- Candidates
- Login
- Setup Account
- Search Tools
- Resources
- Employers
- Employers
- Setup Account
- Login
- Products
- Resources
.png "Unlimited Opportunities for Growth")
Paula West
July 27, 2022
Newsletter ArticleFinding a volunteer position that not only connects you to other people but also helps you build new skills, and a stronger awareness of self is like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It is hard to find that one position that you hope gives you everything you are looking for. Just like in life, learning and skill building takes time, takes several failed attempts, and can make you zig when you thought you would zag.
When you are at the beginning of your career path, volunteering is a great way to develop stronger skills that are required in the common workplace. You may even strengthen your soft skills like taking phone calls, answering emails, and talking with strangers. You could connect with someone that may become your next boss or co-worker. You can learn technical skills required for specific fields or you can dip your toe into a new industry that you are interested in exploring as part of your career path.
When you volunteer, you are gaining much more than a line on your resume. You gain valuable lessons that you get to keep in your personal toolbox for life. You learn to work with people who have a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and education. You have an opportunity to learn from them, learn their stories and gain new friends. Today more than ever, learning about other people and acknowledging the value they bring to the team is more important than ever. When you branch out and try new experiences you are also really strengthening your understanding and connection with others.
You also get to learn more about yourself, and who you want to become as a person. It may also provide you with a grand opportunity to use your leadership skills, to be a mentor, and to help other people reach success. Volunteering is not always about what you get but can be so much more, it can be about what you give.
Let me give you a personal example. I travelled to a developing country to help build a school. It was something that I was very nervous about. I also had not travelled like that ‘alone’. I was with a mixed-gender group of volunteers. I thought that I would be learning so much from other people. Story twist, it became an opportunity for me to show my leadership skills and to become a role model for others.
As a woman on the site, I was watched a bit. Not in a weird way but in total awe as women do not usually do this ‘type’ of laborious work. For me, it was an opportunity to let young women see what they can do and to plant the seed in the minds of men and women that women can build. I had several young girls wanting to help twist the wire with me the first week, and one mom came and joined us cutting wire. Later the following week several female teenagers wanted to help lay the tile floor. I hope that perhaps my presence there did more than just provide a needed school but provided a difference in perception. I was proud to be an example to them. I was proud that the local men thought that I was strong and that I impressed them with my ability. I hope that I was able to make a small crack of change in the mindset of others and that women can work in ‘non-traditional’ roles. I feel that I have made that big drop in the pond of life, where the ripples spread out and touch many people.
This is just one of my experiences. You don’t have to travel far at all to make your own ripple. You can find opportunities in your neighbourhood that can help you change your skills, change your path, or allow you to help others make their own changes.
I encourage you, if the opportunity presents itself, to volunteer, regardless of what you think your abilities are. My experiences are unlike any I have had before. It challenged me. It changed me for the better.
