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The most important part of the search
The most important part of hiring starts before you post the job.But wait, isn’t the whole goal of a search to get applicants in the door? Yes, of course, but that’s not where it all starts. I’ve seen too many camps and nonprofits do things backwards. They rush to get a job posting live, blast it across every available platform, and then wonder why they’re sifting through seemingly infinite applications from “candidates” who don’t understand their mission or fit at all in their culture. And then, sometimes, the organization has no choice but to start all over from the beginning. The Rush-to-Post ProblemHere’s what typically happens when a camp is searching for new leadership:
The very predictable result? Floods of generic resumes from people who may (or may not) be qualified on paper, but don’t understand what makes your camp unique. Then the “work” becomes weeks of sorting through prospects who never came close to matching, conducting interviews that go nowhere, and saying to yourself, “Nobody good is applying.” How Camps Get The Right PeopleThe best hiring outcomes start with something that sounds counterintuitive: slowing down. Before writing a single job description, we sit with summer camps to invest time in deep discovery. That means talking with key stakeholders (board members, senior staff, donors, and yes, even their camp families) to understand the real needs. Anyone can make a list of required skills. We want to go well beyond that. Understanding culture, uncovering unspoken concerns, and identifying the temperament and philosophy that will actually succeed in your specific environment. What makes someone thrive at your camp? What’s your organization’s ideal leadership style? What are the real challenges that aren’t obvious from the outside? What comes from these questions and answers (and many more) is a clear, aligned vision of success that everyone can rally behind. It’s Step 1 of our four-step process, and it’s crucial. Why Most Recruiters Skip This StepSome recruiting firms treat hiring like a numbers game. They want to post jobs quickly and present you with a stack of resumes as fast as possible. It looks like progress. It appears as if something is happening. Taking time for stakeholder conversations and cultural discovery doesn’t scale the way they want it to. But camp leadership isn’t a commodity. You can’t capture the true organizational DNA with keywords and algorithms. What This Preparation Actually DeliversWhen you invest in this upfront discovery, everything else becomes easier. The job description attracts the right people. Your interview process is laser-focused. Candidates can tell the difference, which means serious people come in looking for the right fit, not just any job. Oh, and most importantly, your board and stakeholders feel heard and aligned. Instead of months of second-guessing and resume sifting, you have a unified hiring team moving in the same direction. The camps and nonprofits that make the best hires don’t rush to post jobs. They invest time upfront to understand what they actually need. The recruiting is around a shared purpose. Sometimes the best way to speed up your hiring is to slow down at the beginning. Sincerely, Senior Consultant at Immersive1st Learn more about Immersive1st's Approach |
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Subscribe to the Immersive1st newsletter for new openings and smart job search tips. Hiring? The next issue will show how your organization can reach the right candidates.
Nobody calls camp people entrepreneurs. But that’s exactly what they are. Think for a couple of seconds about it. Small organization. Often, one leader at the top. Limited resources. Trying to sell someone on a vision and a dream. Figuring it out as you go. Wearing twelve hats because there’s nobody else to wear them. That’s a startup. And that’s what working at a camp looks like. The outside world would never describe it that way. But the job fits the definition perfectly. How You Got to...
Many camps still communicate with parents like it’s 2005. Back in the olden days of the early aughts, you could send a welcome packet, slap up a few photos mid-session, and trust that families were fine with what was happening. Parents filled in all the blanks with camp goodwill. They assumed things were going well unless they heard otherwise. That worked then. It doesn’t work now. The Disconnect Consistently, I see this gap growing between what camps think parents need and what parents...
Did the subject line of this email send cold chills down your spine? I get it. The whole point of sleepaway camp is independence. Kids away from parents. Facing challenges on their own. Growing in ways they can’t when mom and dad are nearby. So the idea of parents on the property feels like it undermines everything. But I’ve been running market research on this, and the numbers are hard to ignore. What Families Are Telling Us I surveyed 102 affluent families from the metro New York City area...