Nonprofit and for-profit firms require the same skills

It's the old conundrum: Employers prefer to hire non-career changers, but to one degree or another almost everyone is a career-changer, or wants to be one.

Our lives and careers tend to follow winding paths. This comes up when we're looking to move between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

Employers seem to think there is a universe of difference between the management skills and mental makeup needed to succeed in these two areas.

In my experience, that just isn't the case. What matters more is organizational size. I think some people tend to be more successful in small organizations, some in large organizations. It's hard to put your finger on it, but I think it boils down to this: Smaller organizations require stronger action skills, while larger organizations require stronger communication skills.

That's not to say it's easy to make a career move from the for-profit to the nonprofit sector, or vice versa. Employers look for relevant skills and experience, which are always harder to demonstrate when you're changing career tracks.

If you're a nonprofit administrator looking to find a for-profit job, don't try to reinvent your career from whole cloth. Instead, look to your organization's for-profit counterparts.

If you're at a nonprofit hospital or health care organization, look at for-profit hospitals and related businesses. Look for opportunities at your own organization's for-profit suppliers, partners, advisers, competitors and companies like them.

The same logic holds if you're in the reverse situation, looking to move from for-profit to nonprofit. But there is another thing you can and should do: Gain experience and build relationships by serving on one or more nonprofit boards of directors.

In my experience, all employers - nonprofit and for-profit - look for the same things in hiring managers. To wit:

• A career path that demonstrates your insider's understanding of and commitment to the organization's business or mission.
• Specialized knowledge that will raise the organization to a new level in your area of expertise.
• An action orientation, as proven by your track record of successful results and accomplishments.
• Verbal and written communication skills that show your power to persuade, and to represent the organization well to internal and external constituencies.
• An executive skill-set encompassing several abilities: to develop and manage a team effectively; to strategize and plan the long-term direction of the organization, and execute an action plan to get there; to forge alliances and partnerships with other leaders and organizations; and to grow the organization's financial resources and scope of activities, whether by raising funds, generating revenues, or securing budget increases.
• And last, and perhaps most intangible of all, a cultural fit that gives the employer confidence you'll belong as a member of the team.

These are common denominators of management success, whether in the for-profit or nonprofit sectors. Cultivate these capabilities, and you'll be able to advance your career in any direction.