6 Reasons to Volunteer
Volunteering is a great thing to do as it gives people the chance to help a cause that is close to their hearts. It helps people to appreciate the different situations that others are living through, too. But there are also some ways in which volunteering can be beneficial to your career, in fact, it could help land you your dream job!
How can volunteering boost my career?
You Learn New Skills
If you are working on a volunteering basis you might not be paid for your time, but that doesn’t mean that there are not some other valuable gains to be had!
As a volunteer, you can learn new skills which will help you bulk out your CV and increase the number of jobs you can apply for. What’s more, if you have selected a volunteering opportunity that will teach you key skills that your dream job would require, you have yourself a very beneficial situation.
You Gain Experience
One of the most frustrating aspects of applying for a job must be when you fall down at the ‘experience hurdle’. After all, if you are applying for your first job you clearly won’t have any experience yet. Or if you are changing job type, you won’t have any experience yet. It could be that you have been in the same role for many years and the employers are looking for someone who has spent a little while in their line of work. Again, a frustrating situation. Volunteering will help solve this problem.
You Gain Key Life Skills
Another great aspect of volunteering is that you can gain key life skills that may help you with future career opportunities. For example, working with the public is a key requirement in many job roles, particularly in the service industry. If you volunteered in a role that deals with members of the public it would be highly beneficial to gain that public interaction experience.
You Have Practiced in the Work Environment
If you are looking to begin your first job, one of the daunting aspects can be settling into a working environment for the first time. However, by volunteering, you have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with some of the typical activities and actions of an organisation which may help prepare you for your new work life.
You Might Get Noticed for Your Dream Job!
Sometimes, whilst volunteering you may be noticed by someone with the right connections and as a result, have the chance for a role in your dream job! For example, did you know that the famous DJ and presenter, Noel Edmunds began his media career after starting out on hospital radio? There have been times when talent scouts have spotted what they are looking for whilst candidates have been going about their usual volunteering routines!
It Helps Show Good Character
A popular piece of career advice states that volunteering really is a good thing to put on a CV and that it can help people land one of their dream jobs. This is partly because if an employer can see that you have taken time out to volunteer because you are passionate about a cause it shows good character, something that they will naturally be seeking. You could also fairly say they may look on positively to the idea that you are trying to build yourself up to the career that you want, and are working hard to gain skills and experience to do so.
Hopefully, this article has provided you with a helpful slice of career advice. Remember that a dream job is within your reach, and volunteering is a great way to help reach it!
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