Volunteering: A way to help the needy, a way to feel fulfilled, a way to get a job? Yes

Volunteering: A way to help the needy, a way to feel fulfilled, a way to get a job? Yes, volunteering may help you secure that job you’ve been after. Although many people do not even list community service experiences on their resumes, studies show that it actually can make a big difference in the hiring process. LinkedIn recently published a survey revealing that hiring managers consider volunteer experience a crucial part of the evaluation process. The study found that forty one percent of hiring professionals consider volunteer experience as important as paid work experience. In fact, twenty percent of those professionals concede that they have made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer experience (LinkedIn). The business networking site even added a “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field to profiles, encouraging professionals to value their community service experiences. That small addition emphasizes the importance in community service beyond the intrinsic value of doing good. Volunteering helps create a multifaceted individual, making them a more attractive employee in the long run.

In the competitive job market, volunteering provides candidates with that necessary advantage to secure jobs because it allows them to accrue an additional set of skills. Met Council recognizes the value of volunteering and offers a multitude of volunteer opportunities, whether it involves assisting with the food pantry, visiting senior citizens, or interning in the office. But unfortunately in today’s recession, many are left unemployed and cannot afford to work without pay. The New York State Department of Labor recently reported that while “New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0% in August 2011, unchanged from July 2011…The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased slightly over the month -- from 755,900 in July to 756,400 in August 2011” (New York State Department of Labor). Appreciating the weight of this data, Met Council offers a unique program in its Career Services Center, specially designed for unemployed skilled volunteers. This new program gives unemployed workers volunteer opportunities and then afterward gives them paid jobs at Met Council. This innovative approach allows unemployed workers to work for a charitable cause while earning money to support their families. Helping low to moderate-income workers find jobs, Met Council allows these workers to develop a new sense of self sufficiency.

Written By Carly Scheinberg

 

LinkedIn survey: http://press.linkedin.com/node/870

New York State Department of Labor: http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/pressreleases/pruistat.shtm