CNP Talks with Back Office Cooperative President Linda Zager Nonprofits need employees who are passionate about their mission. To deliver on that mission, they also need sustainable business practices. We caught up with Linda Zager, President and CEO of The Back Office Cooperative, on her journey from Corporate America to serving the nonprofit sector to
Answer: Unfortunately for you, Illinois is an “at-will” state, which means employers can let you go for any reason, so long as bias against a legally protected group is not involved. The law states that employers cannot discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, or disability. And, though it wasn’t too bright
Answer: It’s reasonable to wonder, with a slow jobs recovery, whether biases against working mothers will factor into employers’ hiring decisions. In your case, there are 14 years of experience to consider and you have only been off work for six months. These aren’t red flags to most employers. You had a child and relocated.
There are a lot of good reasons why. The Nonprofit Times recently released its top 50 Best Nonprofits to Work For list. The pollsters concluded that nonprofit employees are happier than private sector workers. In nearly all categories, employees rated their job satisfaction above 85 percent. Those in the top 10 had approval ratings of
Careers In Nonprofits surveyed 200 current and former CNP job candidates seeking positions ranging from entry- to executive-level in Chicago and Washington, D.C. (100 from each city) to find out how they felt about work. In both cities, more than 60 percent of respondents said they love their jobs, with 62 percent in Chicago and
Question2: With the economic downturn, I have found myself laid off from 3 positions over the last 3 years. I always received great performance reviews and got along well with my coworkers, but was one of the more recent hires and therefore my positions were some of the first to be eliminated. I’ve been feeling
Answer: Whether this is your first job or you’re a seasoned professional, it is always a good idea to be thinking about career growth! Not only does focusing on career growth demonstrate that you are a go-getter and have goals, but also that you are invested in your company and career. However, it is important
Answer: Job searching is tricky. It’s tough work and very often feels endless. It can be especially discouraging to new grads or professionals seeking a career change, two groups that have unique experiences behind them that may or may not directly relate to the profession they’d like to enter. So what’s a person to do
Answer: The short answer here is that it’s relative. The question here shouldn’t necessarily be about how long one should stay but rather how to optimize an entry level role. Of course, no one’s expecting you to stay for ten years—but two years? Absolutely; there’s a point in the beginning of everyone’s career where you
Answer: Mentors give valuable advice, introduce you to life-changing contacts and opportunities, and guide by example. It’s to your advantage to have a mentor, and some even say you can’t get ahead at all without one. First, examine your career so far and where you want to go—next quarter, next year, in five years. Identify
