7 Strategies for Volunteering Meaningfully
by Janet Farley, Ed.M.
"We make a living by what we do but we make a life by what we give."
The words of Winston Churchill so many years ago still ring true today. Volunteers, I suspect, understand that better than anyone else.
Volunteering, as you well know, is positive on so many levels. Not only is it good for your soul but it can do wonders for your career, too.
- It allows you to keep your existing skills current while you job search for paid employment.
- It gives you the opportunity to learn new skills, which can, in turn, enhance your future marketability.
- It provides you with access to others, potentially leading to new friendships and networking contacts.
- It lets you try out new jobs and/or career areas before you decide to fully commit to them.
You'll be able to truly reap these wonderful benefits if you choose your volunteer job just as meaningfully as you would a paying one.
1. Don't jump at just any volunteer opportunity. In our current climate of extreme downsizing, there are certain to be enough choices out there.
Instead of settling for the first one, select your volunteer job strategically.
- What is it that you want to do professionally in the next one to three years?
- How can you help yourself get there, via your next volunteer job?
- What skills and/or experiences would facilitate you reaching your next career step?
2. Understand what your role would be before you commit. Before you say yes and make some organization happy to bring you on board, know specifically what is in store for you.
- Do you understand what your responsibilities will be?
- Is there a written job description that you can refer to for greater clarity?
- Who will you report to?
- Will you be given autonomy or will someone be looking over your shoulder at all times?
- Will you be required to work set times or will you have some flexibility in that area?
- Will your job be project or process based?
- Is there a match between the job and what matters to you?
3. Know the timeline before you begin. Consider committing to your new position for a limited period of time. It's easier to give an organization your time and talents for 60 days rather than for an open-ended amount of time. That gives both you and the employer an easy out if one or either of you should decide that you're not a good match.
4. Treat the job as you would a paid one. Sure, you're not getting a paycheck but others are still depending on you. Show up when you're supposed to be there. Stay your stated hours. Keep your office behavior professional at all times.
5. Be cognizant of the office politics. Every office is different and it can take a while to get a good feel for how things truly operate where you are volunteering. Be Switzerland-like. In other words, stay neutral when the disgruntled employees start venting. You don't want to find yourself tangled in the middle of the office grapevine. You just aren't paid enough for that....ba-da-bing. Yep. I went there.
6. If you see an opening, take it. If your goal is to ultimately get on the company payroll and an opportunity opens up while you are volunteering there, go after it. You're in the perfect place to position yourself, assuming you've been doing a great job and treating your volunteer gig with the respect it deserves.
7. Create your volunteer dream job. Maybe you can't find the right volunteer job but you know in your mind how it should look. Create it yourself. Or pitch it to an appropriate organization and see if they are interested.
Janet Farley is the author of The Military Spouse's Employment Guide: Smart Job Choices for Mobile Lifestyles (Impact Pubs, 2012) and Quick Military Transition Guide: Seven Steps to Landing a Civilian Job (Jist Works, Inc., 2013). Follow her on Twitter @smartjobchoices. Follow her blogs, ResumeRx and Life's Too Short to Hate Your Job for more tips and uplifting thoughts on all things job-related. Have an employment question for Janet? Ask here. Your question/answer may be printed in a future issue.