Volunteering has benefits that are more satisfying and lasting than earning money does. Volunteering can advance your career in ways you may not have considered before. Here are three ways volunteering can help with your career growth.
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Expand Your Network
When you volunteer, you meet people with similar interest and grow your personal connections that can help you land a job. By working together on a common goal, you strengthen your relationships with each other and with the community. This exposes you to more people and resources that can help you develop your career. You also increase your social skills and learn to work productively by yourself and with a group. You become more confident making new friends and contacts who can help you prosper.
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Grow Your Skill Set
You can learn something new and develop your skill set by volunteering. For example, if you want to learn project management, you can organize fundraisers or other events. To hone your sales skills, you can reach out to people for charitable donations or for recruiting more volunteers. In addition, organizations always need team leaders to coordinate projects. Volunteering shows you use your time constructively by trying new things and helping others reach a goal, which employers highly value.
If you’re between jobs, learning new skills through volunteering helps fill your employment gaps and adds experience to your resume. Be sure you use appropriate titles such as “project coordinator” or “instructor,” and mention your accomplishments and awards.
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Find a Fulfilling Job
Volunteering for an organization helps you learn more about a new field, build relationships, and show you are capable of taking on new tasks. You’ll learn problem solving, communication, organization, teamwork, task management, and project planning. These are all skills you need to be successful in the workforce. Because volunteering lets you try a career before making a long-term commitment, you can always move onto something different if you find the opportunity doesn’t fit your needs. In any case, hiring managers prefer job candidates who volunteer, so you’ll already have an edge over the competition.
Boost your career by volunteering today. For additional help with advancing in your profession, reach out to the friendly professionals at Innovative Employee Solutions today!
