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.:Resource Guides:Interviews-Benjamin Sand.
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Interviews
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Benjamin Sand
Vassar College '94
Urban Studies
Concern Worldwide
Senior Program Officer
New York, NY (with projects around the world)
benjamin.sand@concern-ny.org |
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A Day in the Life
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What are three things you love and three things you find challenging or frustrating about your work? |
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| Love: |
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Having a job that reflects my personal beliefs |
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Having a job that involves travel |
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Working with such an amazing group of colleagues |
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| Challenging or frustrating: |
| 1. |
Multi-tasking... |
| 2. |
Making due with a nonprofit salary
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What is the most important task on your desk right now? |
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Providing ongoing support to Concern Worldwide's team in Afghanistan: making sure that funding is assured, that technical advice is forthcoming, and that general assistance is available whenever required.
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What drives you to do this work? What makes you want to get out of bed every morning? |
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I love it, I love not sitting idly by while these issues of global concern overtake so many innocent people around the world. My job affords me the opportunity to assist victims of war, famine, poverty, and bigotry. It might sound
trite, but the organization, and my day to day involvement with Concern, remains very mission-driven.
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How often do you "dress up" for work? Describe the culture of your organization. |
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We have a fairly conservative office. We receive millions of dollars from the U.S. public, both through direct donations from individuals and from large grants from the U.S. government. We try to show in every way, including the way
we dress, that we take that responsibility seriously. I wear a shirt and tie daily, and a suit if I anticipate any meetings at the UN or in Washington.
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In a typical month, about what percentage of your time is spent on the following activities? |
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| Talking on the phone |
15% |
| Dealing with email |
15% |
| Meetings with individuals |
10% |
| Meetings with groups/committees |
10% |
| Traveling |
10% |
| Writing |
10% |
| Reading |
10% |
| Researching |
20% |
(Note: respondents could allow their answers to add up to be more than 100%)
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What do you do when you are feeling burned out at work? |
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I try to make sure that I have a balance in my life, that I have other outlets outside of work where I can relax. Especially when your job is of such personal import, you need to avoid becoming completely consumed by it. In order to
do my job well, it's pretty obvious I need to not do it exclusively.
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next page | Career Path
1, 2, 3, 4 |
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