Dina Bergren, Associate Director of Career Services, and Denise Pranke, Career Services Advisor, presented Maximizing Career Success Through Strategic Volunteering at a Career Planning and Adult Development (CPAD) meeting in Minneapolis, MN. As we often advise our students to make professional presentations, we would like you to know we follow our own advice.
We shared the following key points:
- According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 3 million Americans volunteered through an organization in 2011.
- According to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s large-scale, 10-year study with a sample size of 70,000, people who volunteer have a 27% higher chance of finding employment.
- According to the 2013 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey on skills-based volunteering, in a sample of 202 human resources executives, 81% would take skills-based volunteering into account when evaluating a job candidate.
Keeping these key points in mind, consider how you can incorporate strategic volunteering into your career management strategy to:
- Gain marketable skills and experience relevant to your field
- Build networking connections
- Strengthen your professional image (or brand)
What skills and experience can you build through volunteering? Refer to the HandsOn Network Professional Skills matrix for ideas at: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/files/resources/Professional_Skills_Matrix.pdf
Are you seeking local, national, international or virtual volunteer opportunities? Find the right fit for you by using the following Career Services Center resources:
Search for opportunities on the Career Services Center’s Volunteer Opportunities page.
View the archived webinar: Strategic Volunteering for Career Success.
Written by Dina Bergren, Associate Director of Career Services, and Denise Pranke, Career Services Advisor