How to choose between two job offers

After months of searching, weeks of prepping, days of worrying and hours of selling yourself at interviews, you receive the call you’ve been waiting for … you got the job.

You finish the call on a high and return to your emails. But five minutes later, you’re stunned to receive a call from another charity with another offer.

You end this call feeling stressed. You feel passionately about both causes, both roles excite you, and you got a good vibe from the people at both organisations.

Which offer do you accept? And how can you be sure you're making the right decision?

First off, congratulations. The fact you’ve received more than one job offer shows your skills, experience, and personality impressed a lot of people!

Here’s what to do next.

Ask for both offers in writing

You’ve got two verbal offers, which is great. But until you have them in writing, nothing is confirmed. So, the next step is to request a written offer so you can review everything in detail before making a decision.

It’s perfectly reasonable to ask for a couple of days to do this.

Compare the offers

Once you have both offers in writing, compare the packages. Create a score sheet to quantify the elements of each offer, and write down the pros and cons, weighing up the salaries, company perks, benefits, location, commute, cultural fit, working environment, and your career prospects.

Figure out what really matters

Is a good salary more important to you than career progression? Does flexible working take precedence over a generous pension scheme? Everyone’s priorities are different. Work out what matters most to you and see which package ticks more boxes.

Reflect on the hiring process

One way to determine how much you’ll like working with each employer is to think about your experience of the hiring process. Was one charity more timely, responsive and approachable than the other? How did you connect with the interviewers? Which gave you the best feeling?

Reflect on your conversation with each interviewer and think about whether the organisations core values align with yours. 

Reviewing the interview process is a good way to determine if the work environment and culture is a good fit.

Research the charities

You probably did some research when preparing for the interviews, but now’s a good time to dive deeper. Check out platforms like Glassdoor to better understand salary expectations and employee impressions. Browse current employees’ LinkedIn profiles to see if they’re actively sharing content from their employer, as this signals they enjoy working there. 

Consider where you can negotiate

Let’s say, (after weighing up the options), your heart is set on the first offer, but the package is worse than the second. What would need to change to entice you to accept the first offer? More annual leave? A more flexible work schedule?

Seeing the positive elements of the competing offer can help you identify your priorities and help with your negotiation.

Ask for another call

Hiring managers understand that choosing a job is high stakes. This is how you’ll spend a good chunk of time each day.

If you’ve accumulated a list of questions you forgot to ask during the interview, ask for another call. They’ll appreciate you taking the initiative and you’ll gain further clarity before making a decision. 

Trust your gut

An important thing to remember when debating job offers is you can always make a change if necessary. You won’t be stuck in the role for the rest of your career, so don’t burden yourself by putting too much weight on the decision.

If, after a few days you’re still feeling uncertain, it means you’d be happy with either position, so choose whichever one you feel most excited about.

Turn down the losing charity with grace

Once you’ve made your decision, be sure to politely reject the other job offer before opening the champers. Thank the employer for their interest, explain why you’re declining their offer, and express an interest in staying in touch.

Follow it up by sending the person a connection request on LinkedIn.

The bottom line

If you find yourself in the enviable position of having two job offers on the table and want some impartial advice, give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk

5 weird ways to beat interview nerves

Your mouth goes dry. Your palms drip with sweat. Your voice comes out as a squeak. Meanwhile, your brain is desperately trying to remember the name of the interviewer and the question they just asked you.

Sound familiar? It’s no surprise. Interviews can be nerve-wracking. But they don’t have to get in the way of you bagging your dream job.

How can you beat interview nerves? Here are five bizarre tactics that actually work:

1. Eat fish and nuts

Fancy a pre-interview snack? How about some almonds? Or salmon?

Nuts and fish are packed with omega 3 - an energy source that helps keep your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system functioning efficiently.

Omega 3 stimulates the Vegas nerve (which controls functions in your body such as digestion). If you increase your intake before an interview, it’ll help reduce your blood pressure and heart rate, leaving you in a state of pre-interview zen.

2. Breathe through your nose

We speed up our breathing when we’re nervous. But you can slow it down by doing the following just before your interview: Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of three, then breathe out through your nose for a count of three. Repeat this three times. It should take a total of 18 seconds.

In that time, your heart rate will have lowered significantly.

When you speak, you’ll sound composed and you won't rush.

