The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference [Paperback]

Shelly Cryer (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Fieldstone Alliance (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940069598
• ISBN-13: 978-0940069596
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why I Hate All Career Guide Books, June 10, 2008

By 

Bruce Miller (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference (Paperback)

I do hate all career guide books.

Except this one. Short. Focused. Keeping it real. And no worksheets.

As an executive working for top Human Resources management in a Fortune 100 company, I have read many career guides. And I have been asked to recommend career guides by concerned friends, usually for their kids. And they are all padded, boring, time-wasting books. Especially the ones with tests and worksheets. Did I mention I hate worksheets?

Here is a book based on a special perspective -- Shelly Cryer is a professional who is in the streets 24/7 with the real people who really know what it takes to work in the nonprofit sector. She is an expert communicator, and impatient to get her ideas across to you -- you'll feel like she is talking to you as a best friend with inside information as you read. And it is a pleasure to finally read a book not filled with true, but tired tropes about networking and how to inflate your resume.

This book is down in the trenches where a good first impression counts, but communicating accurately and tersely gets you noticed. Nonprofits after all have to do more with less, and that includes less time for fluff. Here are two examples which I know to be true from experience, and have never seen in another career book: Do not use the static-ridden, dead-voice cell phone for outreach, stick with a conventional land-line for important calls to get your human nuances across. And here is a big clue, email is a great way to communicate instantly, but do not take any less time crafting your email than you would a serious business letter. How true; email's spontaneous nature seems to sap politeness and logical structure from so many communications I get.

The index. This book has an index. Why should a slim volume like this (less than 300 pages) need an index? Well you can not live without Google can you? Think of this intelligently indexed book as having a built in search engine. So many books skimp and think they can get by with a table of contents with cute chapter titles.

This book is hard-hitting, with career profiles and interviews with true leaders in the nonprofit sector about their own careers. As proof that Shelly Cryer is saying "yo listen up my peeps!", each chapter has a quick review at the end which makes you really think about what you have just read. Not just the usual warmed-over summary, but a superb safety net to make sure you have caught on.

Want to do good in the world?

Want to wake up happy to go to work every day?

Buy this book; you may find your life's calling here.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best career guides out there, July 20, 2008

By 

Courtney (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference (Paperback)

I never thought I would review a career guide, but this one deserves it. As a student, I found this guide to be indispensable. Not only does it thoroughly cover the non-profit sector, but it also offers advice and insights that can be applied to any sector.

Cryer begins by profiling the sector and highlighting future trends. Notable is the observation that salary in the nonprofit sector depends on field of work and size of organization--in certain fields, nonprofit pay is higher on average than that of their private or public sector counterparts. Furthermore, as the sector grows in prominence, more attention is being paid to salary as a means of recruiting talent. Other trends include a growing need for leadership and increased diversity. The meat of the book is in lively chapters covering sector subsections (arts, education, health international, etc.) and job functions (management, communications, development, consulting, etc.). Its snapshots of different people working in the industry provide a good sense of what to expect from the different avenues the sector has to offer.

This book made me see my career options in a new (and organized!) light.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must have Career Guide Reference, August 6, 2008

By 

Gabriela Cipollone (New Rochelle, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference (Paperback)

Shelly Cryer has compiled a useful tool for college students who are examining their options following graduation. The Non-Profit Career Guide - how to land a job that makes a difference, serves as a nuts and bolts directory that can prove useful for entry into the world of Not for Profit organizations. This manual is laid out logically and is easy to use. The appendix and endnotes are of particular help to first-time job-seekers or even those making a career change. A must have for your Career Guide Reference Collection!

Gabriela A. Cipollone
Reference Librarian, Iona College