Volunteering may be the last thing you want or feel like doing while you are looking for a job. You might feel like volunteering would take away from the time you should be placed in your job search activities. There you go shoulding on yourself again. Make it a choice and you will likely find that it is the best addition to your job search strategy.
Volunteering should complement not replace your job search activities. Commit to an activity 2-4 hours a week with one nonprofit organization in addition to participating in one-day events. Events like galas and yearly fundraisers are a great place to meet board members and other leaders in the community. Ideally, choose an assignment that requires multiple volunteers allowing you the opportunity to connect with other people in your community. When scheduled properly volunteering can easily integrate into your active job searching.
You will find that volunteering while job seeking can bring a number of benefits. Here are the top five ways volunteering can benefit your job search:
#1: Build your Network
If you had a choice, would you rather meet new people at a Chamber luncheon or while building a home for a family in need? Most people would choose the latter because of the relaxed setting and similar interests that brought them together in the first place. Working side by side together for a common good creates more meaningful conversations and thus more meaningful connections. Volunteering may give you access to other volunteers, staff, board members, civic leaders, and retirees, who held significant positions in the business community.
#2: Apply or Boost Skills while Closing the Employment Gap
Employers love to know you’re staying active and engaged in work that keeps your skills current and serving as a productive member of the community. Close that employment gap by working on a project that keeps your skills current or enhances them. Although not paid, volunteer work gives you “real-world” experience and can be strategically placed on your resume under a header labeled “Relevant Experience”. Just make sure that if you do combine it with paid work, you make note that it was a volunteer position.
#3: Boost Self Esteem
Being without a job and actively searching for a new one is one of the most mentally challenging endeavors we will ever experience. Being unemployed may threaten the values we hold most dear: financial security, family, self-identity, and personal fulfillment. The team that with the isolation that typically occurs when looking for work and no wonder our self-esteem takes a hit.
Overcome the feeling of isolation and the inevitable cut to your self-confidence by taking time every week to volunteer. Giving back to those in need while connecting with your peers contributes to an overall sense of accomplishment and well-being. In addition, it gives you a new perspective on your situation as you may be helping people who are in even more dire straits than yourself. Finally, it gives you something to say when someone asks you what you’ve been doing since you left your job. For other ways to boost self-esteem while looking for work check out this article on staying confident during your job search by focusing on the process, not the outcome.
#4: Facilitates Good References
For those of you who may not be in a position to use your previous employer as a reference or your references are getting a little stale, you now have a more recent reference that can speak to your current performance.
#5: May Lead to Paid Work
Individuals who show proficiency, timeliness, and dedication to the work they are performing may be first in mind when a paid position of a similar nature becomes available. For more information on how volunteering can land you your next job check out this article by U.S. News & World Report.
When seeking volunteer opportunities do your research on local nonprofits that fit your interests and passions, as well as organizations that are in need of your skills. Identify nonprofits that will put you in touch with your target audience or industry. If you feel a kinship to a specific organization, contact them directly and ask if they need support in the help you can offer. If you are not sure where you should volunteer here are a few helpful websites to get you started.
Ideally experience should be consistent and ongoing for a period of time. Whether you commit to volunteering two hours or 20 hours a week ideally it should be at one place so that you have the opportunity to build relationships, trust, and rapport with staff, board members, customers, and other volunteers
The best place to start is to think about a cause you are passionate about and find an organization that supports that cause. Then contact the organization directly and ask them if they need volunteer support in the services you can offer. Wherever you do decide to volunteer, leverage the opportunity to connect with others, do good work, and rejoice in the blessings in your life.