your existing skillset, knowledge and experience.Reading. Far too many brilliant books and articles to mention, but the one I keep returning to again and again is ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge.Podcasts. A mix of sector-specific and personal interests. Favourites include: How To Fail, The Guilty Feminist, Do More Good, This is NOT the Mandy Johnson Show, Simon Scriver’s Amazingly Ultimate Fundraising Superstar Podcast, Cracking Charity Chat, Inner Driven Leaders, J Brown Yoga Talks, Under the Skin.Find projects that excite and energise you and run with them. They don’t have to be existing projects, but could be ones you’ve imagined and created yourself. I’ve run fundraising events, done expert interview blogs, created video content for our website, started an Equality and Diversity committee… and none of it part of the ‘day job’. I’ve gained loads of skills and experience through these projects – and all CV worthy.The power of social media. Bold statement, but I wasn’t half as clued up on what’s happening in the sector before I joined Twitter. You can cut out the noise and just follow key people who share interesting articles and information all the time. LinkedIn is a great tool too.Events – so much to choose from. Variety is the spice of life, so I try to mix it up. I have been to TED Talks, Funzing events, sales and marketing talks, Institute of Fundraising networking. My top tip is to search on EventBrite and get creative – you won’t believe how many amazing things are happening right on your doorstep.Conferences and industry events. The IoF is a reliable and constant source of brilliant learning opportunities, but there are also other fundraising and charity events that you might be interested in: Pizza For Losers and IWITOT are now both regional events. Keep your ear to the ground and ask other fundraisers for inspiration if you’re stuck. The hottest new event has to be Nikki Bell and Simon Scriver’s new virtual conference, Fundraising Everywhere.Peer-to-peer learning is such a valuable tool. Seek this out internally by linking up with peers in HR, finance or service delivery and share ideas or find other fundraisers in organisations you either know or admire and meet up. Talk, share and learn together.Offer your services. Could you mentor or support someone in your organisation or externally (and this could be work related or not)? I recently mentored a young person for a local youth charity and it was one of the steepest learning curves I’ve been ever on. I learned so much about myself and how to really listen.Coaching. Circumstances recently changed in my organisation and I knew I would need additional support to manage those changes, so I researched and put a business case together detailing costs and the value to the organisation. Now I have an incredible coach and I’m finding it absolutely invaluable. There are lots of options out there both virtually and locally and some really affordable options. I’d highly recommend Julia Worthington’s coaching groups in Manchester. I think we could have the start of a great list of personal development top tips and practical tools here, so please do get in touch to share your suggestions and ideas and we can add to our list and support one another.You can reach me on amelia@charitypeople.co.uk

​The best questions to ask at the end of an Interview. The questions you ask in an interview are very telling. Here are some top tips from our consultant, Ben Garner…In order to make an informed decision about whether this is the right move for you there are a range of questions you can ask. You will have your own expectations on what you're looking for; be it career progression, a better work/life balance or a strong interest in the charity so always tailor your questions to your own aspirations. Here are some suggestions:Can you tell me how the role relates to the overall structure of the organisation?This questions shows you're thinking beyond simply your role which is an attractive approach. Through gaining an understanding into the size and structure of the organisation and team you can identify who you'll be working alongside and learn how the team works. You'll get a better sense of where you would fit in and how your contribution would affect the rest of the charity.How would you describe the working culture here?We all want to work in a positive environment where we can operate at optimum level. Identify whether the work will be collaborative or whether you'll be working on your own and how that fits with your personal preference.What are the greatest challenges that the charity is facing? It's not just the job you're interested in, but the structural and business challenges that the organisation faces. You've done your research into the organisation so this is your chance to hear their side of the story. What would you expect the successful candidate to achieve in the first 30 days/ 3 months/ 6 months?One of the best questions a candidate can ask. It sets the scene for allowing your interviewer to talk about what you'll be doing Monday to Friday. If they mention a specific duty which you hadn't covered in your earlier answer you can flip it back and say, "ah yes, I've managed those types of campaigns before at CHARITY X"What will be the first project I'll be working on?An interviewer will have a specific list of duties required (usually written in the job description) but it is a great idea to investigate a live project so that you can talk them through how you would approach it.Is there a chance for career development in the future? What is your commitment to training your staff? We are all looking to move forward in our careers and by asking this question you will gain a sense of the importance they place on helping staff with their career progression and whether