When you were applying for colleges and scholarships, it’s likely that someone probably told you to include any volunteer work you’d done on your resume. Why? Because colleges know that volunteering for something can teach you a number of valuable skills that are transferable to college and the world beyond.
But if you’re like a lot of us, you probably stopped (or at least cut back) on volunteering once you got a real job. It’s understandable – becoming an adult with real responsibilities isn’t an easy thing. You might have even felt like volunteering might take time away from work, which in turn could hold you back.
Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than holding you back, becoming a volunteer can actually provide a number of career boosts!
More connections. When you volunteer, you never know who you’re going to meet. Maybe you’ll discover one of the higher-ups is just as passionate about your charity of choice as you are. Or (more likely), you’ll come into contact with a friend of a friend who has the ear of the people that matter. No matter what, meeting more people who have the potential to help you is always a good thing!
Learn transferable skills. Depending on your line of work and the kind of volunteering you do, there are a number of ways that donating your time can teach you skills that will be incredibly useful at the workplace. These can be directly related, such as learning certain computer programs or managing an enterprise, or the connection may be loose, like brushing up your people skills. Promotions have been decided by smaller things, so when you are thinking about volunteering, this is definitely something to consider.
Change can be a boost. Maybe you’re starting to feel like your job has no growth potential. Or you’ve come to realize that this career may not be right for you. One of the great things about volunteering is that it allows you to “try on” different fields for size and see what fits your personality and skills.
Get experience. If you’re just starting out or trying to change your career path, you might discover that it’s not as easy as you thought to get a paying job. Volunteering can be a nice shortcut if you’re able to work without pay for a while. Look for a volunteer position in the industry you want to join and enjoy the boost that experience gives you on your resume.
Besides these things, volunteering can provide you with the opportunity to take on more responsibility and a larger role than you normally would at your paid job. Success there can give you needed confidence to take on more at work and be more assertive.
