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Volunteering Leads to Employment
By Dena Harris
Volunteering is often something people
think of doing after they’ve found employment. But
volunteering—even outside your career goals—brings
new contacts, new skill sets, and opportunities for work
experience. If you’re unemployed and looking for work,
volunteering should be an integral part of your job-search
strategy.
Consider the benefits:
• Volunteering looks great on a resume. It shows
potential employers you are someone who has a passion for
work and sees more than a paycheck as reward. It also shows
initiative in that you have not allowed yourself to be idle
during the job-search process.
• Volunteering increases networking contacts. It allows
you to put in face time with decision makers and community
leaders – people who have the contacts you are seeking
and who may be willing to recommend you.
• Volunteering is an excellent bolster for flagging
self-esteem. Looking for work is draining—mentally,
emotionally, and physically. Donating your time and skills
makes you feel productive, connected, and appreciated.
• Volunteering lends structure to your week. And structuring
your time keeps you focused on things you need to do, like
finding a job.
Volunteering can also help you determine if you’re
seeking employment in the right field. You may be devoted
to the idea of working with kids, but time spent in an after-school
daycare may prove otherwise. Or you may surprise yourself
and discover a new passion.
Select volunteer activities you’ll enjoy. You’ll
have a better attitude, be enthusiastic, and your commitment
level will be stronger. Ask yourself: Where are your skills
most needed? What population(s) do you enjoy working with?
How much time can you give? Start off small instead of overcommitting,
adding hours as you’re comfortable.
Be creative! Offer to assist businesses and non-profits
with projects such as designing eye-catching brochures,
developing a marketing plan, or building a web site. Then
at your next interview, show off these samples of your work
being used in the real world.
Think broad. Working with organizations outside your field
offers a great chance to develop new skills. Do your public
speaking skills need work? Why not volunteer on a speaker’s
bureau or in a classroom? Is your background mostly technical?
Try a nursing home or crisis center to round out your people
skills.
The more places you volunteer, the more people you’ll
bring into your networking circle. Just be sure you are
doing enough quality work for each organization so they
get to know you, and that you are gaining knowledge from
the experience.
Practice professionalism. This means having a positive
attitude, showing up when scheduled, completing what you
start, and giving your best effort. You’re using your
volunteer time both to give back to the community and as
a means of building your reputation and credentials.
Encourage feedback from the people in the organization
you’re volunteering with about your job-search process.
And let people at all levels within the organization—from
the janitor to the CEO—know you’re looking for
full-time work. You never know who will have the contact
you need to land a job.
And most importantly, keep volunteering. The benefits of
increased self-esteem, gaining new skills, and meeting new
people don’t end when you find work. Communities flourish
or flounder based on the involvement of the people who live
in them—be a leader in your community.
The smart job-seeker uses volunteering to establish credentials,
gain real-world experience, and broaden his/her circle of
contacts. Think outside the box on how you can market your
skills to different business and organizations. Studies
have shown that volunteering can be a direct route to employment,
so add this profitable tool to your job-search strategy
kit.
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