they recruit from within, and they will understand your determination to make long-term progress. How has this vacancy come about?This is a great way to find out a little more on the charity and its culture. It also allows you to gather some background information.How would you describe your management style? This is so important as conflicting management styles often cause issues and it will also show you how self-aware your prospective line manager is. Is there anything you would like to improve in your department and how could I help?You're showing an interest in being part of the team and you're looking at contributing to the goals of the department. Employers love this display of interest.Do you think I am well suited to this position? This question takes courage. You're trying to suggest from the outset that you're open to constructive criticism and willing to learn from experience and feedback. It also gives you a chance to defend yourself from any misconceptions your interviewers may have gained and restate why you think you're the right person for the job.I am very keen on the role and would love to progress. When will you be looking to make a decision?This is a great question to end an interview on. It states your position that you feel you've shown how you'd do the job and you would love to move forward in the process.​

​Employment testing is not unique to the charity sector. However, there are several reasons why it makes sense to use these tools when looking for new recruits in this sector.Psychometric testing has been around since 1905. Today’s evidence shows this type of testing is increasing among employers. One body of research indicated an 18% rise over a two-year period. Yet employment testing costs money, so this must be a wise investment for charities to continue using it. If there was no return on the investment, it would be money wasted. This is not something charities can afford.​What kinds of tests are used?Employment tests typically fall into one of two areas:Skill testsPsychometric tests or personality profiling​Skills tests are also known as ability tests. They cover many areas that are crucial when selecting the right candidates to work in charity-based roles. They can test for:Numerical reasoning skillsVerbal reasoning skillsLogical reasoning skills​Skill tests may also be provided to test an individual’s ability to handle the tasks they would be required to do if they were given the job. Specific tests tailored towards the role to be filled are common, such as those designed for admin roles or finance roles. While skills tests focus on practical ability, psychometric tests or personality profiling focus on the individual. While applicants can provide incorrect answers for the skills tests, this is not the case with psychometric or personality tests. Rather, they aim to provide a good indication of the individual’s character, strengths and weaknesses. Most recruiters across all industries use a mix of the two to get the best outcome from the process.Finding the best employees is important for all recruiters. However, the financial aspect of recruiting the best people for charity roles is arguably more important than ever. There are limited funds to devote to recruitment. Is it worth sinking some of those funds into testing processes that could be seen by some as optional?Is testing a wise investment?​Charities are accountable to those who donate money to them. Donors want to be sure the charities they give money to use those funds as best they can. So, are recruitment tests worth the money?​It would seem prudent to avoid the tests and stick to the usual interviewing techniques honed over decades of use. Funds that would have been spent on the testing process could be allocated elsewhere within the charity. This decision may result in hiring the best person for the job, but there are also many areas where things could go wrong. This is the risk to be faced when deciding not to use such testing.​For example, some people are better at being interviewed than others. It’s certainly something everyone can improve on. Research has shown 40% of interviewers would fail someone if they didn’t smile. Around two-thirds of recruiters also rejected people who didn’t make eye contact.​These elements can be learned by anyone prior to going for an interview. When reading statistics like these, it is easy to see how a charity could recruit the wrong person. It’s possible to study to pass an interview, or at least to increase the odds of doing so. It is far harder to cheat employment tests they are asked to sit as part of the consideration process.​How much would it cost the charity to hire the wrong person?​Research indicates a bad hire costs a business an average of £8,200. Another source found 19.5% of recruiters lost a minimum of £15,000 on a bad hire. Some said their losses amounted to over twice that. ​If we apply these losses to the charity sector, we can see how employment testing is in fact an investment rather than a cost. Yes, it costs money to access the tests. However, that money helps the charity find the best person for each vacancy. The quality of each employee has a direct impact on the charity’s success. ​Some businesses may find it easier than others to cover their errors if they hire the wrong person. This isn’t true when you think of charities. Not only will a bad hire cost money, it could lead to a drop in the amount of donations received if news of the situation gets out. This could lead to greater losses over time than would be experienced by other businesses.​Employment testing allows for a more rounded view of each candidate​Anyone who knows the tricks to succeeding in interviews stands a far better chance of passing them. Even if they are inappropriate for the role, they could end up being taken on, only for the charity to later find the decision was a costly mistake.