Volunteer your way to experience on the way to a fund-raising career

Q.I am looking for suggestions on how to transition successfully from my current career in consultative sales to one in fund-raising. I have joined several associations and attended local conferences, but I am finding that even though there is a demand, most employers will not hire me without direct fund-raising experience. What else can I do?

A.You and I know that many of the skills you developed in consultative sales can transfer to fund-raising. As a salesperson, you know how to be persuasive, close a sale, focus on the bottom line, meet sales quotas, research and target customers, etc. As a fund-raiser, you would need to be results-oriented, have excellent communication skills, be persuasive, cultivate donors, and meet or exceed your fund-raising goals. The two descriptions may sound similar to us. But, to a hiring manager, they may sound totally different.

Employers are more comfortable hiring people who have held the very same or a similar job in a similar type of organization. You are attempting to change not only from sales to fund-raising but also to transition from the for-profit to the nonprofit world - a major change. Employers still view you as an "outsider." It's up to you to show that you can, as they say, "walk the walk and talk the talk." How can you do that when you can't get hired for your first job in the field?

You are caught in the "Catch-22" of needing experience to get experience. One way to gain fund-raising experience is by volunteering.

Just make sure that whatever volunteer opportunity you decide to pursue:

1. You commit to doing it;
2. You are successful at it;
3. You play a significant or a leadership role if possible;
4. You can point to a positive quantifiable outcome at the end - that you can add to your resume and talk about during an interview.

There are a variety of settings in which fund-raising occurs, and a number of activities involved in fund-raising, such as research, donor cultivation, direct mail, annual giving, capital campaigns, planned giving, and event planning. The more closely your volunteer work matches what you think your ideal fund-raising job would be, the better. If you have some idea of the general type of employer - education, healthcare, philanthropy, nonprofit, political, charitable, community, grassroots - you would like to target as your ideal employer, I suggest you try to volunteer in a similar type of organization.

For example, you might want to assume the chairmanship of your son's school's major fund-raising silent auction; or volunteer to be the class agent for your college's annual campaign. If you enjoy politics, volunteer to help raise funds for a candidate whom you support; help your church or synagogue with its capital campaign.

If you need additional help in locating a volunteer opportunity, some on-line resources that can help match individuals with volunteer opportunities include: volunteermatch.org, pointsoflight.org, usafreedomcorps.gov, handsonnetwork.org , or volunteer.org. You can also call 1-800-VOLUNTEER or attend the Boston Cares Volunteer Fair on Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on City Hall Plaza (Bostoncares.org).

I encourage you to continue your involvement in the fund-raising professional associations you joined and to attend any relevant training seminars. Make sure that you make the effort to network with a number of different people at each meeting or workshop you attend. The more people you talk with, the more fluent you will become in the "language" of fund-raising, the more familiar you will be become with the various options for jobs in the field. The more experience you gain as a fund-raiser, the more valuable you will be to an employer and the easier your transition will be.

>b>Q.I have recently started applying for preschool teacher or assistant teacher positions in various schools in Massachusetts. Since I can do it only part time, is it okay to mention the time even before I get an interview call? I was offered a job and was told that the hours were 8 to 3:30. When I mentioned that I can work only from 8 to 2:30, they withdrew the job offer.

A.The hours that a preschool teacher or an assistant teacher would be needed, especially in a public school, may not be negotiable. Much of the particulars related to hiring in the public schools - including hours and salary - are set by contract. You may encounter more flexibility at a private school.

I do think you need to be up front with an employer about this. Offer to help the principal arrange coverage for your class for the hour at the end of the day.

Indicate that you would be willing to work with the covering teacher(s) to make sure there was continuity of care; that you would come in early if that would be helpful; and that you would be an asset to the school during the hours you were working. If the principal or the head of the school does have any flexibility, he or she may be swayed by your arguments, and may be persuaded to consider your request to work reduced hours.

I'm also wondering if you have any flexibility. Must your work day end exactly at 2:30? If you require part-time hours because of your own child care or elder care commitments, are there any other options you could explore?

For example, is there an extended day or after-school program at your children's school or in your town? Can you enlist a neighbor to help out in exchange for your doing some extra carpooling duty in the mornings or to some week-end activity?

I usually suggest that an applicant wait as long as possible into the interview process before bringing up negotiating points. My theory is that it's best to impress the employer enough to have him or her be inclined to hire you, and then to negotiate any special accommodations you might need to perform the job.

This works well when someone needs to request, for example, a one-time advance on vacation time to go on their honeymoon, before he or she would have been on the job for a full year.

I would suggest postponing discussion of the honeymoon until after the job offer is made, and then assume the employer and the applicant would be able to come to an easily amicable agreement.

Q.As a career professional, I work with individuals who ask me to help them prepare for job interviews. As part of this preparation, they sometimes need to conduct PowerPoint presentations in front of hiring managers. What do you recommend that can help an applicant stand out?

A.A good presentation can mean the difference between being hired or being rejected. Organization, preparation, practice, and rehearsal are the keys to an effective presentation. Know your audience, and speak directly to what they want to know. Be ever mindful of the timeframe you have.

Utilize all of the presentation techniques that work well in keeping any audience engaged: Start by asking an open-ended or provocative question or introducing an exercise or activity. Keep the audience engaged throughout, not just at the question-and-answer period at the end.

To be a good presenter, you need to know your material so well that the PowerPoint slides are almost an afterthought. The slides themselves should be well designed and professional looking, with only one or two key points on each.

As many people are visual learners, use charts and other visuals where relevant and that will help reinforce key points. Talk from your slides, but don't just rehash what's on the screen.

Review and proofread the slides for any errors. Audiences remember stories and examples, which you can use to expand on your main points; most people welcome hand-outs of the slides.

Arrive early to set up the room the way you want it and to test the technical equipment. Have a back-up plan if the technology falters. There's nothing more boring for the audience, and more stressful for the speaker than waiting until computer glitches get sorted out.

Often one staff member is assigned the role of asking difficult questions throughout the presentations; try not to get rattled. Remember your presentation is still part of the hiring process.

In addition to demonstrating your presentation style, your talk should have some substance, and demonstrate your knowledge of the field. If you are a consultant, you should be willing to "give away" one free solution as part of your presentation, but at the same time convince the audience that there are more excellent solutions where that one came from -after they hire you.

A well-planned and delivered presentation can demonstrate your organizational skills, problem-solving ability, adaptability, how you handle stress, flexibility, and even sense of humor, as well as your interpersonal and platform skills.

Presentations provide hiring managers with more information about applicants than one-on-one interviews.

"I think of a presentation as the ultimate behavioral interview question," says Susan Turner of Keystone Associates. "A hiring manager is asking a candidate to demonstrate in real time many of the qualifications he/she is seeking in an ideal candidate."

For individuals who need help in preparing effective presentations, groups like Toastmasters International, toastmasters.org have helped many people improve their public speaking abilities.

Roni F. Noland is a career counselor/coach in private practice. She can be reached at rfnoland@comcast.net.

E-mail questions to jobdoc@globe.com or mail to Job Doc, Boston Globe, Box 55819, Boston, 02205-5819.