volunteering

There’s something deeply fulfilling about giving back to your community. Whether you’re serving meals at a local shelter, mentoring young professionals, or helping build homes for families in need, volunteering connects us to something bigger than ourselves. It reminds us that we have the power to make a difference in someone else’s life, and in return, it enriches our own.

This desire to contribute meaningfully to the world around us should absolutely be a core value that guides our choices. But here’s something you might not have considered: volunteering can also be one of the most strategic moves you make for your career.

I know that might sound calculating at first. After all, shouldn’t volunteering be purely altruistic? The beautiful truth is that it can be both. When you align your volunteer work with your career goals, you create a win-win situation where you’re making a positive impact while simultaneously investing in your professional future. Let’s explore some ways that giving back can also propel your career forward.

Volunteering Makes Your Resume Stand Out

In today’s competitive job market, hiring managers see countless resumes with similar qualifications, education, and work experience. Your volunteer work can be the differentiator that makes you memorable and shows employers who you are beyond your professional accomplishments.

When you include volunteer experience on your resume, you’re demonstrating several valuable qualities that employers actively seek. You’re showing initiative – the drive to contribute without being asked or paid. You’re displaying commitment to causes you care about, which suggests you’ll bring that same dedication to your work. Most importantly, you’re revealing your character and values, giving potential employers insight into the kind of person you are.

The key is being strategic about how you present your volunteer work. Don’t just list it as an afterthought at the bottom of your resume. Treat it with the same respect you give your professional experience. Include specific achievements, quantifiable results when possible, and skills you developed or utilized. Instead of writing “Volunteered at food bank,” try “Coordinated weekly food distribution events for 150+ families, managing inventory and supervising team of 12 volunteers.”

Remember, volunteer experience is real experience. The project management skills you developed organizing a charity fundraiser are just as valuable as those you gained in a corporate setting. The leadership experience from heading up a community initiative can be just as compelling as managing a team at work.

Building and Strengthening Professional Skills

Volunteering offers a unique laboratory for developing new skills and strengthening existing ones. Think about the skills most valued in today’s workplace: leadership, communication, project management, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability. Volunteer opportunities naturally cultivate these abilities. When you’re organizing a community event, you’re managing timelines, coordinating with multiple stakeholders, solving unexpected problems, and leading a diverse team toward a common goal. These are exactly the skills employers want to see.

The beauty of skill-building through volunteering is that you can take on roles and responsibilities that might not be available to you in your current job. Maybe you’re an accountant who wants to develop marketing skills – volunteer to handle promotion for a nonprofit’s upcoming gala. Perhaps you’re in customer service but dream of moving into project management – offer to coordinate a volunteer appreciation event or fundraising campaign.

Volunteering also allows you to explore new industries and functions with lower risk. If you’re curious about healthcare but have no direct experience, volunteering at a hospital or health clinic gives you firsthand exposure to that environment. You’ll learn the terminology, understand the challenges, and build relationships with professionals in the field.

The learning doesn’t stop at hard skills either. Volunteering often exposes you to diverse populations and challenging situations that build emotional intelligence, cultural competency, and resilience. These soft skills are increasingly recognized as crucial for career success and are often harder to develop in traditional workplace settings.

Staying Active and Connected Between Jobs

Job searching can be an isolating and demoralizing experience. The constant cycle of applications, rejections, and waiting can leave you feeling disconnected from your professional identity and community. Volunteering provides structure, purpose, and human connection during these challenging periods.

When you’re between jobs, maintaining a routine can be crucial for your mental health and professional momentum. Volunteering gives you somewhere to be, something meaningful to accomplish, and people counting on your contribution. This sense of purpose can be incredibly sustaining during the emotional ups and downs of a job search.

Volunteering offers networking opportunities that are often more genuine and relationship-focused than traditional events. Working with others toward a shared mission allows conversations and connections to form naturally. These relationships can be more valuable than those made at formal networking events. Many volunteers are also professionals in your field, involved in hiring, or aware of job openings. Meeting in a service context, rather than a transactional setting, helps them see you as a whole person and makes them more likely to offer introductions or recommendations.

Volunteering also helps address one of the biggest challenges of unemployment: explaining gaps in your resume. Instead of a blank period, you can point to meaningful work you were doing, skills you were developing, and contributions you were making. This narrative is much stronger than simply saying you were “looking for the right opportunity.”

Making the Most of Your Volunteer Experience

• Approach volunteering professionally: Treat your volunteer work with the same dedication as a paid job. Set clear goals for what you want to achieve and communicate your interests and career objectives with the organization to align opportunities with your development needs.
• Track your achievements: Document your meaningful contributions and positive results. Request LinkedIn recommendations from those who can vouch for your character and work ethic—these endorsements can strengthen your professional profile.
• Use your professional skills: Apply your expertise in volunteer roles to maintain and showcase your skills. For example, finance professionals can assist with budgeting, while communications experts can handle newsletters or media relations.
• Explore board service: Join a nonprofit board to develop leadership and governance skills. Boards often need professionals with diverse expertise, and this experience can provide executive-level insights valuable for career growth.

Your Next Step Forward

Your career journey doesn’t have to be just about you. When you choose to make it about something bigger, and when you choose to live out that truth by finding ways to give back, you often find that success becomes not just more meaningful, but more achievable too.

If you’re between jobs or seeking a new career path, I’m always here to help. Let’s work together to build a solid future for you. Just schedule a time on my calendar for a free initial consultation.