My Interview with OC United Way.

So this past Monday, I got a call to schedule a phone-interview with OC United Way for the position of Manager of Education, which I recently applied for.

The interview was today and was finished about a half-hour ago.

Well, let me just say this... This was the worst interview ever! It didn't even last ten minutes! It wasn't through OC United Way, but through a third party company. I assumed they were going to ask me about my resume, which was what the person on the phone on Monday told me.

I admit, I don't have that much experience creating projects and organizing the community, but I do have so many ideas (I mentioned this Writing Workshop curriculum that I completed that I would like to start implementing in partnership with a non-profit organization).

But in the end, the interviewer told me that this job was not right for me considering that they were looking for more. In addition, she also told me that they had better candidates than myself. But to just bring me down like that gave me the most worthless feeling ever.

Can't I just get a chance to prove myself? No worries though. I'll just pick myself back up and continue with my plans with the Writing Workshop Curriculum.

OC United Way: Manager of Education

Both my brother and sister forwarded me the notice that they were hiring for a Manager of Education at Orange County United Way, which is a non-profit organization that focuses on health and human service needs in the county.

So I applied about a week ago (dropped off a hard copy of my cover letter and resume as well as sent a copy via email). Didn't hear anything from them yet, but will email them for a status update soon.

"Orange County United Way (OCUW) is about building self-sufficient lives for those most in need in Or-ange County. By way of collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships, OCUW creates long-lasting positive change within the community. United Way focuses on the follow priority areas in Orange Coun-ty: Basic Needs (food, shelter, medical care and emergency services), Education (preparing children academically, socially and emotionally to grow to be independent adults) and Financial Stability (sup-porting financial education and job development programs). OCUW is a local 501 (c) (3) organization."

http://www.unitedwayoc.org/JoinToday.aspx

Who is the Manager of Education?
"The Manager, Education will have responsibility for the development, implementation and overall management of OCUW’s Education Priority and Destination Graduation Initiative.

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record in in developing, managing and analyzing outcomes in the Education sector. They will have experience building community relationships, devel-oping and managing strategic programs for long-term sustainability and growth, managing teams of staff and volunteers and representing an organization to external constituents and groups."

What are their responsibilities?
"• Develop OCUW’s education sector goals (0-5, middle school, high school graduation), aligning them, where possible, with United Way Worldwide goals.
• Develop strategies and programs that would assist OCUW in meeting these goals.
• Develop, initiate and monitor effective OCUW lead initiatives to include:
- Destination Graduation High School Program
- Early Literacy Program (TBD)
• Represent OCUW at all appropriate education meetings/committees in Orange County.
• Develop position papers for OCUW relating to county wide education issues.
• Work with community groups and volunteers to identify ongoing county wide education issues.
• Develop formal volunteer engagement programs related to OCUW education efforts.
• Supervise Education support staff (50% FTE).

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Commitment to the mission and work of OCUW with the credibility and persuasiveness to secure support from others
• An individual who leads by example and exemplifies the values of the organization
• An organized individual with strong creative and conceptual skills
• A doer and team player who is inclusive, flexible, creative, and energetic
• A decisive and resourceful individual with the willingness to accept responsibility and take charge of results; able to work successfully with limited resources
• An individual who can set follow through on goals and objectives
• A multi-tasker who can juggle many responsibilities at once and operate both independently and hands-on with the flexibility to be part of a team"

What are the qualifications?
"The successful candidate should have demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities in the following areas:

• Orange County nonprofit sector
• Education programs and community development/organizing
• Program, grants & community relations management and program measurement methods
• Ability to bring new ideas forward that would strategically enhance the Education Priority.
• Ability to align OCUW’s education programs with local, state and national (including UWW) edu-cational goals
• Knowledge of trends relating to education on national, state and local levels
• Knowledge of critical education research in one or more focus areas (0-5, middle school, high school, drop-out prevention, parent engagement, etc.)
• Experience in analysis of complex financial information and development of
recommendations based on the data and in managing a program budget
• Experience developing and presenting complex reports, research and white papers to a variety of constituents (internal and external)
• A strong interpersonal and communication skill set and demonstrated ability to work effectively with and gain the respect and support of varied and changing constituencies including staff, com-munity representatives, and volunteers
• Computer literate; knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and database software
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree and at least five years experience in the field of education (either teacher, researcher, program developer) preferable required"