An interview with Ms. Pervin Varma, Chief Executive of CRY (Child Relief and You)

PRACTICALLY speaking, what kind of jobs can people seek in NGOs like CRY and what kind of career development can they expect, especially in India?

CRY offers opportunities for people in various fields like development, marketing, communication, HR, finance and IT. What is obvious is the opportunity for talented people to make a difference in the society sector, in a job with CRY. What is not so obvious is the tremendous opportunity for people to grow and develop in their own specific areas of work - be it marketing, communication, HR etc. This, combined with an opportunity to grow fast in the organisation, to get exposure at a relatively early stage in one's career, can make working for an organisation like CRY extremely rewarding.

With so many NGOs floating around, how does an interested candidate identify a genuine organisation?

It's important to find both a genuine organisation and one that meets the personal and professional needs of a candidate. Therefore identifying the issue/cause or professional area of interest and finding organisations that match these is important. Reading up on the organisation, doing reference checks to verify credentials, and most importantly spending time with the people to assess their professional and values fit, would help a candidate identify a genuine and relevant organisation.

What about job security? With irregular funding how can a candidate even consider this sector as a career option?

Within CRY, commitment to the mission, performance on the job and contribution to the organisational goals really determines job security. Funding will always be an issue, but usually most organisations are able to sustain their core work.

What about remuneration?

While the opportunity for personal growth is immense in this sector, it is important to know that making a shift from the corporate sector will entail a significant drop in compensation-- nearly 60%- 70%. Also, there would be very few perks that a corporate sector job automatically provides.

How do you manage to recruit dynamic candidates who believe in working for a cause? More importantly, how do you retain them in spite of the constant lure of more lucrative jobs?

CRY's work over the past 23 years has provided professionals from all walks of life including some of India's best corporate houses, opportunities to really make a difference. Our efforts have been to share these examples to attract the necessary talent essential for our work. However, the reality is that it is still extremely difficult to find good people consistently whenever needed. The goal therefore is to simultaneously help people grow within the organisation to create a ready talent pool essential to build organisational sustainability.

How do you keep up the morale of the employees?

The social sector offers the rare privilege of being in touch on a daily basis with people who want to and are making a difference. It is an opportunity to be a part of the passion and commitment that this sector typically inspires in people. Yes, the issues we grapple with are often very depressing and even horrifying, but the ongoing interaction with such committed individuals is a constant source of motivation and a reaffirmation of our basic belief that no situation is completely without hope.

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

maalini.mds@cxknetworks.com