If you’re still in school or have recently finished your education, you may be looking for opportunities to improve your employability. Gaining relevant experience is essential for starting your career in a good job, but for many it can be a vicious cycle – without experience you won’t get a job and without a job, you won’t get experience. But there is another way to gain relevant experience for your career: volunteering. There are a variety of volunteer roles available, which can give you the skills to get your first dream job, or move up the career ladder.
In this post we’ll look at five volunteer activities you could take part in, what skills you’ll learn from them, and how they are relevant to improving your career opportunities.
Help Run A Club Or Society
Taking on a major role in a local club or society is a great way to build up your management experience, giving you real examples that you can bring up in your next job interview.
There are countless clubs and societies out there that require their members to volunteer for leadership positions, which might include local sports clubs, comedy clubs or theatre groups. If you’re currently at university, you’ll no doubt have countless clubs and societies right there on campus for you to get involved with.
Clubs and societies are usually run by committees which members can volunteer to be a part of. Committee positions can range in scope, from club president or treasurer, to running events, to coaching or training members. Each of these roles involve a wealth of skills transferrable to many management roles in business, including leadership, dealing with people, and time management skills. Some roles also allow you to build on specific skills. For example, if you’re looking to enter a finance role, a role as a club treasurer is a great way to show you have experience managing an organization’s budget.
If you’re already a member of a club, think about some specific skills you want to learn, and match these up with any committee positions available. Many clubs elect their committee members before an annual meeting, so find out when this is to make sure you’re in the running!
Volunteer To Do First Aid
First aid knowledge is very valuable, yet something that many people still don’t have. Volunteering as a first responder, for example at events like local music festivals or sports matches, can also help to demonstrate some important skills in the world of business.
First responders are trained to stay calm in chaotic and stressful situations, a skill that is highly valuable in roles which demand managing high pressure situations, like event planning, public relations and banking.
Taking the initiative to learn first aid can also demonstrate that you’re always open to helping people, which is an ideal trait to have in businesses who value team work. Recruiters for these firms will want to find candidates that fit in with the corporate culture, which first aid volunteering can help demonstrate.
Volunteer At A Nursing Home
Working at a nursing home helps to show you care about the local community, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of society. The fact is that many elderly people in homes rarely receive visitors, whether because they are far from their families, or because their friends are no longer around.
Many homes welcome volunteers to simply spend time with their residents, to sit down over a cup of coffee and chat, or help out with structured activities and events. These activities can really make a difference for residents who may not have the opportunity to meet people outside of the home.
Danushri Srinivasan is a great inspiration as a volunteer at Hallmark Care Homes, where she leads arts and crafts sessions. She has quickly become a well-loved figure among the home’s dementia community, helping to make a difference in their lives while learning a great deal about the health industry.
Volunteering at a nursing home is great for developing and demonstrating your communication skills, showing you’re adept at communicating and building relationships with people outside your own age group or background. This is ideal for anyone who’s looking to get into a role where client relationships are essential, for example sales or account management at an agency.
Help Out At A Summer Camp or Kids Club
Working at a summer camp or kids club is an ideal way to gain experience if you’re still at university, as it’s something that you can take part in on breaks. These roles are perfect for anyone looking to get into education, where you’ll need to demonstrate that you’re able to work with children.
In these roles, you’ll be in charge of kids activities, such as teaching them new skills or leading activity sessions. This is a great way to develop leadership skills, which are also transferrable to other management roles where you’ll need to keep your team engaged with their work. It’s also great experience for leading client meetings – adults can have short attention spans too!
Working at a camp away from home shows some other great skills too. Notably, it shows independence, responsibility and ambition, as you’re likely to travel to the camp alone and may not yet know who you’ll be working with, so you’ll need to be able to make common ground with other volunteers as well as with the kids. These traits are useful to many roles, especially those where you’re expected to manage your own projects, work autonomously or with other teams outside of your department.
Featured photo credit: Hallmark Care Homes via hallmarkcarehomes.co.uk
