6 Reasons Why Volunteering Looks Great To Potential Employers

When people discuss the benefits of volunteer work, from the point-of-view of the volunteer, they only discuss it in the immediate sense. Yes, there is an immediate feel-good buzz that you get afterward from the knowledge that you helped someone else during their time of need. However, there are long-term benefits that come from volunteer work that can continue to benefit the volunteer long after the work has been done. One of these is that it can boost your image in the minds of potential employers. Read on to discover the six reasons why the volunteer work you do today, can influence your chances of being hired in the future.
 
1. It proves you have communication skills
In the case of volunteer work, you will invariably be communicating with a lot of people. For instance, you will be communicating with the people who run the organization, fellow volunteers, and the people that you are helping. This large mixture of people of different positions means that you have to constantly vary and adapt your communication style to suit the person you are addressing. It is interactions like this that will contribute to, and strengthen your oral communication and social skills. This skill is something that employers appreciate and recognize in volunteer work because the working world is full of situations in which being able to effectively communicate and interact with people is crucial.    

2. They will know that you can work well in a team
Depending on where you end up in the working world, you will be put into numerous situations where you will need to work in teams in order to brainstorm and implement ideas. This is exactly the same in volunteer work, where you are often put into teams to effectively complete tasks and communicate with your charges. This is an important similarity that many potential employers take into account when looking at your resume or CV.

3. It showcases your self-motivation
Sure, there will be staff at your volunteering location that will motivate and help you during your time volunteering. But something that potential employers realize when they see that you have volunteered on your resume is that it was largely motivated by you. At the end of the day, it was not compulsory for you to volunteer, nor were you being paid. What motivated you to complete the volunteer work was you. Your self-motivation is something that you can utilize in the working world, through taking the initiative to start a project, and motivating yourself until you have reached its conclusion. This is something that potential employers admire, and know will make you a better worker. 

4. Demonstrates that you have good time-management skills
At the same time that you are completing volunteer work, you would have also had to juggle several different areas of your life at the same time; such as school, social life, family, and work. Completing volunteer work on top of handling all these other commitments shows that you have great time-management skills. This will be an area of focus for potential employers, as time-management is a priceless skill in the working world. Employers generally want workers who can appropriately delegate time to each task, and to complete projects before the deadline.

5. Indicates that you are confident
A common theme for most people who have successfully completed volunteer work is that they believe their volunteer work has successfully increased their confidence. Confidence will positively contribute to your work performance, as you will approach your work projects and interactions with the knowledge that you are capable and reliable. Potential employers realize the importance of confidence in the working world, and how volunteer work increases it. 

6. Indicates that you have gained specific skills
During your time volunteering, you were probably tasked with assignments that required you to utilize or develop a specific skill to complete it. Maybe you had to utilize your financial skills when you were fundraising for your cause or your volunteer coordinator might have asked you to create some posters or work on the volunteer website. Be sure you make a point of emphasizing what specific skills you developed while volunteering on your resume/ CV so that your potential employer can see exactly what you can bring to their company. 

In the end, volunteering can be hard work, but when you think about all the benefits that will come your way as a result of it, immediate and future-wise, it is worth it. Volunteer work has the ability to emphasize all of your best points, and these will make you compatible with any working environment, and overall desirable to any potential employers.