Job Search Tips – How Volunteer Work Can Help You Find a Job

Given the season, I thought this would be a good topic. Volunteering your services doesn’t just help others, it can help you too. And what better time of the year to think about giving your time!

There are many places you can volunteer your services; you only have to look around to find worthy causes. Helping others makes most people feel better about themselves, but it’s also an incredible way to network.

Networking is much more likely to find you a good job than Craig’s List, Monster or recruiters. Think about why this is true: you’re just as likely to find a well-connected person volunteering as a young person looking for work. You may even b e working next to a senior executive in a company you might be targeting. But please don’t go into your volunteer activities expecting to get anything other than personal satisfaction. If you get more – and you will if you keep trying – consider it good karma.

So where should you volunteer? If you’re doing it as a career move, try to volunteer where you’re likely to meet people you’d like to know. For example, many trade shows accept volunteer workers, and this can be a highly targeted way of exposing yourself to professionals in your field.

You’d be surprised at who you can meet volunteering for civic activities. Many local Chambers of Commerce plan and staff local events. If you call your local Chamber and offer your services, you’re going to get a warm thank you – these tireless souls are always looking for people to help, because they are chronically understaffed.

As a side note, I once thought Chambers weren’t very useful, but I’ve since changed my mind. I’ve made many good contacts and contracts through Chambers it.

To me, volunteering can be an indicator of leadership potential. The very fact that you’re willing to offer your services without pay puts you one step ahead of others who are competing for the job you want. It means you’re willing to go the extra mile – to offer before you’re assured of any return. And there’s another benefit, it can get you out in front of lots of people.

If you’re an introvert and you dislike networking, volunteer activities allow you to meet people in a comfortable, non-networking environment. It could be the key to networking if you’d really rather stay at home. In fact, this is how I network – like many, I hate the idea of flitting around from one person to another exchanging a few words and moving to the next victim. But I don’t feel that way at all if I’m helping at a public event. I find it much easier to meet and talk to people that way.

While we’re thinking about this, let me also suggest that blogging is another way of volunteering. You write articles that may touch people – may even change their lives. You don’t get paid for it (usually), and you’re never assured that more than a handful of people will ever read your precious words. Bu you never know: I was asked to join a startup after one of the founders read some articles on my blog. This could happen to you!