Happy New Year

Happy New Year to one and all. For many of us, today is the first day back in the office after the Christmas break and perhaps your career is right where you want it to be, but for others the holidays may have been a time for some career evaluation and 2014 will be the year you make a change.

Before you start filling in those application forms, here are a five to do’s:

1. CV - is it up to date and ready to adapt depending on the job you are applying for?
2. Linkdein - does your profile mirror your CV? Do you have a profile? If not, 2014 is defiantly the year to change that, Linkedin in is an incredibly powerful tool for both recruiters and job hunters.
3. Social Media - its not very difficult to prospective employers to find you, make sure that your timelines and status updates are sending out the right kind of messages.
4. Be strategic - a scattergun approach to job hunting is exhausting, far better to be selective in what you are applying for and tailor each application to suit.  
5. Make friends - if the job is being advertised by a recruitment consultancy or HR department, there is no harm in trying to build a relationship with them - anything that helps to make you stand out from the crowd in going the extra mile is a good thing.

Happy Job Hunting!

On Behalf Of The Planet, Thank You For Being A Fundraiser

For the past three years, I have worked with all sorts of charities all hoping to make the world a better place in some way.  Although the causes they work for may be diverse, one thing they do all have in common is a desire to recruit the very best fundraising talent in order to achieve their organisations objectives.

There is nothing easy about being a Fundraiser, it can feel like a pretty lonely place when you don't win that pitch, or the trust application you've been working on doesn't come off, or the event you were holding didn't draw the numbers due to rain etc.  No time for licking wounds, you have to dust yourself off and get back out there.  In some ways, this this is no different to any other sector where Sales and Marketing Managers make a pitch or Project and Event Managers stage an event. The difference with fundraising is that unlike other sectors, there is no bonus incentive scheme if you hit that target.  The incentive IS hitting the target and bringing in the income that will make a difference to someone's health, or to our planet and the animals that live on it or the arts that inspire us.  That is why you should be proud of being a Fundraiser, or proud of the Fundraisers in your team.

The Fundraisers I work with are self motivated, target driven, passionate, focused, able to multi task, professional, quick to adapt their communication style to suit any number of audiences and have the ability to search and seek out an opportunity where others would fail to see one.

So, on behalf of the planet, all living creatures, museums, art galleries and universities thank you for going to work everyday and doing what you do.

Who, when, where:

Polly Symondson has worked as a fundraising professional for over 10 years both in-house with Macmillan Cancer Support and FARM-Africa, and as a consultant working with a diverse portfolio of not for profit clients.  Polly is now director of Polly Symondson Recruitment – a consultancy that specialises in placing fundraisers.  To register as a candidate or to fill a vacancy please return to our main website.