Volunteer Your Way to the Top: The Power of Pro Bono

Since your childhood years, you’ve known the importance of volunteering: you’ll help others, you can give back to your community, and you will make a positive contribution to the world.

All of these reasons are absolutely true, but let me add one more to the list: you can help your career—in a big way. Whether you’re searching for work, looking to take on new responsibilities at your current job, or trying to expand your network, volunteering can be an important (and fun!) way to reach your goals. Here’s how lending a hand to others can be helpful for you, too:

Learn About Yourself

Many individuals began volunteering at a young age and found that being surrounded by and working with a wide range of professionals helped them gain a sense of what they wanted for the future. Working in a variety of different settings can help expose you to new options and prepare you for those all-so-important career decisions you make in college or when you decide to change careers.

Gain Skills and Confidence

Want to learn how to develop a marketing plan, or get hands-on experience with graphic design? If you’re looking to grow in your current position or change careers, volunteering can provide an opportunity to learn new professional skills in a safe setting (that’s grateful for even non-expert help!). You can ask questions, test your knowledge, and expand your skill set —all while avoiding the critical eye of your boss.

Boost Your Resume

Getting a job right now is difficult for anyone—but particularly for recent grads with no real-world work experience or those who’ve been out of a job for a while. Volunteering is one way to fill that gap on your resume, boosting your chances of getting an interview (and eventually the job). Working with leaders of volunteer organizations can also help you score good references and letters of recommendation—other valuable tools in your job search.

Network

Moving to a new city right out of college can be overwhelming. A great way to make connections is to immediately start volunteering. One can meet great people that way—some for many years, and they can become your best support systems. When you suffer a job loss, they may be the ones who recommended you to several open opportunities.

Sure, you’re giving to an organization by volunteering, but you never know when you might need it to give a little back. If you’ve built a positive relationship with the people you volunteer with, they won’t hesitate to help.

Stay Active

At some point, you may face a time when you’re not working—you’ve been laid off, quit a job, or moved to a new city, for example. Whatever the reason, when you have some free time, keeping active helps prevent you from getting bored or going stir-crazy. Plus, volunteering can fill the “I’m-not-working” void and give you an answer to the sometimes-awkward question, “So, what do you do?”

For complete details on these types of opportunities, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org. Go out and volunteer! It helps society, but don’t forget that it helps you and your career, too.

Thank you, Ashley Cobert, from “The Muse”.