3. Relax your jaw

Another way to trick your body into thinking you’re calm and composed is to open your mouth and let it go limp. Allow the tongue and jaw to completely relax. It sends a signal to your body telling it to reduce cortisol and adrenaline production, which helps you return to a state of calm.

It goes without saying, do this before the interview. Not in front of the panel.

4. Squeeze your bottom

This one is a game-changer. Are your legs shaking uncontrollably? Squeeze your bottom.

It's almost physically impossible for the rest of your body to shake if your glute muscles are clenched. Tensing your thighs works too.

Just be sure to wear clothes that disguise it

5. Think of the interview as a conversation

Reframing how you think about an interview can relieve stress. Remind yourself that a job interview is a conversation, not an interrogation. Yes, they’re trying to figure out if you’re the best person for the role, but it’s also your chance to determine if the position and charity would be a good fit for you.

Prepare some questions in advance. It’ll help to create a more equal power dynamic and reduce feelings of intimidation.

Need some more help? We’ve got a lot more tips up our sleeve. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 for a chat.

How to tackle five tricky interview questions

You’ve negotiated the first hurdle and bagged an interview for a job you really want. Congratulations!

The next challenge is to figure out how to answer the questions, or more specifically, the tough questions.

Here’s how to dodge the curveballs and come out on top.

Let’s start with an age-old favourite.

1. Tell me about yourself

This one should be easy. After all, you know yourself, right? But this open-ended question throws a lot of people off. Where do you start? Your first job? High School? Birth?

Nailing this question starts with realising that the interviewer already knows your job history (thanks to your CV), so, reciting a monologue based on that isn’t going to win you any brownie points.

Instead, work out what the charity needs for the role and customise your answer to position yourself as the best person to fill that need.

Go through the job description and come up with anecdotes from your work life and personal life that highlight each skill. The aim is to bring out your relevant experience, transferable skills, and key achievements.

2. What’s your biggest weakness?

Everyone clams up over this one. And it’s no surprise. How can you showcase how amazing you are while admitting you’ve got flaws?

The first thing to know is we’re all flawed. The key is to show the interviewer you’re aware of yours and are proactive in addressing them.

Maybe you’re terrible at maths, but a Trust Fundraising role requires you to have ‘a good grasp of numbers’. You could say ‘I’m great with words and pride myself on writing good quality funding applications, but I’m not so strong with numbers. However, I’ve taken a couple of e-learning courses to improve my skills, and it’s paid off. ”

Bonus Tip: DO NOT respond to this question with a cliché like, "I tend to work too hard," or "I’m too much of a perfectionist." The interviewer will cringe and you’ll come across as insincere and lacking in self-awareness.

3. Why do you want to leave your current job?

If you’re not prepared for this one, it could backfire.

Whatever you do, don’t say you want to leave because you hate your boss, you don’t gel with your colleagues, or you’re stuck in a boring role.

Focus on the positives. List the things you enjoy about your current role and put a positive spin on moving on i.e., a new job can offer you career progression, and new challenges. Talk about the opportunity to move forward.

If you were fired from your last job, be honest. Explain the circumstances in a calm and rational way and talk about what you learned.

4. Give us an example of how you’ve demonstrated initiative

If you’re asked a competency-based question, the interviewer wants to know that you can take an idea and turn it into something tangible.

They’re looking for evidence that you’re a self-starter. i.e. you’re capable of coming up with new ideas and thinking creatively to solve problems.

For example, “Tell me about a time when you spotted an opportunity to improve something, made a plan, and carried it out”.

Maybe you came up with a unique fundraising idea at your last job and took the lead on it. Or you organised a charity event outside of work to raise money for a friend to fund expensive treatment.

Whatever example you use, be sure to say how the idea worked in practice and the results it had for your organisation (or your friend).

5. Tell me about a time you made a mistake

Here’s what NOT to say: “I was blamed for a mistake at work recently, but it wasn’t my fault …”

The employer doesn’t want a person on their team who makes excuses and blames others for their mistakes.

When asked about a time you failed or made a mistake, own up to it, acknowledge that you could have done something differently, and explain how you should have handled it.

Avoid talking about mistakes involving carelessness or lack of effort. It’s better to talk about a mistake you made because you were lacking in knowledge.

Final Word

Interviewers aren’t trying to catch you out, they just need to dig deep to ensure you’re the best person for the job.

Need some help with interview preparation? Call us on 020 3750 3111.

