How to prepare for an interview with a charity

Preparation is key to doing well in an interview. CharityJob highlights research that shows only about 30 to 40% of interviewees end up getting a job offer. So, it’s important to prepare and get ahead.

This article shares advice and tips for preparing for a charity interview, whether you’ve been working in the sector for a while, or you’re looking for your first charity job.

The benefits of preparing for an interview

Career guide Indeed says preparing for an interview “puts you in the right mindset”. This will help you to come across as confident and competent in the interview. “Creating a positive first impression” is really important as it will help to “increase your chances” of getting the job.

Doing preparation before an interview will also make you feel calmer, which in turn will help you to perform well.

Research the charity 

CharityJob says you need to thoroughly research the organisation you’re interviewing with. It recommends finding out about their campaigns and initiatives, reading recent press coverage about the charity and looking at their social media channels.

Think about how you can show the interviewers the level of research you’ve done. For example, you could put some questions together to ask the panel using the research.

It’s a good idea to do some research on the interviewers, too. Look at what they do for the charity and their backgrounds and experiences.

Be passionate and enthusiastic during the interview

By doing your research ahead of the interview, you will show the panel that you’re interested in the charity. The interviewers will want to see that you are enthusiastic about the cause and will work hard.

CharityJob recommends telling the interviewers why you feel strongly about their charity. It says: “Be open about your motivation and let your passion shine through. It might just be the deciding factor when an employer is choosing between you and another candidate.”

Think about questions you may get asked in the interview

Look at the job description and person specification as a starting point. This will help you to prepare for possible questions that could come up.

An article on Charity Connect by Richard Sved says to use the job description and person specification to put together a table with what the charity is looking for. Then match these up with your own experiences. For example, if the person specification says an essential skill is to have experience of managing websites, put together some bullet point notes about how you’ve done this in previous roles.

Read more about the possible interview questions charities will ask:

• Indeed
• CharityJob

Be able to talk about what’s on your CV

Recruitment agency Charisma says you need to be “prepared to expand on your CV”. This means being able to talk about a particular piece of work that you were responsible for. For example, a policy campaign or a fundraising event.

Practise out loud before the interview

Once you know what you’re going to say to potential questions, practise saying the answers out loud. Listen to how you sound. Make sure you sound relaxed and natural.

You don’t want to sound like you’re reading from a script.

Put together questions to ask before the interview

It’s always good to ask questions at the end of an interview. It shows you’re keen and have initiative. It will also help you to work out if it’s the right role for you.

Recruitment agency CharityPeople says some of the best questions to ask include:

• “What are the greatest challenges that the charity is facing?”
• “What would you expect the successful candidate to achieve in the first three months?”
• "Is there career development in the future? What is your commitment to training staff?”

You could also ask the interviewers what their favourite part of working at the charity is. It’s a great way to find out if they like the place and whether you’ll enjoy working there. An article on CharityConnect says if you ask this question, the interviewer will “associate meeting you with good feelings about their job”.

Manage your fears in the lead up to the interview

Going for a job interview can be scary. CharityChoice says it’s normal to feel nervous but if you’ve done the research and are prepared, you’ll do well. As part of preparing for the interview, practise some mindfulness techniques to help you stay calm before, during the interview and after.

Practising your answers to potential questions will also help you to manage your nerves.

Preparing for a first job in the charity sector

If you’ve not worked in the charity sector before, it’s important to be specific about why you want to make the move. Think carefully about how you will answer this question from the panel. Also, be prepared to tell the interviewers what you will contribute to their charity and why you are passionate about it.