​Some of those in senior positions within a charity may view employment testing as an unnecessary cost. However, as we have seen, it helps identify skills and traits within each candidate that cannot otherwise be uncovered. Surely it is better to find the best people than to find those that know how to ace an interview even if they are unsuited to the role they are applying for?​Test for success​Some charities recognise the power of identifying key traits in their applicants. That’s why charities are benefiting from their use of employment testing to get the best results from their recruitment efforts. Those results don’t merely attract better recruits, they also impress those who fund them—their donors.​This is a guest blog, by Denise Allen of SkillsArena. It contains links to external sites. Please Note: Charity People does not take any responsibility and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings about the content of any website accessed by hypertext link. Links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind. Charity People has no control over the availability of the linked pages.​

​Cover Letters - Prescriptive or not? - Top Evaluation TipsClients often tell us they struggle to evaluate and appraise Cover Letters effectively but nonetheless they are a common tool used in selecting new recruits. Tips on how to get the most out of this stage of recruitment.Evaluating a Covering LetterPeople write their CVs in all sorts of weird and wonderful formats, lend different weight to different aspects of their role and omit experience as irrelevant that might actually be extremely pertinent to the current situation in your team.Covering letters can be a great tool for getting people to highlight specific experience that is relevant to the specific role you are recruiting for, allowing you to more fairly compare candidates. But as an arbitrarily applied tool covering letters can be extremely damaging to the recruitment process and may mean that you could miss out on someone with the potential to raise you above your competitors. What if your competitors don't make the same mistake?There is one central point to remember with covering letters, they are supposed to be a tool applied with a positive bias; you are looking for candidates that would have gone in the no pile on the basis of their CV to give you a reason to put them in the yes pile, not the other way around. During my years in recruitment I have learnt to give people a chance, because people who haven't had a great CV and / or covering letter have walked into my office, blown me away and gone on to be some of the best hires my clients have ever made.These are my three tips for making sure you give your next great hire every opportunity to WOW you;Tip 1: You're not looking to hire a professional "Covering Letter Writer"Candidates have no idea what you're looking for, what format you want it in or what you're expecting to see. Unless you're recruiting for a role where being psychic is an essential quality, be really clear about what you want and give candidates a fair chance of delivering the right information. If you want them to use each point in the person specification as a heading and then explain, using real world examples, how their experience matches this, then tell them that. If you want them to weave their experience and how it matches the person specification into an easy to follow narrative, then let them know. Applying for jobs is a skill in and of itself and the easier you make it, the more likely you are to see the best people shine through.Tip 2: Don't be too clinicalThink about how you want to score or assess your Covering Letters. Often clients choose to check off every item of a Person Specification against a Covering letter. Although if the competition is very tough this can in the end be a good way of whittling down potential interviewees it can often eliminate candidates who in fact would be very able in the role. The way I advise clients to approach this initially is to work out the three most important over-arching skills or experience areas that are absolutely essential to the delivery of this role. If a candidate meets them I would put them on the 'yes' pile and then if it is necessary to reduce that number further look through that list again alongside the more detailed Person Specification. As annoying as it is, candidates often fail to include examples against every single area of a Person Spec in a Covering Letter and will often focus on those they feel are most important. If someone has all the three important things you need and seems a little weaker on some of the lesser items, get them in and meet them, perhaps they're an absolute superstar with one or two development points.Tip 3: So important, I'm going to repeat myselfI really want to reiterate a point I touched on at the beginning, because I genuinely believe and have actually seen some of my clients miss out on people that were the best person for the role because they used covering letters too prescriptively.I always try to keep in mind that covering letters are a rudimentary screening tool that makes sure that you don't waste time interviewing people who will be totally irrelevant, but it shouldn't be used as part of the interview process where only those who tick every box shall pass. Some of the best hires I have seen are people that have the core skills necessary for the role, but come from a slightly different background and bring a new perspective and a new way of doing particular things into the team. By all means use the covering letter to make sure that you don't invite any more 'eccentric' candidates into your office, but don't be too heavy handed and risk screening out the best hire you might never make.

