Although there is truth in the saying that searching for a job is a full-time job in itself, it is in my opinion that making the extra time to pursue strategic volunteer opportunities is worth the hassle. As an active job-seeker, the potential gains from pursuing volunteer opportunities are boundless. In this article, I touch on key reasons why every job-seeker should consider volunteering.
1. Networking opportunities
If you have already established your field of expertise, search for volunteer opportunities within those communities, or within groups that may find your skills useful for their operations. For example, if you are an accountant who was recently laid off, landing a gig doing bookkeeping or general accounting work for a non-profit organization could lead to potential conversations with a hiring manager or someone who knows of upcoming job openings that you would be suitable for.
2. Benefits for your resume
In addition to the points raised in the previous bullet point, if you are able to find a volunteer opportunity in which you can utilize skillsets specific to your niche areas, this would make for excellent additions to the Skills and Professional Experiences sections of your resume. For instance, volunteering in a long-term care facility would present an individual with opportunities to demonstrate traits such as the ability to communicate with parties of different social backgrounds and cultures, managing the expectations of family members, etc; all skills that are transferrable to jobs in many other fields.
3. Benefits for your overall well-being
Personally speaking, this has proven to be the most important reason for an active job-seeker to consider volunteering, especially if you have grown accustomed to the regular routine of a day job. Even if the volunteer opportunity only entails a couple of hours each day, at the very least, it would infuse a certain degree of routine into your life and nudge you towards making measurable achievements on a regular basis. This may encourage the job-seeker to remain disciplined in their job search efforts.
Contact me for advice on landing a viable volunteer opportunity and taking your career to the next level!