Volunteering in your Specialty as a Summer Job
There are many benefits to volunteering in your specialty during the summer, whether you are in high school, college, a recent grad, employed or unemployed. Many people take vacations during the summer and companies often look for extra help to fill the gap. Many non-profits depend on volunteers to supplement their often limited budgets. What you don’t gain in actual monetary reward you will gain in experience, exposure and personal reward.
Volunteering at a company related to your specialty is an excellent way to get some on-the-job training and real world experience in your chosen field. You get to meet and work with other people with similar interests. You get to test the waters to confirm that you are making the right career choice and are headed in the right direction. If you are still a bit undecided about what specialty to pursue, volunteering opens the door to new ideas and opportunities for you to consider before committing to a particular career path.
Volunteering offers an ideal opportunity to further develop your present skills and qualifications and also learn new ones, both which will increase your value as an employee and also increase your marketability in the future. You will gain valuable work-related experience in your specialty area and also expand your knowledge of the career field and industry you are pursuing. Many unpaid volunteer positions involve extensivetrainingand provide the same valuable on-the-job experience as paid positions do.
Volunteering is an excellent way to get your foot in the door of a company you have an interest in working for, even if there are no available job opportunities at the present time. If you perform well, impress your employer, fit in with the company culture and contribute to the company’s goals, you will prove yourself a valuable commodity, an asset to the company and someone to be considered when a paid job opportunity becomes available.
Volunteering can help you widen your network of social and professional contacts. Work-related relationships with both supervisors and co-workers often prove very useful down the road. Networking is one of the most effective job search tools a job hunter can have. Many job openings are filled through networking and personal referrals and are never posted publicly for the open job market, proving it often is who you know.
Volunteer experience looks great on a resume. Employers are impressed by job candidates who make an effort to give back to thecommunity. Employers are also impressed by job candidates who are proactive in pursuing their career goals. This is especially relevant if you are presently unemployed and looking for a job. Don’t sit idly by waiting for opportunity to knock on your door. Get yourself out there and actively involved in the business community, gaining experience and making new contacts. Keep yourself current and marketable.
Volunteering offers a great opportunity to pursue your career goals, impress an employer, establish new relationships and show that you would be an asset to any employer. Rather than wasting time this summer, do some volunteer work. Gain some valuable career-related experience, make yourself visible and increase your chances of getting a full-time position in your specialty area.