3 top tips for nailing your next fundraising interview

You just got the call. Your potential new employer loved your application and wants to meet you. Now there’s just one thing standing between you and your dream fundraising job; the interview. As you hang up the phone, you’re ecstatic, but then you start thinking about the interview and promptly break into a cold sweat.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. 93% of people experience pre-interview anxiety, according to a recent survey. And it’s no surprise. Sitting opposite a bunch of strangers as they scrutinise your professional life and fire questions at you can be extremely unnerving.

However, approached in the right spirit, interviews can be rewarding and enjoyable. Think about it - how often do you get to wax lyrical about how wonderful you are?

With this in mind, here are 3 ways to supercharge your interview skills and present yourself as an irresistible candidate.

1. Swot up on the charity

Like most things in life, preparation is key. The more you know about the charity, the better.

Before the interview:

• Familiarise yourself with the charity’s annual reports. Look at their overall income and the breakdown of it. What’s their fundraising target? Also, look at trends in donor retention over the past few years. Has it remained consistent?

• Identify the organisation's key players. Who’s the CEO? And the chair?

• Look at their website and social media accounts to get a sense of who they are and how they present themselves.

• Google the charity and look for nuggets of information you can bring up as talking points in the interview. Have they hosted an event recently? Have they won any awards? While you’re at it, do some snooping on your interviewer/s on LinkedIn. If you don’t know their names, ask. Look for anything you can use to make a connection. If you have something in common with them, be sure to mention it. It could earn you some brownie points!

2. Prepare yourself

So, you’ve swotted up and know the charity inside out. The next step is to figure out how you’re going to sell yourself. The last thing you want is dead air, awkward mumbling, and sweaty palms while you scramble to think of answers to their questions.

Be sure to study the job description and person specifications. These are your cheat sheets - your handy list of everything the charity is looking for.

Be ready to prove you’re a good fit by having a list of real-life examples to back up each of the competencies/requirements. Practice saying them out loud so they become second nature to recount.

It’s worth noting here that very few candidates meet 100% of the competencies, but that’s okay. You can get around it by working out where you’re lacking experience and finding ways to compensate. Think about times when you got to practice the skills missing from your resume. Have you had to use any of them in an internship, voluntary work or course?

These are all places you can look to find skills you never knew you had. 

Uncomfortable questions

Most of us have a habit of avoiding uncomfortable questions. But you can’t brush an interview under the rug. If there’s a question you know you hate being asked, tackle it head-on.

The most commonly asked ‘tricky’ interview question is 'what’s your biggest weakness?’Everyone dreads this one, but the key is to avoid cliches like “I’m a perfectionist”, or “I work too hard”.Think about it from a different angle. Are there areas where you’ve seen improvement? For example; perhaps in the past, self-confidence issues have made you reluctant to accept criticism. Explain how you overcame it and add that you now embrace constructive feedback, which in turn has helped you improve your skills as a fundraiser.

If you take some time to plan, answers to even the most uncomfortable questions will roll off your tongue.

3. Quiz your interviewer

Ok, that’s enough about you. Now it’s their turn to get grilled. Interviews are a two-way street, so it’s time to figure out if this is the right road for you.

Coming prepared with questions is always a good idea. Just don’t jump the gun and start asking about holidays and bonuses. You want to get a better understanding of how they do things.

A few well-informed questions will show them you mean business.

Think about what matters to you. What’s the working culture like? Are there opportunities for training and progression? Do you want to know more about the team you’d be working in? What are the charity’s funding priorities?

Final Word

So there you have it, 3 top tips to take you a step closer to your next fundraising job. Remember every interview is an opportunity to improve your skillset so be professional, friendly, and be yourself.

If you want to discuss any of our roles, or get some more advice about nailing your dream fundraising job, give us a call on 020 3750 3111. 

How to pitch fundraising ideas at an interview

At Bamboo, we’ve seen more fundraising presentations than we can count.

The factors that lead to success are as myriad as the topics that presentations cover.

In this post, we’ll hone in on presentations that ask candidates to deliver on a fundraising idea e.g., “who do you think would be a good corporate partner?”, “what would make a good idea for a special event?”, “what would be a good fundraising product for engaging with major donors?”.

With that said, here are four-pointers to presentation success.

1. Preparation

This goes for every step of the interview. Preparation is a crucial element, yet time after time we see great candidates lose out as they didn’t take the time to read the annual report or get to grips with the organisations’ programme portfolio.

