During periods of high unemployment, finding your first job out of college may prove to be even more difficult, as you will be competing with lots of workers with more experience. Participating in the right volunteer opportunity can provide the edge that will help you get a paying job in your field.
Volunteering is counted as a large positive when applying for a job, because it is a sign that the applicant is willing to stick with something even though they are not receiving a monetary incentive. If you have had increasing responsibility during your time as a volunteer, this will help show an employer that you can retain information and apply it. Therefore, it is more important to find the right fit early on and stay with it, than to jump from one position to another.
Most colleges have a department that assists students with finding a job. Local employers will often contact this student employment team to post volunteer opportunities with your college. Professors who teach classes in your major may also have connections with companies looking for volunteers. Professors themselves may also have ways to help the community in connection to any studies that they are conducting. This is particularly common in the area of law, and students often help with legal aid cases.
If there is a company that has posted an internship opening with the college that you either don't qualify for or for which you have scheduling conflicts, you can contact them about volunteering instead. While there is a lot in common between volunteering and participating in an internship program, an internship program normally requires the sponsor to provide a mentor for the student, and to grant training that would be equivalent to class work at a college credit level. This constitutes a significant investment, and therefore having a volunteer instead of an intern may make financial sense for the business. Additionally, interns are only eligible for placement towards the end of a degree program, while a volunteer can be accepted at any time. So you can have several years of volunteer experience before graduation, versus a year of experience as an intern. If you show promise as a volunteer, you may be offered a job once you graduate.
Local non-profit organizations are often in desperate need of volunteers. Because of the poor economy, many non-profits have had to cut back on paid administrators and rely solely on volunteer help. Therefore, this is a great place to volunteer for those majoring in business or marketing. Any accomplishments can be used to prove that you have experience in areas like planning events or fund-raising.
By building up your experience through volunteering, you may look like a better risk for an employer than a worker who is already in the field, who will likely ask for a higher salary. You can also learn the ins and outs of the industry before making a mistake becomes part of your permanent record. Volunteering also lets you test out a career choice in advance, so that you can go on to something else if you decide this career field isn't right for you.
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Steve Volman: writer, thinker and general muser. Interests include youth work, creating volunteer opportunities, football and the odd spot of golf. Any feedback on my articles in more than welcome.
For more information on volunteering click here www.vinspired.com.
