Can Volunteering Help Your Career?

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volunteering and careers

Whether you’re working full time, part time or spending your days on the job hunt, finding time to volunteer may be the best choice you’ve ever made for your career.

When you volunteer, you keep your current skills fresh and build new ones.  You also build your network, help your community, and get to spend time doing something you’re passionate about.  You get the confidence boost you need to supercharge your job search and sell your skills to potential employers.

How can volunteering help you career?  Consider these benefits:

Expand your network.  When you volunteer, you meet new people: other volunteers, members of non-profit and other organizations, and perhaps even individuals who work in your career field.  Every new connection you make represents a person who may be able to offer information about job openings, links to similar organizations, and the names of people you need to meet.  If your volunteer work goes well, you also connect with people who can serve as references when you apply for paying jobs.

Learn new skills and practice existing skills.  Volunteering gives you the chance to learn new skills that may transfer to your career field, as well as the chance to practice and refine your existing skills.  If you’ve been out of the job market for a while, volunteering lets you build a base of experience and practice to show employers.  And few things are more impressive than a candidate who takes the initiative to learn and practice, even when a paycheck is not in the offering.

Try on new hats.  Have you always wanted to lead a project, but can’t seem to get the chance with your current employer?  Do you want to learn about a new field but can’t spare the time within your regular workday to shadow in a different department?  Volunteering gives you the chance to try out different positions, organizations, and roles, which can help you decide whether to make a career change or identify new ways to expand your current career role.

At Burnett’s Staffing, our experienced recruiters can help you turn the skills and connections you build as a volunteer into a great new job.  Contact us today to learn more!

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