Writing a cover letter can be a chore, especially when applying for a number of roles. As consultants, we know they can be difficult and often go back to candidates to help them amend ones they’ve submitted.Knowing what to include and what to leave out can drive one to distraction. So here are a few things you need to know to make sure that your cover letter stands out:Your CV is more important - Yes, unfortunately it's true. However a cover letter is still helpful in determining a candidate's values, past achievements, culture fit, as well as demonstrating their written style: all of which will help to secure that important interview.Do the basics right - by making sure the cover letter looks tailored to the job you are applying for. Address it to the hiring manager or recruiter, insert the job title and organisation name in your opening lines. Addressing a cover letter "Dear Sir/Madam" when you have their name is a little lazy!Include your current job duties and key achievements - when highlighting your current duties make sure you include examples of your work and your key achievements. Don't assume that someone from your sector would know what your key responsibilities are - you could be selling yourself short. If, for example, you are responsible for raising funds or managing budgets, make sure you highlight your financial achievements clearly.Be specific and refer to the job description - The hiring manager wants to know if you can do the job they are advertising. So be specific by addressing the role requirements and demonstrate how you can effectively carry out those duties, based on your experience.Show your variety - your extra curricular experience, such as volunteering, can provide the hiring manager with crucial information on you as a person. This can give you the edge by showing the hiring manager/recruiter that you have a genuine passion for your line of work which could be what separates you from your competitors.And finally...remember, cover letters should be kept simple and should be around 1-2 pages in length. That doesn't mean skimp on addressing the job description: it means stick to the formula above. Hit those marks and you will almost certainly find yourself getting more calls from hiring manager and recruiters.

"Fear of failure was stopping my personal development." Read how Ellen took the plunge.​Fear of failure. I can safely say I have that in abundance; a definite born worrier. I've always been quite risk averse, but until it came to writing this blog I hadn't fully identified that it might actually be bordering on self-sabotage.I have always been pretty steadfast in my professional life since leaving University in 2005 (yikes that is a while ago!). Up until 2017 I had only ever worked for two businesses. I always did well, I was often picked for promotion and there never seemed any real reason to look at other things. It was safe and secure, but I was attributing my success to those businesses rather than myself. Over the years I had been approached by other companies who were really interested in me, but that risk-averse voice would be whispering: "don't be daft, you can't move, what if you can't do it, what if you fail, what if everyone thinks I'm a bit average really". I kept on listening to that voice for many years. Fear of failure was stopping my personal development.Returning to work after having my daughter, Isabella , I finally yielded and had one of those conversations. Maybe having a break from 'head-down' work gave me some perspective. It was a transformational point in my life! I finally muted the doubting voice, did some background research on the company and jumped! I have never looked back. I work with a new team of people who are super brilliant at what they do. They challenge themselves and therefore lead me to do the same everyday.What having Isabella taught me was that sometimes when you choose to go down another path it can be, quite frankly, terrifying! But, you can only be your best self by accepting some challenges and proving to yourself that you are enough and you will be fine. I also found that failure really is a relative and temporary thing. Success and the confidence you gain from coming out of the other side lasts much longer and takes you places you might never have gone otherwise. It's this journey that shapes and enriches your life.

​Sometimes we find ourselves in the right place, but doing the wrong role. As part of Pizza for Losers, Pete explained how he turned failure into success.I started out working for Charity People as the Business Development Officer for the temp Consultant in the Office Support Department. I threw myself into this role, ultimately trying to get as many new clients on as possible, whilst not playing a part in the recruitment process itself.Four months on and I had spectacularly failed to get any new clients on board. I actively made an effort to play a role Charity People within other capacities, and due to this flexibility and will to remain in the agency I was offered a place on the fundraising team to act as their candidate resourcer.A few months later and I had the fortune of being trained up alongside the Nikki, the other resourcer, and for the last few months I've been able to call myself a consultant at long last!The last year has taught me the importance of perseverance, optimism, mucking in - in any way possible, and being a 'Yes' person.

As part of the lead up to Pizza for Losers, Stuart tells how he used a bitter disappointment to drive him forward.I have played Rugby all of my life. I have had my share of highs and lows along the way. In my latter years of school and club level rugby I played with a great team. Our successes meant that we made the finals of a national tournament. It was to be played at Twickenham - the shrine of rugby. It was my dream to play there and I had been an ever-present member of the team.The week before the big day, I had to miss a local tournament due to illness. Another player, who had not featured at all through the year, played in my place. He had a good tournament. The squad for the National Finals was announced and I wasn’t in it. The player who replaced me for the tournament the week before was heading to Twickenham instead of me.Of course, they won and had the magical experience of lifting a trophy in front of the Royal Box. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Seeing the team and squad come back and be treated like superstars was equally hard to watch.My dad saw how much it had hurt me. He advised me to channel my feelings into making sure that never again had to miss out.So I trained. I trained hard and I got myself stupidly fit. I remember cycling in Brittany in the pouring rain a long these long hilly roads, nearly getting blown off the roads and I remember pushing harder and harder on the pedals, keeping in mind why I was doing this. I would not experience missing out again if I could do something about it. I wanted there to be no doubt that I would never miss out like that again.After spending 18 months training and playing representative rugby, there was an opportunity to go to New Zealand to play rugby on a scholarship. It came a little bit out of the blue and I went forward for it. To secure it, part of the process was a fitness and a rugby task. I got the scholarship and I went to the other side of the world for three months and experienced and played rugby where few have had the opportunity. From the previous failure and with the support of my dad, I was able to experience something that I likely would not have – if I had not experienced the failure that led to me missing out on being in Twickenham and playing rugby with my friends.

