Volunteering to Gain Skills

Volunteering to gain skills can enhance your career.   As a volunteer, you can gain experience.  Volunteers learn to be on time.  It can help you keep commitments.  You can learn to coordinate with others.  It can help you learn to  communicate with people.  Volunteers solve problems.  They organize and work hard.  Volunteers coordinate and work on teams.  In fact, some people develop great leadership skills through volunteering.

Volunteer questions

Here are a few questions to help you decide where you want to volunteer.

• What community projects interest me?
• Which skills would I use when I volunteer?
• What kind of a time commitment does the organization want from its volunteers?
• Who would I be working with?
• How would it impact my day job?
• Where could I volunteer to gain new skills?
• What volunteer opportunities are nearby?
• How are my friends volunteering?
• Who needs my help in my local community?
• What skills do I have to offer as a volunteer?
• Why do I want to volunteer?

Volunteer Actions

Volunteering to gain skills is more than asking a few questions to identify good opportunities.  It means diving in to take action. Pick up the phone.  Make the phone call to line up a volunteer activity.  Get involved in your community.  As you do so you will gain new skills, meet new people, and find new ways to expand your opportunities.

Volunteering can be a great way to add experience to your resume even before you have a job.  If you already have a job, it can be a great way to get the experience to move up the corporate ladder or get a new job.  Consider ways that volunteer service could enhance your resume.