Doing Voluntary Work - worth it?

iammumtoone

phill99 wrote: »

As an employer I would rather take on someone had spent a year in a voluntary roll than sat at home watching Jeremy Kyle and picking their feet.

but how would you know that person had decided to volunteer themselves as the OP has done, or been forced to volunteer by the JC :eek:

iammumtoone

BabyDoll wrote: »

Did my first day today and loved it! I'm only doing 3 days a week, 4 hours at a time but the manager is fine with that and can stay as long as I want until something comes up there to become a paid employee, are I apply for a job elsewhere.

I am glad it went well for you and you enjoyed it.

phill99

iammumtoone wrote: »

but how would you know that person had decided to volunteer themselves as the OP has done, or been forced to volunteer by the JC :eek:

It makes no odds.

As long as that person has bern actively engaged. It doesn't matter what or who sent them there as lng as they can show they have developed or enhanced their transferable skillls such as team work, dealing with the public, self discipline etc.

asajj

Hi Babydoll, first of all, volunteering is about giving back to community rather than putting something on your CV - so don't go into volunteering for wrong reasons.

I have seen people who come to volunteer at the same charity shop as me , it helped them to find a job (one of them became a shop manager at another shop). Having said that , to me, if you dislike what you are doing, you won't get much out of it so I'd suggest to find one you really support.

After that, experience will be a bonus.

All my employers have been impressed with my volunteering time by the way and have been supportive of it.

Fireflyaway

I am a volunteer co-ordinator and often find that people apply to volunteer because they want to change career or get some practical experience. Many of our volunteers carry out the same tasks as paid staff and the only difference is they don't get paid, so in terms of experience they gain, its the same as if they had a job with us.
I'm sure any employer would rather see you used your initiative and did something to improve your situation. We have taken on 3 volunteers as staff recently as well so it can sometimes lead to more.

topaztiger1983

I did volunteering for 3 months before finding work, so it helped me, I was unemployed for 3 years before hand

TBagpuss

iammumtoone wrote: »

If the only reason you are thinking of doing it, is to help you get a job then I would say it's not for you. If you are thinking of doing it because you want to help the charity and at the same time it will improve your job prospects then give it a go.

I don't think volunteering means what it used to on a cv. There was a time once it was a good thing as it meant that person didn't want to sit around and wanted to do something proactive whilst out of work. Now job seekers are made to volunteer else they get sanctioned. This makes it difficult for employers to distinguish between the two groups of quite different people.

I disagree a little with this. I think that it is fine to volunteer even if you main motivation is to gain experience, provided that you are willing to work hard while you are there. Obviously it would not be a good idea if you were simply 'going through the motions'.

I do think that having experience as a volunteer on your CV can help you to get a job, particularly if you are newly qualified or just out of Uni - it allows you to learn how to deal with issues in practice as well as in theory, plus a track record as a volunteer gives a prospective employer some indication that you will be able to manage the basics such as showing up on time / regularly!

And it can be a direct way into paid work - taking on someone whom you already know can be the ideal option for an employer

paulfarrugia

For sure! We did volunteering abroad when we were travelling for 18 months. It was the highlight of our trip. So much so, we started a website listing free & low cost responsible volunteering opportunities.

Good luck!