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.

Five tips for optimising your experience with a recruitment agency

Finding top-tier fundraisers can be difficult when you don’t have the time, tools, or the right connections in your industry.

However, recruitment agencies exist to plug that gap.

We discuss the benefits of outsourcing your recruitment in our recent blog post: 5 Reasons to Use a Recruitment Agency to Find Fundraising Talent.

But what can you do to ensure you find the right recruitment partner and have the best possible experience?

Here are some top tips.

1. Read online reviews

Some charities are wary of hiring agencies due to negative stories.

However, we live in the age of online reviews, so you don’t have to rely on one person’s opinion to find out how an agency’s reputation stacks up.

Good places to look? Trustpilot, Google reviews, or Glassdoor.

Just bear in mind, reviews can be biased, so read as many as you can before making a decision.

2. Find an agency with a culture match

A good recruitment agency should be an extension of your HR team. They’ll make the effort to learn as much as they can about your organisation – your values and mission, culture, and the traits your new hire needs to succeed.

You need to do the same. When meeting agencies, get a feel for their culture, values and approach to ensure you’re in sync.

3. Make sure the agency specialises in what you’re looking for

It goes without saying, if you’re looking for a fundraising role, don’t hire a recruitment firm that specialises in finance.

And avoid going too broad. Some agencies cover a range of industries, but this limits their expertise in certain fields.

If you want a top-notch fundraiser, you’re better off working with a specialist fundraising agency. Did someone say Bamboo?

4. Weigh up agency fees against the cost of doing it yourself

Agencies typically charge a fee, which is calculated as a percentage of the annual salary. With this in mind, you need to determine if the agency costs outweigh the costs of recruitment internally (we’re not just talking about monetary costs - there’s a significant cost in time and expertise too).

Terms and conditions vary, so get clear on the fee structure before signing on the dotted line.

5. Be realistic about the job market

Speak to agencies about the state of the employment market to determine the type of candidates you can expect to find within your budget. If necessary, run through the different ways you can adjust your expectations and/or the job conditions to match your budget.

For example, flexible working arrangements may overcome the issue of a lower salary.

Need some help finding fundraising talent? Call us to ger started on 0203 750 3111.

Should you work for a small or large charity?

When it comes to charities, does size matter? Is bigger better, or do the best things come in small packages?

As with most things in life, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer. It boils down to your priorities and what you want from your job.

To help you decide, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of working for large and small charities.

Small Charities

Advantages:

• 97% of charities in the UK are small (they have an annual income of less than £1 million). That’s a lot of organisations to choose from and a wealth of potential job opportunities.

• Smaller organisations have fewer staff, so they tend to look for multi-taskers. If you’re willing to muck in and cover a variety of functions, you’ll pick up a ton of valuable skills and experience.

• Smaller organisations tend to be more agile in their decision-making. And let’s face it, getting a team of six on board with a new initiative is a lot easier than convincing hundreds of stakeholders across multiple time zones.

• The working environment in small charities tends to be collaborative and close-knit. On the downside, it’s tricky to avoid employees you don’t get on with.

• You’ll be close enough to beneficiaries to see the difference you’re making.

Disadvantages:

• If career stability is a priority, a small charity might not be for you. Positions are often funded for a set amount of time and there’s no guarantee they’ll be extended. And there tend to be fewer opportunities for promotion, so you may have to leave to advance your career.

• Smaller budgets mean smaller salaries, although most charities try and offset this with perks such as increased holiday allowance or flexible working opportunities. Speaking of which, if you need a flexible job, smaller organisations are a good call, as they’re more likely to be looking for part-time employees.

Large Charities

Advantages:

• Large charities have clear structures and multiple levels of hierarchy. Job roles are rigidly defined, so if you’re looking to specialise in a particular area, this may be the way to go.

• If career progression is a priority, job responsibilities, promotional opportunities, and pathways to leadership tend to be clearly defined, making it easy to see where and when you could progress.

• Big charities have big budgets. This means you’ll get to work on projects with a large scope and potential impact. You’ll also have access to more resources, support, technology, and training. However, because of the large amounts of money involved, large organisations tend to be risk-averse. Every project will be carefully evaluated and approved by multiple stakeholders, which can limit spontaneity and innovation.

Disadvantages:

• One of the main attractions of working for a large charity is the salary. On average, large charities pay 8% more than smaller charities. Senior roles in particular tend to attract higher salaries. On the flip side, competition for senior roles can be fierce.

• It can be difficult to get noticed in a large charity, as you’re a small cog in a big machine. Individual achievements are more widely recognised in smaller charities.

Final Thoughts

We've made some sweeping generalisations here, but whatever way you cut it, both large and small charities offer fantastic career opportunities and experience.

A lot of the fundraisers we work with move between both, and they’re stronger candidates for it.

Looking for your next fundraising role? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to get started.

Three face-to-face fundraising tips

As a result of two years of COVID restrictions and lockdowns, charitable giving has officially gone digital.

