Volunteer Your Way to a Better Position

By Megan Martin

Volunteering can help you find personal fulfillment and get involved with your community. It’s also a great way to boost your resume. Whether you’re currently employed, between jobs, or looking to move up in your current organization, volunteering will make you more marketable, all while feeding your soul.

Develop New Skills

In a January 2010 Journal of Financial Service Professionals article, writer Bryan K. Brenner says volunteering is one of the best ways to develop leadership skills—which managers mention as among the most important skills needed to advance your career.

According to Brenner, the 2005 report "Power Skills: How Volunteerism Shapes Professional Success," conducted by Markitects, Inc., found that “there was a close correlation between skills acquired and honed through early nonprofit involvement and participants' advancement in their professional careers.” Eighty-three percent of respondents said leadership was the top skill they learned through volunteer work.

Respondents mentioned other valuable skills they gained through volunteering, including improved communications skills, experience in fundraising, problem solving, and public speaking. He says volunteering “provides a vital means of development to new employees to supplement or complement on-the-job training.”

To tap into skill development opportunities, do your research and choose an organization where you can learn the skills you need. Once you begin volunteering, express your interest in specific roles. Do you want to work on leadership? Public speaking? Or perhaps you want to work one-on-one with those in need to sharpen your interpersonal skills?

Let the organization know what your strengths are and what skills you would like to build upon as you volunteer.

Networking

Volunteering is also an effective means of expanding your professional network.

In her Career Journal Online article, “Revving a Career While it’s in Neutral,” Sarah Needleman tells the story of Meghan Stinton, an event coordinator who was frustrated by the lack of opportunities to move up in her organization. When she was unable to find a position elsewhere, she began volunteering for several non-profits in public relations: a field she wanted to move into. She also joined her local Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and several months later when a position opened in their PR department, she sent her resume to the director and landed the job.

Brenner agrees. “Volunteerism provides a natural connection that allows employees to reach out to like-minded individuals within the community and exchange information and viewpoints in a less forced atmosphere than at more formal ‘networking’ groups,” he says.

The people you work with at volunteer organizations can be great assets to you in the future—not only as references, but also as potential employers. Make sure you get to know your fellow volunteers and take your job as seriously as you would a paid position.

Stand Out to Potential Employers

“When you are looking for a job, your resume gets your foot in the door. It represents you to a potential employer and you want it to stand out from the resumes of the other applicants,” says Susan J. Ellis in her Charityguide.org article, “Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume.”

“One way to capture the interest of an employer is to show that you are an involved citizen -- someone who works to make the community a better place to live.”

When putting volunteer work on your resume, Ellis recommends:

• Include volunteer experience under “Work Experience.” Highlight your work rather than hiding it at the end. Just because you weren’t paid doesn’t mean you didn’t acquire new skills or experience, particularly if you devoted many hours a week to an organization.

• Include a specific job title, rather than “Volunteer,” which doesn’t clarify the type of position you held. (ie: Project Coordinator)

• Highlight your achievements. Did you help raise a certain amount of money for the charity? Manage the budget? Work as a supervisor? Be specific about what you did to help the organization get ahead.

• Include what you learned. Did you gain public speaking skills? Get experience in PR? Work in a management position?

Wellness

A final benefit of giving back is, of course, feeling the thrill of helping others and a connection to the larger world.

Kenneth R. Larson, who has turned Minneapolis-based Slumberland Furniture from a single storefront operation into a major retail chain in seven states, says he sees a huge change in employees who help out with Slumberland’s “Home for the Holidays” program which distributes beds to the needy.

In a story featured on Minnesotagiving.org, Larson says Slumberland employees are "absolutely ecstatic" about the company’s “Home for the Holidays” program. "They’ve come up and told me how much it means to them. That’s one of the things that happens with giving: It becomes infectious."

The connection between philanthropic work and health has long been proven. Aside from the feel good rush you get from helping others, people who volunteer have been found to have lower mortality rates, less risk of depression, and improved mental and physical health.

Getting Started

The benefits of volunteering are many. Now all that’s left to do is to get started!

Below are links to ways you can give back in the Twin Cities. Check them out to find a volunteer opportunity that’s right for you!

VolunteerMatch.org – helps match volunteers with opportunities based on time commitment, type of position, and other specifics. http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/index.jsp

Hands On Twin Cities – Offers local volunteer opportunities in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. http://www.handsontwincities.org/

Idealist.org – Comprehensive listing of local, national, and international opportunities. http://www.idealist.org/if/as/vol

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