Our amazing and successful consultant, Anna Ludeman, is everything that you could hope for in a team member. Here she sounds the call for greater flexibility in charities.On my mission to find more opportunities for part time workers, there is a phrase that I hear time and time again -'We will only consider someone part time if they are an exceptional candidate'.I have nodded along and agreed with this statement for as long as I can remember, never giving it too much thought, until now.Firstly, shouldn't all of our candidates that we are representing be exceptional in their own way?Secondly, is this implying that they need to be better than someone looking for full time work to counter-act their need to work part time?What a lot of pressure to put on someone's shoulders! To be considered for a role, does a part-time candidate needs to be better qualified than their full time counterparts? Do they need to prove that they will work harder and smarter in order to secure that new role?I'm worried that this statement, however innocently spoken, can easily create discrimination against part-time employees and create unfair expectations. Excluding those candidates who are wonderful, dedicated, hard-working and talented but might not necessarily be head and shoulders above other candidates in the market or be able to work the same hours seems a little short-sighted. I have berated myself for nodding along to this for so many years and I am trying my best to push back on the high expectations that clients are putting on the shoulders of those who work part time.Having such a lot of expectation and pressure on the shoulders of part-time workers is neither healthy nor productive. It leads to many individuals pushing themselves further, trying to prove their worth by working longer hours, taking on more projects and striving to achieve an un-realistic target to prove to their manager that they were worth the hire.Instead, shouldn't we be open to all types of individuals who have the right experience for the role and support them to reach their full potential? Giving them the support they need to complete their duties, focusing on outcome instead of hours?I appreciate that there are jobs out there that do require someone full time and making the role part-time just would not be feasible. However, I believe that there are always ways to create flexibility and in this instance, a job share might be the perfect solution. Similarly, an employer might reason that offering one person flexible working will open the floodgates to all which is unsustainable to a business. Allowing just one person flexible working might well cause issues which is why I believe flexibility for all is the key. There are so many incredible individuals out there, working hard to make a living and managing a million other things outside of work hours. If we opened ourselves up to considering candidates on a part time basis, we'll have more of a diverse, interesting, fun and energetic team of people, all of whom are exceptional in their own way. Not to mention, the endless benefits of opening up a vacancy to a wider pool of candidates, increasing candidate engagement in your role and brand.I am pleased to say that I have also experienced really flexible employers who are incredibly open to part time candidates. They believe that it is essential to find the right person who will add value to their organisation, someone who will drive change, bring fresh energy to the team and create initiative and inspiration. We've seen how well this can work with candidates juggling work and education, parenthood and even setting up their own businesses part time, all the while contributing invaluable experience to their organisation.I work part-time myself and I was offered flexible working, not because I am an exceptional individual but because I am a normal person, able to prioritise well and do a good job in the time I have. I am hard-working, committed and passionate about the work I do but I don't believe that I'm a stand-out unique marvel in the recruitment sector. I feel valued as a person, not just a number.I am lucky to work for a truly flexible employer who values a person's contribution above and beyond set targets. We have a mix of part and full-time employees who we're thrilled to have on board. We have exceptional relationship builders, 'blue sky thinking' influencers, support staff that are second to none and the most amazing social committee. Every person brings something special to the team which is endlessly appreciated.By giving everyone the freedom and flexibility to be exceptional, we can see how far a team and organisation can really go.

