Thank you for sharing your honest experience -- It is so disheartening to hear but so necessary to talk about! I would be *livid* if I were in your shoes. If these groups cannot afford an honorarium for their "assignments" (a.k.a. free brainstorming/content creation) then I would be concerned about the pay and treatment once you are actually on staff, where they're likely to overwork you to get every bit of their investment back. These programs are supposed to be helping our community, not adding to the very behaviors that are keeping us underemployed.
Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your thoughtful response and validation. You make such an important point: if this is how folks are treated during the hiring process, it raises questions about what it might be like internally. These programs should create equitable pathways, not reinforce the same dynamics that leave many of us undervalued.
Thanks for writing this. As I was reading, I thought to myself that it’s a shame that NPOs are still doing this. I encountered this back in 2000, and again in 2002, after I returned to the job market after business school. Good for you (and others) for pushing back and holding a boundary.
Thank you for reading! And it’s interesting to know that this isn’t something new. It really speaks to how deep-rooted this issue is. The fact that nonprofits are still operating this way decades later is honestly disheartening. It’s long past time for the sector to change its practices.
Well said! I agree with Stella's comment too. Add higher ed to the list. Universities are equally guilty of doing full and multiple day interviews where candidates are expected to develop and give presentations to multiple departments about new projects ahead of the "interview." Those departments jot down all of their ideas, thank them for their time, and ditch them.
Very true! I have a few friends who recently finished their PhDs and are interviewing for professor roles. The process seems SO exhausting! Across many fields, candidates are essentially offering free consulting while institutions take their ideas in the name of “evaluation.” Thanks for raising this point!
That’s true. One of my close friends is trying to find a new job in the tech industry and he told me once that he had 5 rounds of interviews (on top of a hiring exercise), which is absolutely criminal!
I agree with all of this. I will add: 1) I think much of the problem can be attributed to AI. So many people use it now to either do or retool their work, that we're starting from a place of mistrust in the hiring process, and 2) I believe some companies absolutely use interviews as a form of information gathering and brainstorming. Why hire someone new when you can simply take their ideas and have someone internal execute? Regardless, good for you for setting boundaries.
You bring up a very valid point about AI. It’s definitely added a layer of mistrust, which leads to more “proof” being demanded by employers. I agree that many orgs use the interview process as a free brainstorming session. That’s why I’m setting boundaries now. I refuse to be/feel used any longer!
🙌🏽 YES!!! That floors me that these orgs are given new perspectives, insights, and maybe tools, and they just take and don’t respond. The ghosting is extremely disappointing.
And especially on fundraising side. I’ve had exercises in the past that asked me to pitch prospective donors and what I would say to them… not even hypothetical. Real people! Don’t be asking for all of this information if you are not willing to properly compensate as you would with a consultant or other staff member. And giving out someone else’s information like that- in an exam. Is weird to me.
Exactly!! Thank you for raising your perspective and experience on the fundraising side of things. It’s a good example of this happening on all sides of the sector, not just my experience (from the comms side). It’s all unpaid consulting masked as an interview. Huge scam. And I’m pretty sure it’s not best practice to be sharing donor names like that. 😭
Thank you for sharing your honest experience -- It is so disheartening to hear but so necessary to talk about! I would be *livid* if I were in your shoes. If these groups cannot afford an honorarium for their "assignments" (a.k.a. free brainstorming/content creation) then I would be concerned about the pay and treatment once you are actually on staff, where they're likely to overwork you to get every bit of their investment back. These programs are supposed to be helping our community, not adding to the very behaviors that are keeping us underemployed.
Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your thoughtful response and validation. You make such an important point: if this is how folks are treated during the hiring process, it raises questions about what it might be like internally. These programs should create equitable pathways, not reinforce the same dynamics that leave many of us undervalued.
Oh she’s preaching today! This is a heavy hitter and so real
Someone has to! lol Thank you so much, I appreciate it 🙏🏾
Thanks for writing this. As I was reading, I thought to myself that it’s a shame that NPOs are still doing this. I encountered this back in 2000, and again in 2002, after I returned to the job market after business school. Good for you (and others) for pushing back and holding a boundary.
Thank you for reading! And it’s interesting to know that this isn’t something new. It really speaks to how deep-rooted this issue is. The fact that nonprofits are still operating this way decades later is honestly disheartening. It’s long past time for the sector to change its practices.
I totally agree! Thank you for sharing
Appreciate you for reading! Glad I’m not the only one that sees the issues and thinks it’s time for a change.
Well said! I agree with Stella's comment too. Add higher ed to the list. Universities are equally guilty of doing full and multiple day interviews where candidates are expected to develop and give presentations to multiple departments about new projects ahead of the "interview." Those departments jot down all of their ideas, thank them for their time, and ditch them.
Very true! I have a few friends who recently finished their PhDs and are interviewing for professor roles. The process seems SO exhausting! Across many fields, candidates are essentially offering free consulting while institutions take their ideas in the name of “evaluation.” Thanks for raising this point!
It's not just nonprofits. For-profit companies are doing this too. It's a scam.
That’s true. One of my close friends is trying to find a new job in the tech industry and he told me once that he had 5 rounds of interviews (on top of a hiring exercise), which is absolutely criminal!
I've been looking for a job for months too, it's not just you. Things are BAD 🙃🙃🙃
Right! I know so many others are in the same boat. It’s even more daunting when 200+ people are applying to the same job.
I hope something comes our way soon! 🙏🏾
I agree with all of this. I will add: 1) I think much of the problem can be attributed to AI. So many people use it now to either do or retool their work, that we're starting from a place of mistrust in the hiring process, and 2) I believe some companies absolutely use interviews as a form of information gathering and brainstorming. Why hire someone new when you can simply take their ideas and have someone internal execute? Regardless, good for you for setting boundaries.
You bring up a very valid point about AI. It’s definitely added a layer of mistrust, which leads to more “proof” being demanded by employers. I agree that many orgs use the interview process as a free brainstorming session. That’s why I’m setting boundaries now. I refuse to be/feel used any longer!
🙌🏽 YES!!! That floors me that these orgs are given new perspectives, insights, and maybe tools, and they just take and don’t respond. The ghosting is extremely disappointing.
And especially on fundraising side. I’ve had exercises in the past that asked me to pitch prospective donors and what I would say to them… not even hypothetical. Real people! Don’t be asking for all of this information if you are not willing to properly compensate as you would with a consultant or other staff member. And giving out someone else’s information like that- in an exam. Is weird to me.
Exactly!! Thank you for raising your perspective and experience on the fundraising side of things. It’s a good example of this happening on all sides of the sector, not just my experience (from the comms side). It’s all unpaid consulting masked as an interview. Huge scam. And I’m pretty sure it’s not best practice to be sharing donor names like that. 😭