J.T. & Dale: I can’t seem to find a permanent job. My current resume is littered with temp jobs. I left a good job in 2001 to start an Internet business that was a spectacular failure. I have been unable to find a professional job since. I would love to work for a nonprofit doing communications. I really want to move on and stop reminiscing about the good old days in the late ‘90s. – Garrison Dale: Ah, the late ‘90s. Seems like such a simple time. These days, we worry about the president’s troop levels going up or down; back then, it was just the president’s pants.
J.T.: But back to Garrison’s future.
Dale: Yes. He’s attempting a difficult career maneuver: moving into a new career within a new field, while going from temp to full-time. That’s skating onto the ice and opening with a triple axel.
J.T.: He could get down to a double by altering his resume. There’s no need to list temporary work as a separate entity. The reality is we’re all temporary workers. No one stays at a job for more than a few years these days. So, Garrison, there’s no need to point out they are temporary simply because they didn’t offer full-time benefits. You were at each of those jobs full-time and for a nice stretch.
Dale: However, because you have neither communications nor nonprofit experience, you’re going to have to set aside a traditional search and network in, finding someone who’s willing to take a chance on you, or else split the career move in two.
J.T.: If it’s the latter, I’d start by finding a company that will let you do public relation communications for them. Then, once you are on board and settled in, you can volunteer to run the company’s relationships with nonprofits. Throughout time, you’ll have a network of contacts in the nonprofit world. At the same time, you’ll have the added perspective of having been on the private-sector side, recognizing what it’s like to be the corporate donor.
Dale: The end result is that you’ll be doubly valuable and thus doubly likely to get an assignment that’s as permanent as they get.