In a recent report, the Charities Aid Foundation revealed that, since March 2020, there’s been a large and sustained increase in contactless giving (from 13% to 24%).

The question is, does it signal the end of face-to-face fundraising?

No. Because face-to-face fundraising provides something that no digital platform can: Human connection.

What is face-to-face fundraising?

Face-to-face (F2F) fundraising is where professional fundraisers approach members of the public to sign them up for regular donations.

The practice has been around for 25 years. And, while it faded out during the pandemic, charities are starting to ramp up their F2F activity.

There are various types of face-to-face fundraising:

• Door-to-door fundraising: We’ve all encountered them. Those insanely enthusiastic folk in high-vis jackets who knock on your door.

• Street fundraising: This one is self-explanatory. They’re usually found in city centres.

• Private site fundraising: Takes place in indoor venues such as train stations and shopping centres.

Does F2F fundraising work?

We may live in a digital-first world, but the value of face-to-face interaction shouldn’t be underestimated.

If in doubt, check out these stats from Ascenta Group:

• Face-to-face donors give 10 x more than donors acquired from other channels.

• Non-profits see up to an 80% conversion rate for personal interactions.

With data like that, it’s hard to dispute the value.

So, we know f2f is effective, but what can you do to boost your success rate?

Here are four top tips.

1. Give a ‘face’ to your F2F fundraisers

One of the reasons why f2f fails? It’s hard to tell a legitimate fundraiser from a phony. Thanks to design programmes like Canva, you don’t need to be a design wizard to knock up a convincing flyer and ID badge.

The onus is on you to ensure donors feel confident enough to sign up.

The best way to do it? Take a leaf out of Unicef’s book. On their website, they provide a summary of their face-to-face fundraising programme, including:

• The geographic areas where people might run into one of their fundraisers

• A description of what their fundraisers wear (both clothing and ID)

• A rundown of what they talk about

• Images of the team in full gear.

2. Talk less, listen more

In their haste to get all the information across, F2F fundraisers often make the mistake of talking too much and forgetting to listen.

Once you deliver your pitch, ask a couple of key questions and shush.

Allow the person to respond without interruption. And listen out for keywords or phrases that align with your mission, so you can draw a connection between their story and your cause.

3. Don’t dwell on the negatives

Sure, you’re going to need to highlight the gravity of the situation faced by the people the charity serves, but don’t dwell on the negatives.

Move the conversation on to what the charity is doing to help. Share success stories, facts, and a few statistics that demonstrate the difference the charity is making

What next?

The key to face-to-face fundraising success is having the right people on board. This is where we come in. If you’re looking to build a solid f2f team, give us a call on 0203 750 3111 for an informal chat. 

Charitable donations hit by energy price hike

The UK is in the midst of a financial crisis. Bill-payers aren’t just tightening their belts, they’re tightening their shoelaces. And many were living on a shoestring in the first place.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 4 in 10 Brits are struggling to pay their energy bills. And, in six months, they’re due to rise again.

Unfortunately, it’s not just energy prices that are increasing: fuel, water, council tax, and food are all going up, but wages aren’t.

No money to burn

With energy prices soaring, people don’t have spare cash to give to charities. Enthuse’s Spring 2022 Donor Pulse report claims that over half of us (53%) are finding it harder to donate to charity than we were six months ago.

Strapped for Cash

Despite being squeezed, charity-minded individuals are continuing to do what they can to help the less fortunate. You only need to look at the response to the Ukraine crisis to see that the good in people persists in hard times.

However, with costs set to rise again, the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

Wondering what you can do to protect your charity? Here are a few tips.

1. Assess your financial situation

Before anything else, you need an accurate picture of your financial situation.

So, dig out those bank statements, log on to your online banking, and do some number crunching.

The key things to identify are:

1. The number and value of payments the charity will need to make over the next six months.

2. The amount of cash available to cover the payments

3. You also need to figure out how much the charity is likely to receive over the six months

This information will help you identify whether the charity is at risk of running out of cash, and how long you’ve got to address the issue.

2. Renegotiate deals with suppliers

Are you on the most cost-effective tariffs with your suppliers? Now is the time to check and re-negotiate. You don’t want to be paying through the nose unnecessarily.

3. Speak to your funders

Explain your financial situation to your funders. They may agree to relax the restrictions on how you spend their money or bring forward a payment to help you out of a rut.

4. Team up with other charities

When times are tough, it pays to collaborate.

Why not look at joining forces with another charity?

You and your charity partner could save money by:

• sharing office space and equipment

• providing joint training for your staff

• splitting the cost of fundraising activities/events

Bonus tip: Check out the Charities Buying Group. The organisation exists to help charities save money when making purchases.

Final Thoughts

The energy price hike is a real blow for charities. But it’s also an opportunity to innovate and find new ways to fundraise.

Are you looking for a fundraiser to help boost your income? Contact us on 0203 750 3111 to get the ball rolling.