There are great rewards in extending a helping hand to those in need. These rewards range from the obvious one; feeling of accomplishment, a sense of purpose, the joyful emotions of sharing your blessings with others. On this list, volunteering boosts your chances of getting hired. Here are some reasons and ways in which volunteering can boost your chances of getting hired:
- Volunteering teaches you new and transferable work skills
Most fresh candidates struggle with the lack of work experience. But an easiest way of gaining work experience while unemployed and looking for a job is to volunteering. This is a great way for the unemployed to gain skills that will help them gain employment in the future. Contrary to the common misconception among job seekers that an unpaid working gig does not qualify as a real work experience that can be used to fill a resume, many tasks done during volunteering are transferable when you are looking for paid work.
- Volunteering presents you as an attractive hire for recruiters.
In the job hunting game, those who are employed have an upper hand over those who are unemployed. That’s why it is advisable to stay with an employer and resign only when one has found a new job.
However, there are things in life that are unavoidable and there may be instances where quitting is the better option even before you’ve found a new job. In those cases, volunteering can help bridge the gap between jobs. While you may not be earning for the work you do during this time, the skills and experience you gain can help you earn meaningful employment in the future.
Likewise, a potential employer will also see a candidate who does volunteer work as careful, a worthy trait that is highly prized by recruiters and managers. Usually they go for people who can show that they’re hard working and motivated, and doing volunteer work can accomplishes that.
- Volunteering helps you grow your network
Networking while job hunting puts you as a more competitive candidate ahead of your fellow job seekers, and volunteering allows you to do that and more. Most charity work requires you to work alongside people; you’re suddenly given a ton of potential connections and references.
There are the nervous people; in this case let your work speak for you. Do your job well and go the extra mile if you can. You might just get hired for a permanent paid post if they like your performance. At the very least, you can earn yourself several references who can vouch for the good work you’ve done for the organization. Finally, building good relationships with the people you work with will help you go far in your career, so work hard and be a team player—be a person that people would want to work with.
- Volunteering allows you to explore careers and roles
Do you find yourself wanting to make a career change but confused over which path to take? Volunteering can help you explore different roles for different industries and fields. Unlike in a regular office or corporate setting where your role is pretty much defined from day one, non-profits or non-government organizations that take in volunteers allow for more flexibility in job assignments or tasks. Your role is not defined by your educational background, age, gender or status in life. Just as long as you have something to contribute to the cause then there’s no limit to what you can do.
In a way it’s a form of exploring without doing the actual act of job hopping—which is a less risky way to try out different roles.
- Volunteering can bring back a sense of purpose to long-time job hunters
Everyone who’s been out of work knows that the period in-between jobs can be demoralizing for even the strongest of spirits. It is important to be confident and optimistic in order to succeed at job hunting, but when you’ve been out of work for so long those positive feelings can be hard to come by.
That’s where the value of volunteering comes handy in these trying times. Doing good deeds feels good for the soul, and knowing you are able to help out other fellow men can reinvigorate the spirit.
It might feel these efforts as a volunteer are going to waste, but reality is, it eventually pays.
Source : Ethiojobs
