During Tough Economic Times, Volunteering Can Help

By Soroptimist Staff Writer, Marielena Zuniga

You’ve been out of work for six months and the job search is going nowhere. You’ve scoured the want ads. You’ve waited by the phone. Some mornings you don’t want to get out of those slippers and bathrobe to face another day.

Take heart. There’s a way to keep busy, hone your skills, and land a potential job— all while helping others. It’s called volunteering. And as the job market tightens and unemployment numbers become uber scary—9.7 percent in June 2009—people are thinking more creatively, volunteering in their fields of expertise or trying on new skills.

In fact, more people than ever before are freely giving of their time. The latest statistics from Volunteering in America shows that 60.8 million people are volunteering nationwide, giving a total of 8.1 billion hours a year.

Overall, volunteering is a smart job search strategy, with many far-reaching benefits. Leigh Wintz, executive-director of Soroptimist—an international volunteer organization for women—and Phyllis Mufson, career and business consultant and certified life coach, share the top five ways volunteering can help your employment status:

1) Volunteering provides structure and boosts motivation
A job provides structure and identity and when you’re unemployed, a good deal of anxiety can creep into daily life. “Many people find it difficult to stay focused when they lose their jobs,” says Wintz, who in addition to her work with Soroptimist is a long-time volunteer. “But volunteering can be very helpful in keeping you motivated.” Having a volunteering job structures part of your time, and in addition, you’re doing something that makes you feel good. “Helping someone else increases your morale and it also gets you up and out of the house,” adds Mufson.

2) Volunteering enhances self-esteem
Volunteering enables people to use their skills to help others while they cope with harsh economic realities and other daunting challenges. “Volunteering improves our communities, country, and world,” says Wintz. “But it also has measurable positive effects for the volunteers.” The phenomenon, sometimes called the “helper’s high,” is a chemical surge that decreases depression and feelings of helplessness, and increases overall quality of life. “Volunteering is really a win-win for all concerned,” says Mufson. “It gives volunteers confidence and helps them remember that even in the worst of times they always have something to give.”

3) Volunteering fills resume gaps and helps hone skills
Filling your time out of work with volunteering commitments can help, not just in making you feel good, but also in helping to land a job. A recent survey indicated that 73 percent of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteer experience over one without, and a whopping 94 percent of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills development and career advancement. Instead of having gaps on your resume, volunteering gives you something to show prospective employers about what you’ve been doing since your last job. As a volunteer you also have the chance to gain skills that are relevant, not only in the volunteer world, but the in workplace as well. “At organizations like Soroptimist, for example, volunteers have many opportunities to develop and refine various leadership skills such as public speaking, project management and problem-solving, to name a few,” says Wintz. “Taking on commitments such as these shows prospective employers that you’ve used this time without a job to cultivate new skills and experience.”

4) Volunteering connects you with others
In a work world where it’s often not so much what you know (although that’s important), but who you know—the value of networking cannot be overstated. Volunteering connects you with people from various backgrounds, companies and industries—people you may not otherwise have the chance to meet. “Because of their professional connections, getting to know your fellow volunteers is a good idea,” says Wintz. “Volunteers are good networking sources for jobs within other organizations or companies. In a competitive job market such as this one, a foot in the door can be really helpful.” Mufson also adds that “proving yourself in a volunteer setting is a great way for people to gain confidence in your professionalism and refer you to job leads they may know about.”

5) Volunteering helps you uncover new career interests
“I always encourage my clients to use this time off to figure out what they really want to do,” says Mufson. “So often people work at jobs they don’t like. And although it’s hard to see when you’re living through it, sometimes losing a job can be a blessing in disguise.” Becoming a volunteer can expose you to new ideas and interests. Wintz says she hears this from Soroptimist members frequently. “Just the other day I spoke with a member who told me that she had no idea she was interested in graphic design until she started laying out her Soroptimist club’s newsletter. Now she loves it so much she’s decided to take classes at her local college.” Volunteering can help you uncover skills and interests you didn’t know you had, and take your career in a completely different direction.

Wintz and Mufson agree that the benefits of volunteering are endless. So join those who serve and reach out to volunteer organizations you think might interest you. The motivation for volunteering should always be a desire to help others. But in the long run, it could pay off—literally. And whether your volunteer efforts get you a job or not, you’re still helping others, boosting your confidence and gaining experience. As Mufson, Wintz and other experts like to quote: “Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer.”

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Soroptimist is an international volunteer
organization for business and professional women
who work to improve the lives of women and girls.