"Everyone feels out of their depth sometimes" - find out how Alice learnt from failure. Part of the lead up to #PizzaForLosersAnyone who knows me well knows that I am someone who is prone to worry. I think that that I would also be described as naturally conscientious, organised, and capable. Which I know isn't entirely true, at least not the "naturally" part.Most of the biggest failures in my life have been caused by anxiety and the way I react to it - which is through a tendency towards ignoring problems, and hiding from issues, so that they grow and grow - potentially becoming much worse.A great example of this comes from university where I studied English. To begin with, I had a lovely time - I was reading books I loved, learning lots, being challenged just the right amount - all was brilliant. Until one morning, in a critical theory module, we started to study something I just did not understand. At all. I still can't wrap my head around it if I'm honest (it was Roland Barthes and semiotics if you're interested). It was the first real hurdle I had encountered since leaving home and being wholly responsible for myself, and it totally threw me.If you'd have been privy to what was going on inside my head you'd have heard "how come everyone else around me seems so comfortable with this stuff?"; "they must be so much more clever than I am"; "I shouldn't be here" and so on. I didn't know where to start with figuring it out - so I just didn't. And I never wrote the essay; and I ignored the calls from the Department Secretary; and eventually I got a zero because I didn't hand it in. Being at the start of my second year, this had a lasting impact on my grades. I had literally got into bed and pulled the covers over my head, and had hidden from the problem.Then I finally told someone - my dad. We talked, and he helped, and we put plans in place to manage this if I felt lost in future - and I got the confidence to ask for help if I needed it. He also gave me the advice I carry round to this day which was - "don't let problems get to the stage where they are unmanageable; you have the power to shape outcomes". It was a revelation to understand that everyone feels out of their depth sometimes - but this had become so much worse by my failure to try to address the problem head on.It taught me about how I respond to stress and anxiety, and how to manage so that this feeling doesn't create much larger, potentially insurmountable problems in the future. I still worry, question and feel apprehensive but I do so much less because I tackle things head on, and understand that I am capable of navigating life's problems, because of what I learned from previous failures.

​Nick leads our team of fundraising recruitment experts, as well as taking on senior executive search projects. Inspired by Pizza for Losers, this is how Nick learnt from a past failure.Like many colleagues past and present, I had entered the recruitment world straight out of university, in truth not knowing what I wanted to do, but driven to somehow start making some of my own money rather than spending someone else's. I'd figured I would do this for a couple of years and then find my true calling and real career. In October 2013 I'd been recruiting Fundraisers for four years, over that time I had been promoted a couple of times and been asked to manage a team. Things were going well but I couldn't shake the idea that at some point I really needed to get a real job. I'd learnt to love Fundraising, I guess by osmosis, and I had always thought I could do that! After countless chats with (what was then) my relatively new wife, I thought sod it, time for my real career to start.I joined the Corporate Partnerships team at Cancer Research UK ready to change the world. Six months later I was back in the recruitment company I had left at the end of 2013, through no fault of anyone at, what I still see as the brilliant employer, CRUK.I tried and I failed. But I've always been ok with that. Fundraising is really hard, and ultimately I wasn't very good at it. I was (I think/hope) better at recruitment, and I realised if I stopped worrying about what I should be doing, I actually really enjoyed changing people's lives via recruitment. I learnt a lot of things whilst failing at CRUK, things that would ultimately make me a better recruiter, but most importantly I had resolved the unease in my mind about my career path and what a "real career" looked like.

