Volunteer Work

Both experienced and inexperienced job seekers can add significantly to the marketability of their resume through volunteer work.  Don't misunderstand us here, volunteering is vitally important to many organizations and is an admirable deed that should make the volunteer feel good about themselves.  But there is also no harm in taking credit on a resume for any volunteer work you've done.

Volunteering to Help Organizations

There are many ways that volunteers can help organizations by creating a resource available to them that they could not otherwise afford.  The Peace Corps, Habitat for Humanity, and many other organizations rely on the efforts of volunteers to carryout their corporate charter or objectives.

Why People Volunteer

Many people engage in volunteer work to help those that are less fortunate.  Others leverage their business expertise to help local communities that are faced with similar problems and decisions that these volunteers typically encounter at work.

The point here is that there is no disputing that volunteer wok is admirable.  But there is actually another good reason that people should consider volunteering and that is a more selfish reason - to gain an important skill or experience in new areas.

For example, perhaps you have been turned down for a promotion in the past because you applied for a job that has to managing a group's fiscal budget as part of its responsibilities.  Without that experience you may have been eliminated from consideration even though you may have met all of the other qualifications.

One way to gain budgeting experience is to volunteer in your community.  Even organizations that depend on volunteers to get things done have money or budgets to manage too.  By volunteering to manage a budget for a local organization, you can gain valuable experience that could help your career.

Volunteer Work on Resumes

Regardless of the volunteer's motivation, much of the experience and work performed while volunteering is something a job hunter should consider putting on their resume.  Even if the volunteer work has nothing to do with a job that you are actively seeking, it always looks good on a resume.  That's because volunteering speaks to the character of the job applicant - volunteers are likely to be of good character.

Volunteer work can also be used to demonstrate skills and knowledge that have been acquired outside of the workplace.  This can be very helpful to individuals that are just entering the workforce such as graduating students.  Most students right out of school have very little, if any, work experience that is relevant to the career path they may have chosen.  However that same student may have volunteered in their community or even at school and credit should be taken on the resume for this work and the lessons learned.

Finding Volunteer Work

If you've never volunteered before, you might be wondering how you might go about finding organizations that are looking for volunteers.  Perhaps one of the most convenient places to volunteer is right in your own township.  To keep property taxes low, many towns rely on their citizenship to lend a helping hand or their professional expertise.

Townships have committees or commissions that typically meet monthly to plan, discuss or make decisions on a variety of issues the community is faced with.  There are environmental commissions, planning boards, recreation committees, downtown clubs and preservation committees just to name a few.

Volunteer Work Databases

There are also regional organizations such as Habitat for Humanity that depend on help from others to build new homes.   Finally, there are volunteer programs run at the national level.

The following three volunteer work databases are run by the US government and contain opportunities throughout America:

• National & Community Service  - the mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.  Their website contains a searchable database of volunteer jobs located throughout America.
• Learn & Serve America   - a volunteer program aimed at America's young people - from kindergartners to university students.  Learn & Serve America offers service learning job opportunities for teens by integrating community service projects with classroom learning.
• Get Involved  - aimed at the Baby Boom generation in America due to the higher level of skill and knowledge they possess.  Once again, this website offers a volunteer job database that can be searched by area of expertise and geographic location. 

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