Too many people skip over the Hawaii Non-Profit jobs because of preconceptions that are usually totally wrong. It’s not just a matter of the types of positions you might think they have, but also who or what these institutions are actually. Before you pass by that category again, you should know a few things.
It is certainly true that many Hawaii non-profits are centered around a cause or serving a specific community. The mistake people make is thinking that they’re all based around some kind of political angle or employ only extreme environmentalists. There are some out there that do have a leaning one way or another, but there are many more who do things we can all support, such as helping the handicapped or the elderly. Chances are you’ll find places doing something you fully support.
The Non-Profit Salary Question
There is also the idea that Non-Profits don’t pay as well. Sometimes that is accurate. Non-Profits often survive off of grants and gifts, so they have to watch their funds even more than traditional businesses. What they do offer, though, is an opportunity to work someplace where your job has meaning. That is often much more important than salary in job satisfaction, making it more to you than just what you do 9-to-5. Don’t discount that.
You can be part of this without being specifically involved in the ‘cause’, too. Non-Profits need administrative support, accounting help and everything else a For-Profit office would need. Plus a lot of other types of workers, too. Their needs are based around their work. Some require drivers or warehouse people, for example. Their operations depend on traditional positions just as much as businesses do, so there are openings for almost everyone.
Broader Career Experience On Your Resume
Lastly, working for non-profits can be excellent, beneficial experience. You’ll often have to do things outside your normal job description, to fill in due to the fact that they must get by with less staff sometimes. This gives you more responsibility and a broader skill set than you’d typically get elsewhere.
Should you ever leave, having that job listing & experience on your resume tells potential employers that you have a well-rounded background and you can deal with challenges. That translates into a person they want to take a second look at when they’re making the hiring decision.
Don’t take a Non-Profit job just for that benefit, though. It’s meant instead to show you what you can gain by working at one of the Hawaii Non-Profits out there. Career planning should be long-term, so don’t base every move on paycheck alone. That is important, but that alone is not a recipe for real job satisfaction.
Hawaii Job Engine Team