Your guide to finding the right volunteer opportunity.
When Sonia first discovered a role at Inspiring the Future Aotearoa through SEEK Volunteer, she saw it as an opportunity to combine two of her greatest passions: giving back to her community and helping young people realise their potential. Little did she know just how rewarding that role would be.
This National Volunteer Week, we shine a spotlight on landing a job using volunteer experience. Recent research uncovered that a third of volunteers have landed a job using their volunteer experience. Over half of these volunteers signalled that including volunteer experience on their resume was useful.
We’re all familiar with this classic job-hunting conundrum - every job requires you to have work experience, but you won’t be able to gain this work experience unless you can land a job!
Villi Omanovic works a 40-hour week as a Business Banker at ANZ. Yet despite the long hours, he is passionate about his volunteer position, where he mentors people in digital literacy over video calls from his office.
Resume? Done. Application? Complete. Your SEEK Profile is updated and you’ve double-checked the job description … but there’s one last question. Where does your volunteer experience fit into all of this? How can you leverage your volunteering experience to show your skills in a way hirers will understand and help you land the role you want?
Have you heard of ‘the experience proxy?’ Or maybe you've experienced it yourself as a job candidate. It’s an idea that essentially goes around in a circle - a candidate can’t get hired because of a lack of experience, yet they can’t build on their experience because they can’t get hired.
Getting out and developing your volunteering skills is a great step in your personal and professional development. Now it’s time to bring those skills into the workplace and leverage them to help get the job you want.
If you’re an employee of a company that offers a corporate volunteering program, but are stuck on how you should spend your day of volunteering, we’re here to guide you.
You volunteer because you love it. But guess what? You’re also building up career brownie points every time you give your time to a good cause.
It’s an idea that percolates in the back of your mind: one day, somehow, you would like to join a board of directors. You’re not quite sure how to get there, but you feel that you could use your skills to positively contribute to an organisation as a board member.
Competition in the workforce is tough, and we are having to work harder than ever to differentiate ourselves and attract the attention of recruiters and employers.
Being a volunteer isn’t just about giving. You can get a lot back in return from being involved in such an event - both personally and professionally.
If you’ve forgotten what your true passion is, or don’t yet know, volunteer to open your eyes. Volunteering lets you try out new skills or develop ones you already have, and help you find out what you’re really passionate about.
Are you looking for a new direction in your work life? Do you feel like you need to make that next step? Sometimes you need a little extra something to get over that next hurdle. The answer could come from volunteering.
A love of athletics inspired Natalie to volunteer at major sporting events around the world. This lead her to a dream job working at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
This video tells the story of Michael, who worked for the same insurance company for 13 years, until he realised it was possible to marry employment with making a difference to people in need as the manager of Open Heart International.
If volunteering specifically to advance your career had a name, we’d call it ‘voluncareering’.
Keen to make a difference through volunteering, but too busy to make the commitment? You may be surprised at how much you can help, regardless of how little time you have on offer.
It’s well known that volunteering is good for your health, your community, and can even help land you a job. But to get the most out of volunteering, you need to find the right fit.
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