Volunteering is good. It’s good for the communities and individuals who directly benefit, it’s good for the people doing the work, and it’s good for society in general. It can to be too good for your career.
It’s not even news that hiring managers like to see volunteer work on a resume, and certainly many people are driven by both the feel-good vibes of helping people and the career boost it can provide.. BUtah if you have professional ambitions, you should think about your voluntary work more strategically, because work can offer much more value more than just a line on your resume, it can help you grow your career in different ways.
Making your volunteering more strategic and career-focused doesn’t diminish the good you do, and all it takes is describing your professional objectives and look for volunteer opportunities that fit – in other words, think about where you are dedicating yourself your efforts. It depends on your the objectives are, there are different ways to find a ideal volunteer opportunity for the benefit of your career (and, you know, the world).
To develop theleadershipkill
If you are ready to move in a leadership role, but have not had a chance to hold a leadership position at work, a great way to gain this experience is to serve on a charity board. Serving on a board takes more than free time and extra energy, it takes a much deeper commitment to an organization. But most important for your career ambitions, it’s a way to exercise leadership skills similar to those required by ddirector vice creamresident, and Csfollow itlevel positions.
BoardnetUSA and BoardStrong are matching services for charity boards and volunteers to find each other. They both work the same way: you sign up and complete a profile listing your experience and skills, then you can browse a list doorganizations looking for board members. Sitting on a charity board can be a huge commitment – lots of advice is very practical – so don’t do it if you’re up for the work.
To gain experience in probjectmanagement
Project management skills are always present strong demand. The difference between working on a project as a support and leading the team – let alone coordinating across multiple cross-functional teams – is often the difference between being considered for senior management positions and…not being considered for these positions.
If you lack project management opportunities at your current position, it can lead to a frustrating situation where you cannot advance in your career because you lack experience, but you cannot gain experience because you cannot move on to a new job. Volunteer with an organization like Taproot Where catchfire could be your resume solution: both groups match your skills to project teams that need them, but both can also provide opportunities to gain experience leading projects. In order to get the most professional benefits, be prepared to speak up and be assertive, as many of these projects can get a little crowded.
Make a career change
A lot of people eventually to discover that they made a slight miscalculation at the age of 18 and now regret the career path they chose. Sometimes this jjust requires a pivot in a related fieldcorn sometimes a dramatic course correction is in order. Either way, changing careers can be difficult because all of your experience is suddenly worth a lot less and the skills you’ve actually learned may not transfer perfectly.
Volunteering offers a possible path. The LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace and VolunteerMatch offer categorized listings in different ways, allowing you to identify opportunities in the specific area you are hoping to infiltrate. Not only will you gain the necessary experience to make your CV more attractive to companies in these fields, you will also have the opportunity to network specifically in the career space that interests you.
Gain experience in mentoring and management
If your career goal is to climb the corporate org chart and get that proverbial corner office (even if today, the office area is more a concept than an actual space), you will at some point have to manage a team. Typically, it starts with a small management role with only a few direct reports, with regular scaling as you climb the ladder.
But sometimes people miss their moment and get stuck just below that level of management. Volunteering can be a chance to gain meaningful experience managing and mentoring others—an experience that hiring managers will appreciate when considering you for a leadership role. MicroMentor is always looking for people to act as professional career coaches and mentors, and can give you real experience in the role of a manager. Also, net impact not only promotes social and environmental issues, but engages volunteers in mentorship programs that provide the opportunity to showcase your leadership skills.
Get a promotion
If you like the company you’re with but you find yourself frustrated by the pace of your advancement, one of the smartest things you can do with your energy and volunteer time is to look within. Many companies have strong volunteer support programs, ranging from specific time given to each employee to give your time to explicit partnerships with voluntary organisations. If your company has a relationship with a charity or other organization, volunteering at your workplace can get you noticed and put your career advancement on a faster Track.
You can also detective where your managers and others business leaders volunteer and do the same. Volunteer in the same organizations as the people who make hiring and promotion decisions in your organization maybe a powerful form of networking.
