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How volunteering can help you land a job

More than 22m adults are involved in formal volunteering each year in the UK, according to Volunteering England, and 60% of those say volunteering gives them an opportunity to learn new skills, a vital tool in looking for a new permanent job.

Whether you're starting in the workplace or fancy a change of career direction, volunteering can be a good way of gaining relevant experience, as it lets you road-test different kinds of work and gives hands-on experience of how different professions operate. Graduates who have proved themselves academically, but have yet to cut their teeth in the workplace, find it a particularly useful way to learn soft skills.

Volunteering is also a great opportunity to make contacts. Timebank, a national volunteering body, says the networking opportunities it can provide are among the least publicised but most exciting benefits of all. A good network can guide your career pathway right through life and help you take steps towards your ideal job.

Improve yourself
Almost three quarters of the UK's big businesses prefer to hire candidates with volunteering experience on their CV, according to Timebank. Employers know they are hiring recruits who have learnt customer service and team-working skills by interacting with the public on the front line.

Retailers, for example, often look favourably on job applicants who have worked in a charity shop such as Oxfam. It shows evidence of interest and experience and also provides a good way of learning about the business of selling.

Mark Crosby was a volunteer teacher in Malawi: "I gained so much more confidence, interpersonal skills and knowledge of development issues. And it really does add something to your CV."

Learn new skills
Many corporations are so sold on the benefits of volunteer work that they set up their own programmes for employees to help out in the local community. When Barclays Bank surveyed the impact of its volunteer programme, it found that 61% of managers reported that staff communication skills had improved and 56% saw improved leadership skills among participants.

Working for free for a non-charitable organisation can bring career benefits if you think carefully about the outcomes you want. Cecile Marchant offered her skills for free to help put together a website for networking group, Business After Hours. "As a result, I was offered the job of Content Manager for a year on a part-time basis.”

Identify a relevant group or company and offer some time or skill that will provide a genuine trade, says Cecile. "I wanted to be part of this network and was happy to put in the time. The job was an unexpected bonus."

Useful links

• TimeBank is a national charity dedicated to inspiring people to share and give time .
• Volunteering England offers plenty of advice and contacts for volunteering opportunities, including a local search facility.
• Do-it.org.uk hosts the national volunteering database, with opportunities supplied by local Volunteer Centres and a variety of other organisations .
• To browse for jobs, click here.

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