Yes, when I suggest this to job seekers most people’s first response is, “Are you crazy lady? I need job!” Please hear me out as I have a couple of success stories of when volunteering resulted in getting a great job.
The first story is mine. When I was 25 I worked at local university. A good job, but not a great fit for me. Imagine being a 25 year old female sitting in the middle of a very large office, surrounded by 100 male flight instructors just as the movie Top Gun was released. Twenty-two years later hearing the sound track from Top Gun can still set off flashbacks! I knew I had to find another job!
I wanted to transition into a helping/people type of profession, but lacked the skills and experience that I needed. That is when I decided to volunteer with a couple of local agencies where I thought I might eventually like to work. After volunteering for one of the agencies for nine months, I was hired as a permanent full-time employee doing exactly what I wanted to do! I only volunteered two hours a week for that agency, but it gave me needed experience in the field and it got my face in front of the right people.
The first story is mine. When I was 25 I worked at local university. A good job, but not a great fit for me. Imagine being a 25 year old female sitting in the middle of a very large office, surrounded by 100 male flight instructors just as the movie Top Gun was released. Twenty-two years later hearing the sound track from Top Gun can still set off flashbacks! I knew I had to find another job!
I wanted to transition into a helping/people type of profession, but lacked the skills and experience that I needed. That is when I decided to volunteer with a couple of local agencies where I thought I might eventually like to work. After volunteering for one of the agencies for nine months, I was hired as a permanent full-time employee doing exactly what I wanted to do! I only volunteered two hours a week for that agency, but it gave me needed experience in the field and it got my face in front of the right people.
Art, a recent member of our Pro-Net group, got his dream job through volunteering. He too, was trying to reinvent himself. Art said that the one action that significantly helped him get the job, were the few hours each month he spent doing volunteer research for the agency that eventually hired him. Art now has a great job that combines his knowledge from his previous career and the knowledge that he gained through volunteering. He now is employed doing research on using virtual reality for addictions treatment.
By now, it is obvious to you that I’m a huge fan of volunteering. As a job seeker you should be too. Volunteering will allow you to substantiate yourself to potential employers, help you network with people outside of your usual circles and it just plain makes you feel good.
You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
-- Winston Churchill
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