​"Getting to know someone during the interview process helps us find the right people." - read how Maggie's recruit their team.Carys Winship joined Maggie's 11 years ago as a community fundraiser. Carys is now staff and resources manager for Maggie's, overseeing all 140 staff across the UK from her base in Glasgow.We have heard some glowing reports about the culture at Maggie's. How have you developed such a great place to work?We're a fairly small organisation (even though we're growing pretty fast) but that means we really know all the people who work here well and keep them involved with where Maggie's is going.Communication is really important. It lies at the heart of Maggie's as we are there to listen to our centre visitors and I think that means we are good at listening to each other. Everyone wants to work together to support people with cancer in the best possible way.How do you on-board your newbies?In your very first week at Maggie's you spend a week in one of our centres away from where you will be working. This is so important as you get totally immersed in the work of the centre. If you're a Finance Assistant based in our office in London or Glasgow, you might not visit another centre for a year or so. The centre you go to for your induction always becomes really close to your heart and it's such an important reminder of why we do what we do.In that first week, you'll see everything we offer in our centres. You'll get involved in our drop-in service and see how difficult it can be for someone to walk through the door for the first time, versus how comfortable and relaxed it can feel to be a repeat visitor. You'll learn about our benefits advice service, relaxation sessions and nutrition services.There isn't a big, chunky document to read. Instead, you're given postcards which include the top 10 things you need to know about Maggie's. Our on-boarding doesn't stop at induction week. Six months later, we run a 'Getting Started' session. It's based in our London office and allows all of our new starters to reflect on their induction and also share how the first 6 months at Maggie's has been for them. They meet our leadership team from Fundraising, Operations, Communications and Finance which can sometimes be overwhelming on your very first week at a new job, and I'll also do a session on HR and the useful things people might not know unless someone tells them.This is also a brilliant opportunity for our Chief Executive Laura to personally meet each and every new staff member. This session makes the leadership team approachable and allows us to all work together as an organisation.Maggie's has a really low staff turnover. Why is that?As we grow as an organisation, there are more opportunities for people to grow with us. Our growth means people continue to work for us through progression, and we're taking full advantage of that.What are the important things you look for in Maggie's people?Someone who really wants to work for us and be part of the Maggie's network, rather than it just being a job or a step on the career ladder. Having that sense of community is so important to us, and what someone can bring to the organisation in terms of personality is as important as the technical skills they have. We wouldn't hire someone if we didn't think it was the right for them, as well as us.Getting to know someone during the interview process helps us find the right people. We look to see how they describe Maggie's, how they communicate and often ask for a presentation which allows us to see their creative ideas and initiatives.What is the long-term vision for Maggie's?Our aim is to increase staffing by 49%, which is in line with our 5-year growth plan. We want to do this by developing our internal infrastructure, bringing new people in when we build new centres and continuing to offer more opportunity for progression for our current staff.

​What is the best route to CEO in the charity world? Our associate Director, Nick Billingham, offers his advice.One of the things I love about my role is the opportunity to meet informally with Directors from different specialities in the sector and discuss their career plans. When I'm not interviewing potential candidates for specific roles, I will always meet professionals for a career-focused chat. Typically this will cover work history, motivations for a potential job move and undoubtedly gossip on what's going on in our sector. One question that often comes up is "what is your opinion on the best route to CEO". I would estimate that over 50% of the people I meet are ultimately seeking to become a CEO in the future and it is widely accepted as a common aspiration.However, it's becoming more and more common for not for profit organisations to appoint a CEO from the public or private sectors, as they already have many of the skills required, plus an understanding of how Government works or how to generate income from commercial routes. As a consequence, it's becoming harder to move up from within the sector, despite charity professionals already having a grasp of the culture, an understanding of funding issues and a proven ability to get the most from limited resources. So how can you maximise your chances of making it to CEO?The first suggestion I always make is to understand what type of cause they are motivated to work for and ultimately run. Different types of organisation require different skills from their Chief Executive. A somewhat obvious comment perhaps, however it is something that is worth individuals clearly establishing early on. A campaigning organisation can require a vastly different skill-set from their CEO compared with that of a medical research charity.Having spent most of my time within the sector in and around Fundraising, I am fairly biased when I say I think undertaking an income generation role before broadening out to cover wider external relations responsibilities can be a great route. However, it's often vital that you also gain experience in programmes/service delivery. And you undoubtedly need outstanding financial acumen and the capacity to manage complex budgets with ease. And let's not forget the requirement to have an excellent understanding of the role of HR within a successful operation. In essence you need to have exposed yourself to every area of the business!So where does that leave you as you plot out your carefully constructed career plan? Naturally it will be very difficult to experience running each of the functions mentioned above; however there are some key actions to consider:Start out by writing your career plan, literally writing it out. Start with the ultimate goal and work backwards. Where do I need to be in 10 years, 5 years, and 3 years?Ensure you weigh up what any new career opportunity can offer you; what experience will this give me that will aid my long term ambition? Where will this experience leave me in five years' time?Secure an official mentor; seek out an existing CEO and ask to meet with them. They will of course have some great experiences you will be able to learn from. Once you have done this, do it again. Keep meeting people; network with professionals from a variety of different organisations.And of course one of the best ways to gain exposure to the challenges of running a charity is to volunteer as a Trustee and all at the Charity People Group would strongly recommend this.The Charity People group is made up of a group of companies that work closely with organisations with a strong social purpose to improve their impact and effectiveness. My focus is on sourcing the best talent in the Not for Profit world. To get in touch to discuss how we could work with you on this, you can contact me through nickb@charitypeople.co.uk or 0207 9397422.