You may be getting ready to start college or returning to your course studies this academic year. And while it’s important that you dedicate your time to your studies, you will always find yourself with time on your hands. To celebrate National Volunteering Week (21st – 27th Sept) we though we might suggest giving some of that time over to volunteering. Not only are you doing good for others; you will also be doing yourself a lot of good as there are many, many benefits to becoming a volunteer – particularly when you’re young, or are a student, or are starting out in your career. Below we take a look at some of the benefits of being a volunteer.
Career
Surveys have shown that over 70% of employees admit that if they had two similar candidates for a position they were hiring for, they would choose the candidate who had done some volunteering work.
They do that because one of the things that’s great about volunteering is it gives you the opportunity to experience new things. It gives you the opportunity to learn new skills, skills which may prove to be incredibly valuable once you find yourself on the jobs market .
Connect
Whether it be connecting with your community and help make it a better place or connecting with nonprofits, charity organizations or change-makers, volunteering can often put you in the right place to make the right connection that may prove to be vital when you embark upon your career after you finish college.
Volunteering can connect you closer to your community and is also a very effective way to meet new people with common interests and integrate into local support networks.
Commitment
Volunteering demonstrates commitment. You’re committed to learning, to working, you’ve committed to the community. It gives you the ability to go out and learn new things and build new skills – and also make a real difference while you’re doing it. Often in life, success relies on commitment.
On-the-Job
It’s great to sit down in the college classroom or learn online or from the book or your lecturer but there is nothing like on-the-job training and that is what volunteering can prove to be as you acquire essential skills that are transferable and bulk out your CV.
Well Being
Volunteering has been shown to provide benefits to both mental and physical health. In fact, there is so much that comes from volunteering that can’t be measured. Volunteering can help alleviate depression, stress, anger, and anxiety. Maybe that’s simply because it adds something positive to our life. It makes us happy. It makes us feel good. We feel good if we do good.
Empathy
Volunteering helps us learn about those who perhaps don’t have as good a life as we may have. Emotionally understanding what other people feel can instill an urge to make things better. Empathy allows us to build social connections with others, helps you to manage your own feelings, encourages helping patterns and behaviors. These are vital values for individuals to carry through life.
First Job
Returning to our opening point about advancing your career, 95 percent of people surveyed said that the skills that they learned and the experiences they had as a volunteer helped them get their first job. Employers will look at candidates who have volunteered and favour them for the position. It tells a prospective employee that this candidate has acquired skills on the job, that they are committed, they are involved, they have demonstrated empathy, they’ve worked in the community and proved they can make the right connections, with a healthy outlook on life.
The perfect candidate!
How to volunteer
Would you like to get involved in your local community? Click here.
Nightcourses.com is Ireland’s largest part-time course finder database, with thousands of part-time courses, evening, morning and weekend classes and adult education courses to choose from. You’ll find your perfect course on Nightcourses.com.
