The yuppie-1980s told us that greed is good. But today’s rallying cries instigated by the likes of Live8 and the Make Poverty History campaign reveal a picture of a more caring, socially responsible generation.

There is a growing movement of people who want to spend more of those hours doing a job that makes the world a better place, whether that means within their local communities or on a global scale.

With the charity sector in the UK generating over £20bn every year and employing over half a million people over 150,000 organisations, demand for people with professional skills to work across a number of functions is at an all-time high.

It may be an idealistic goal, but charities are making positive steps to attract the best candidates.

The old stereotype of charities being run by well-meaning amateurs living on a shoe-string seems to be disappearing. And whilst it may remain true that many of the smaller charities cannot compete with companies in the private sector in terms of pay, many more people are attracted to a charity career by the distinct advantages that the sector offers.

One of the major attractions is the emphasis placed on a good work-life balance. Flexible working, part-time positions and job-shares are commonplace and surveys of pay within the sector suggest that the pay gap between charities and other sectors is closing.

There are similarities between the public sector and charities in terms of pay and working styles. Just as the taxpayer requires justification for how their money is spent, people making charitable donations are unlikely to be too impressed if a company isn’t using their money in the best way.

Volunteering is one of the best ways to break into the sector and there are many examples of people making rapid progress through charity ranks. Above all, the attribute these employers are looking for is hard graft and a team ethic.

Due to the event style nature of their marketing - Red Nose Day for example - there are certain workload peaks and troughs for many charities. The people who really stand out and make a success of things in the charity sector are the ones willing to muck in when it’s all hands on deck.

Moving from a private company to a charity (and vice-versa) is much more common than it used to be, due to the number of transferable skills that can be used cross sector. So if you’re looking for a role that gives yourself a bit more moral satisfaction, consider charities when you’re looking for your next role.