Why job seekers should consider volunteering

For job seekers the notion of giving their time without salary or any other financial benefits can seem like a strange concept. Volunteering can not only make a difference in the community, it can be extremely beneficial in terms of both personal and professional development. Consider volunteering; it will give you the opportunity to:

Gain and share experience

Volunteering is a great way to gain and share experience and learn new skills. Volunteering may help you gain the experience you may need to get a particular role. Alternatively, if you have a wealth of experience behind you, volunteering can give you the opportunity to share the skills that you have acquired with others. Volunteering fills a gap on your CV, it shows you have been proactive in keeping your skills up-to-date, learning new skills and keeping in touch professionally.

Build your network

Volunteering can give you the opportunity to build your network both online and face-to-face. You can find out about opportunities and get employees or people in your chosen industry to refer you, greatly improving your chances of success. If your experience is limited, references from people who have seen you at work may put you ahead of other applicants. Volunteering brings together all walks of life, there’s no telling who you may meet or what impact they could have on your life, this is one of the most exciting aspects to volunteering.

Demonstrate your passion and explore other interests

Employers want candidates who really love what they do and doing it for free by volunteering demonstrates that. If you’re looking to change direction volunteering is a great way to explore a potentially new career path or try a new hobby, all of which could result in new interests or passions you didn’t know were there.

Gain a sense of purpose

Volunteering can enhance the quality of your life, it keeps you busy and gives you something other than your lack of a job to focus on. Helping others and meeting new people keeps your spirits up and could help you to become clearer about your long term career goals.

Volunteering is not only good for your career, it's good for your health too, it's obviously good for society and it gives you a sense of purpose. So if you're out of work at the moment, it could do you more good than you could possibly imagine.