But we digress.

Before putting pen to paper, look at the charity’s income streams, donor base, fundraising products, fundraising programmes, and ambassadors.

This will ensure you don’t present an idea based on an event they scrapped last year because it hadn’t connected with donors, or from pitching a potential corporate partner they already have.

You need to let the panel know you’ve taken the time to get to know the organisation. You can’t do this if you haven’t taken time to prepare.

2. Lead with a summary and overview

A summary and overview will give the rest of your presentation context.

This will help ensure the panel knows where where you’re going with it and allow them to absorb your ideas and take your insights on board.

Summary

Providing an overview of how your presentation is going to unfold is a great way to keep the panel engaged.

We’ve all been at that dinner party where someone reels off a long anecdote that you can’t grasp the point of, and you find yourself admiring the artwork instead of listening.

Contrast that with the person who sets the scene and hints at what’s to come. You’re gripped.

So, set the scene.

• Relay the approach you’ve taken with the task

• Summarise how you’re going to talk through your ideas

• Summarise how you’re going to wrap it all up

For example – “I was set the task of identifying a suitable charity partner for Charity X in the light of project Y. I started by analysing exactly what the charity is trying to achieve, and the synergies the partnership would need to achieve it. I’ve shortlisted three suitable partnerships and will talk you through my rationale for each, and highlight the advantages & disadvantages. I’ll then explain which partnerships I feel are most appropriate, and outline the reasons why.”

Overview

Before you start going through your ideas, give an overview of how you interpreted the task and the things you took into consideration. Again, this will provide context to your thoughts. For example:

A new event

Identifying the ideal demographic, maximum budget, and potential sponsors/corporate supporters.

A new corporate partner

Identifying the demographics the charity appeals to, the types of organisations that would fit that demographic, and the resources the charity has to invest into individual partnerships

3. Ideas

We recommend you pitch three ideas when suggesting a new fundraising idea or product. Three is a small enough number to remain concise and interesting, but large enough that you can demonstrate a range of ideas and thinking.

The ideas you pitch will depend on the specifics of the topic at hand, but broadly speaking, we would suggest going for two relatively mainstream but very different ideas, and one that’s a little bit ‘left-field’ to demonstrate you can think creatively and ‘outside of the box’.

Be sure to highlight that you know the idea is a little left-field and that there are potential weaknesses.

Bring your ideas to life

Adding creativity and colour to your ideas will give them real-world context and make them more appealing.

There are a few ways you can do this.

Use imaginative titles

One of the most effective is to give your idea a catchy marketing name - a name the panel can see themselves using.

For example, if you’re proposing the charity teams up with a children’s clothing company to raise money to save koalas from forest fires, don’t label the slide “Koala Bear Clothing Range,” call it “Koala Bear Wear.”

Utilise case studies

Case studies are a powerful way to bring ideas to life. If you can find one for a similar, existing project, run through it and demonstrate how it would work at the charity you’re interviewing at..

If you’re so damn creative that no case study exists for the idea you’ve come up with, create a case study for it. Run the panel through the hypothetical supporter journey, show them why people would engage with it, how it would make them feel, and why it would work as a concept.

Quantify your ideas

Read the following two statements;

“This event is aimed at young people as they engage most with this sport.”

“This event will be aimed at young people with a BC demographic who are between the ages of 18 – 21, as they make up 65% of the charity’s regular donor base, and 85% of the sport’s participant base.”

Which of those statements would make you sit up and pay attention as a panel member? Which would make you take the idea more seriously?

Backing up your ideas with figures and stats is also important when highlighting the income potential of an idea.

In many cases, you’ll be able to draw on past experiences to make assumptions about income and expenditure. But be sure to explain your thinking behind the assumptions so the panel knows how you came to reach the figures.

4. Come to a conclusion

You’ve done your preparation, summarised your thoughts, and laid out your plans. Now you need to bring this maelstrom of creative brimstone to heel.

Summarise everything you’ve discussed, the journey you went on while putting the presentation together and your final conclusions.

If you’ve been asked to pick a specific fundraising idea, choose one of your three and explain why it’s superior to the other two ideas.

If you’ve been asked to consider a new fundraising direction for the charity and all three of your ideas are part and parcel of this, discuss what your general thinking was and why this approach is best.

Need some help preparing for an interview? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111.