Working in the non profit sector is competitive, as candidates vie for charity jobs that offer job satisfaction.  And yet, despite this, many prospects don’t pay attention to completing a professional job application.

It may provide those in charity recruitment with a giggle to see such gafs as “Size of Employer – very tall, probably over 6ft 5”; or “Employment – Night stalker in Tescos”; but you will be remembered for the wrong reasons.  Although your CV should stand out from the crowd there is definitely a right way and a wrong way!

Let’s take a moment to get to grips with how NOT to apply for a job working in the non profit sector....

1. Don’t read the job description;  just send your CV off with a generic covering letter in the hope that if you apply to loads of jobs then you will get lucky:-

“Dear Sir/Madam, I seek a job in a field where my individual skills can be brought to bear in a team environment unless I am asked to work alone which I do well and thrive upon”.

1. Never edit your charity job application for spelling or grammar:-

“Quick lerner, good at mats amd speling”

“ I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer”

“I be no stranger to double-entry. I loves numbers, and my wife and I loves journals and ledgers! Can also do tricky sums when I puts my mind to it. Computor litrate.”

1. Always be rude about your previous  and possible future employers:-

“Left last four jobs only because the managers were completely unreasonable”

“I have guts, drive, ambition and heart, which is probably more than a lot of the drones that you have working for you.”

“Whilst working in the hairdressers I had to deal with a lot of old biddies”

1. And remember to add in a few clever, witty lines:-

“Why should you employ me?  I bring doughnuts on Friday.”

“I have a lot of integrity so I promise not to steal office supplies and take them home”

“Company insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. Couldn’t work under those conditions.”

First impressions realy do count and these blunders will likely land you in the reject pile.  Take the time to get it right.