Lack of Experience Holding You Back? Volunteer To Gain Experience!

Apr 16, 2022

While you are on your job search, you may find you need experience to land the job, but you need the job to gain the experience. Don’t feel discouraged; there are ways to not only gain experience but also gain confidence to apply for that next job! 

Volunteering is an excellent way to gain experience, learn new skills, and enhance your resume while also serving your community and making an impact. No matter what job you are seeking or industry you are trying to get into — there are steps you can take to find experience through volunteering. 

  1. Identify Your Dream or Desired Role 

This is the first and most important step to making sure you get the most out of your volunteerism. Applying for volunteer opportunities that are relevant to your dream role or industry will make sure the responsibilities you take on help you gain the work experience in that career. So whether you want to be an accountant, graphic designer, or administrative assistant, volunteering is a great way to test out a new job to learn if it really is your dream or desired role.

  1. Find a Trusted Volunteer Site

VolunteerMatch is one of the largest databases for connecting nonprofits with volunteers. VolunteerMatch has connected 15.2 million volunteers to organizations globally. Nonprofits, schools, and government organizations all use this website to submit calls for volunteers. 

GiveGab is another resource where you can search for campaigns, nonprofits, opportunities, and communities to get involved in. You can also look for events, family-friendly opportunities, and ongoing projects. There’s even a section for virtual volunteer opportunities, which is a great way to expand your reach.

Catchafire will match your professional skills to nonprofits. Skills like accounting, branding, engineering, web design, sales, marketing, and social media are all in demand. The majority of opportunities on Catchafire are remote, which may make it easier for you to donate your time whenever you are available. 

  1. Search for Nonprofit Opportunities

Volunteering is a great way to stay up to date on the current trends in your desired industry or desired role. Finding volunteer opportunities at nonprofits is one way you can get a better understanding of your desired industry or desired role. Make sure to search for opportunities at nonprofits using the resources above to help you learn and perfect your skills, gain work experience, and grow your network. Volunteering allows you access to a new group of contacts that may be able to help you get started in a brand new career field or industry. Creating lasting relationships, as well as increasing your job experience and career skills will help you continue to be successful on your career path. 

Volunteering is not only a fantastic way to make an impact and an important contribution to the community, but it is also a great way to gain job experience. 

Our SkillUp team will also be participating in our first ever “SkillUp Day of Service” on April 22, 2022 and will be sharing details about the organizations we are volunteering with throughout the month! Be sure to follow us along on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Learn more about SkillUp and our training catalog here.

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