Do Nothing?

Hey, all of you newly jobless corporate types, listen up: the nonprofit sector might not want you, either—or so says Nancy Lublin, the CEO of the nonprofit Do Something and founder of Dress for Success. In No Vacancy, a column she wrote in the current issue of Fast Company [February 2009], Lublin takes issue with people deluging her with resumes who have no nonprofit experience. Writes Lublin:

"Please stop thinking 'we'd be lucky to have you' when you have no experience in our world. I had braces, I brush my teeth every day, and (sometimes) I floss. This doesn't mean I can perform root canals. (That analogy assumes you've even spent time doing work related to our space. I'm shocked by how many people wanting to 'make the switch' [from the for-profit to the nonprofit world] have never even volunteered anywhere.)...Working in the not-for-profit sector is a career. It isn't a sabbatical from your 'real' job. We have skills. We require training. (There are master's-degree programs dedicated to this work.) We know how to scrimp, land barter deals, and cut waste. Plus, we're used to being paid less than we're worth."

To read more, click here. What do you think?

(Photo of crash test dummies, In Line, by Max Pometun for istock.com)