Why Volunteer Work is Good for Your Career

Are you willing to do things for free?

Sounds like a trick question, don’t you think?

If you ask me that, I’d probably say “It depends.”

There are things we do as part of our profession, and these are the stuff we get paid to do. Then there are things that we do for our profession, for our personal goals or growth, for people we love or for a purpose we are passionate about.

When it comes to these four Ps mentioned above, it sometimes becomes a no-brainer to raise your hand and volunteer. Come to think of it, I have been doing volunteer work since I was a kid. I was class vice president when I was 8 and probably held positions in class, clubs or the student council all the way until I graduated from the university. I then volunteered my time as a lector and commentator at church for 9 years before I moved into volunteer work for a community drug rehabilitation program. And today, I am just months away from closing my second term as an executive committee member of ICF Philippines.

Volunteer work is a part of me. I guess I could safely say that, after decades of being a volunteer. What I realized through all these years is that volunteering has done many great things for me too. And no, it’s not just about having something nice on your resume or your LinkedIn profile.

Here are some of the ways it has helped me in my career and how it can help you too…

Doing something for others or for a cause that you support can benefit your mental health and overall wellbeing. Let’s take a look at the PERMA model of Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology.

According to him, these five components are building blocks of our happiness and wellbeing.

P – Positive Emotion

E – Engagement

R – Relationship

M – Meaning

A – Accomplishment

When we do volunteer work for the 4Ps mentioned above, chances are, we are able to build on each of these 5 components of the PERMA model.

✅ Doing things we enjoy and with people we care about (Positive emotion)

✅ Discovering your strengths and being in the state of flow doing what you love (Engagement)

✅ Creating friendships and engaging in meaningful conversations (Relationship)

✅ Supporting a cause or a purpose that we believe in or that contributes to a “greater good”  (Meaning)

✅ Celebrating completion and success of work (Achievement)

Volunteering helps you discover your strengths and possible career options

Getting your hands dirty by actually doing things gives you a sense of whether you find the activity enjoyable or not. You might have tried learning an instrument, only to realize later on that it’s not your thing. Or perhaps your friend might have invited you to join their Literacy Outreach Program, which allowed you to re-ignite your childhood love for books and inspired you to pursue a career in writing.

Unlike getting into a job, volunteer work would usually have shorter term commitments and no monetary benefits. This somewhat relieves you of the pressure of quitting because there are no financial or resume-related implications, thus giving you courage to try new things. By having the opportunity to try new things without or with minimal pressure of making ends meet or hitting performance targets, you can discover or rediscover what you like doing and what your future career options may be.

Volunteering opens the door for career opportunities

My first job was a Website Administrator, but less than a year later, I was promoted to Supervisor of a new team.

How did that happen?

Volunteering does not only allow you to discover your strengths, but also allows others to see what you can offer. In my first job as a Web Admin, I also volunteered to do other projects on the side that allowed me to apply and build my leadership and project management skills. I guess my manager saw that I had what it takes so when the opportunity came, I was offered the role.

This is just one of the many examples of how volunteering opened career opportunities for me in corporate and as a coach/consultant. I know that it can happen to you too.  The network you build and your own strengths will naturally attract opportunities (clients, job offers, etc) to you.

Volunteering is not easy…

I get it.

Your job is extra challenging already and you barely even have time for yourself. So there isn’t room left for volunteer work.

Do what works for you.

You don’t always have to lead a project or join a non-profit to volunteer. Find ways by which you can leverage on your strengths while contributing to one of the 4Ps – your profession, personal goals or growth, people you love, or a purpose you’re passionate about.  This can mean designing posters for an organization of choice once a week, or occasionally supporting short-term projects of your community.

 Don’t know where to start?

You can ask yourself these questions to help you brainstorm where or how you can volunteer.

• How can I help my profession grow?
• What can I do to address the challenges in my profession?
• What skills do I need for my personal growth?
• Apart from my job, what other activities can help me reach my personal goals?
• Who are the people I would love to support or work with?
• What causes (purpose) am I passionate about?

It doesn’t have to be big, but it has to be meaningful to you so that you are motivated to carry on even through tough times.

Got volunteer opportunities to share? Post them below!

 

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