Be a Virtual Volunteer to Help Your Career While Helping Others
It has never been a better time to volunteer your time. Not only is there record homelessness, highly visible to city dwellers like myself, but ordinary working people from all walks of life are having their lives turned upside down due to work shutdowns and other Covid-19 events outside their control.
And there are loads of young adults, recent grads and current college students, living under their parents’ roofs rent-free, with time on their hands as they make their job search their full-time work. Here’s why this is a great time to pitch in, which you can easily do from the comfort and security of home:
1. You and your expertise are needed.
Many young adults who have not landed their first full-time job are struggling with feelings of self-worth. They’re bored being at home and miss the easy interaction they’ve enjoyed with their friends. The great thing about being Gen Z is your repertoire of skills you can share with others less fortunate. You can mentor younger people, you can help those struggling with mental health issues. You can work on civic issues that you care about. You can train others to perform tasks you already know or can easily learn. You have a lot to give and you’ll feel better filling your days focusing on others when you’re not committing every hour to your job search.
2. You can build skills remotely and train others in those skills.
The organizations in need of volunteers will train you before you’re expected to interact with anyone in need. Learning new skills and then being able to try them out and develop them in a new environment is a wonderful opportunity to grow while you’re helping others.
3. Volunteer work is a resume builder.
Learning and perfecting a skill looks great on your resume and will encourage employers to choose you over others who lack recent work on their resume and LinkedIn profile. It’s also a great conversation-starter in an interview; you never know who others know, and the more you do, the more frequently opportunity knocks.
4. Volunteer work can be a conduit to meeting people in a position to help in your job search.
If you haven’t held a job and your internships are from 2019, who will you ask to recommend you when you’re looking for a job? Connecting with other adults in a semi-professional setting is a great way to get to know people who can help in your search.
When you’re in a full-time job search it’s easy to think you don’t have time to volunteer. On the other hand, volunteering helps you structure and vary your days, since few people can spend 8+ hours each day looking for a job. You’ll feel more purposeful and it will open your mind and heart while adding to the experience you can add to your resume. Research shows that those who volunteer their time are happier and have a more positive outlook – and who doesn’t need hope in these tough times?
So how to get started? Here are some resources to help you look for your next volunteer opportunity.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/9-places-to-volunteer-online-and-make-a-real-impact
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a34288060/virtual-volunteer-opportunities/
https://www.volunteermatch.org/virtual-volunteering
https://www.pointsoflight.org/virtual-volunteering-opportunities/
https://www.newsanctuarynyc.org/remote_volunteer
https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/virtual-volunteer-opportunities.html