Posted on June 26, 2020
Volunteering to Get Work Experience
Having work experience is an important requirement for most employers. Research shows that companies will prefer to employ a candidate who has work experience over someone who has none with everything else being equal. Work experience, whether paid or unpaid, allows individuals to prove that they have more to offer than a degree at the university. It also lets a person develop a wider range of skills that can come in handy on the job.
You can read more here about paid work experience.
There are many ways to get work experience including course projects, industrial placements, part-time jobs, overseas work, vacation work, and volunteering. While a significant number of people would probably prefer industrial placement or part-time jobs over volunteering (because these are paid), this is not always possible. The economic conditions today have made it hard for young people with no experience to get the type of paid work since they basically need to compete with experienced individuals who had been laid-off and are also looking for work. In this regard, volunteering has emerged as one of the best options.
Tips for Volunteers
• Determine what you want from volunteering – new skills, fun, a chance to work for a worthy cause, or simply to get related experience for career advancement?
• Find out which organizations will benefit the most from your knowledge, skills, and life experience
• Work out how much time you can offer and how many times a week you can devote as a volunteer without harming your studies
• Make it a point to record your volunteering activities. For most people, this helps in personal development
Once you know what type of work experience you want, you can now contact relevant organizations to ask for further information. There are a lot of health centers, retail stores, schools, factories, non-profit organizations, and other types of institutions that need your help. Depending on where you live, your city may have a databank of volunteering opportunities.