You might be one of the lucky ones.
Someone who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up, had the perfect education to prepare them for that career, had the exact connections to get them into their first paid internship, was hired immediately upon getting their degree, was showered with appreciation and money, and stayed with the company for their entire working life, only to retire with a massive pension and the satisfaction of a life well lived.
Then again, you might also live in a world where unicorns deliver ice cream sundaes to your door, and then give you massages with their magical hooves.
If you are like the other 99.999999% of the world, you’ve had periods of career uncertainty, periods of unemployment, periods of dissatisfaction, and you are now looking longingly out your window, wondering when your vanilla ice cream with peanut butter sauce and whipped cream will arrive. (Don’t forget my sprinkles, Mr. Unicorn!)
When you are first starting out in the career world, when you are unhappy at work, when you are out of work, one of the best things to do is volunteer with a non-profit. In a recent blog post, I mentioned that according to LinkedIn, 1 in 5 managers hired employees off of their volunteer experience.
Those 1 in 5 managers didn’t hire a volunteer because they came prancing into the interview wearing fairy wings and screaming, “I’m a good person!” (But if you are going to do this, please take video and send it to me. I could use a good laugh.)
No. They hired them because they demonstrated the skills and qualities necessary for the job at hand (they just happened to be demonstrated during an unpaid experience). Now you might be wondering, “What qualities do volunteers have that might be attractive to a potential employer?
Passion – You are an individual that is willing to roll up your sleeves and contribute to a cause that you are passionate about (and not the “I’m-passionate-about-earning-enough-money-to-buy-a-new-big-screen” kind of passion. )
Dedication and Stick-to-it-iveness – You’ve spent the last 6 months walking dogs or handing out food to the homeless. Come rain, come shine, you are there for your cause.
Playing nice in the sandbox – Volunteering gives you a whole other set of “coworkers”. If you can get along with the people you work alongside, you are going to wow your potential boss. (I suppose you could call it a “team player” – if you wanted to be boring, that is.)
Leadership and Drive – Did you sign up to be a project lead at your charity? Did you suggest and then carry out a project with little to no supervision? Congratulations, you are a leader and a “self starter”. (Now go put it on your resume)
Skills – Skills! You’ve got skills! This one is going to pertain to specific jobs, but is hugely important. Are you applying to be an event planner? Well, that fundraising event you did for the charity totally counts as experience. Just make sure to put in some details like: how much you raised, what tasks you handled, how many people it was for, etc. Want to do Public Relations? Don’t forget to mention all of your social media experience. Looking to get into carpentry? How did that house you just built for Habitat for Humanity work out? Do you see where I’m going with this? Find the activity, isolate the skill, report your awesomeness.
Now here is the real trick… you’ve got to actually be these! It shouldn’t have to be said, but when you give your time to a cause, bring your A-game. Develop relationships with your supervisors, show up when you say you will, do what you promise, and be nice to those around you. It will serve the cause better. It will serve you better for future jobs. And it’s really embarrassing to say that you got fired from a volunteer position.
If you are ready to make a career change, volunteering might just be the way to get your foot in the door.
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