3 reasons volunteering can put you ahead of the pack

Volunteering comes in many shapes and sizes. Whether it’s getting your hands dirty once a month at a community garden, or assisting an organisation with their social media activity. Whatever you do, know that volunteering can put you ahead of the pack when it comes to job hunting. Here are three ways it could benefit you:

1. Volunteering is as credible as paid work. SEEK research found that 95% of employers agreed that volunteering can be a credible way of gaining real-work experience to add to your resume. In fact, as long as the volunteering work is relevant to the role or industry you want to work in, 85% of hirers believe that it’s just as credible as paid work. What does this mean? It should most definitely feature in your resume or application, especially if you are a first time jobseeker or looking to step into a new career.
    
2. Volunteering can be advantageous in a job interview. As for more experienced workers, you might have nailed the selection criteria, written a tip-top resume, and feel confident with how you performed in the interview. But what about the volunteer work you've done? Did you mention that?
   
   It's widely acknowledged that volunteering benefits the community, leaves you glowing at the fact you’ve done something good, and provides support and resources to those who need it most. But did you know that a whopping 92% of employers said relevant volunteer experience gives candidates an advantage in job interviews? That means that the time you helped out at a Cancer Council event would be highly relevant for that Events Manager role you applied for.
    
3. Volunteering demonstrates valuable personality traits. Volunteering tells prospective employers a great deal about who you are, aside from what they’ve learned via your resume and role-related questions during the recruitment process.
   
   “Volunteering can demonstrate personality traits that are sometimes difficult to convey in a profile or interview. Furthermore, employers are telling us that volunteering can speak real volumes about a candidate’s dedication and commitment to causes,” says Bec Miller, Head of SEEK Volunteer.
   
   Volunteering experience also paints a much clearer picture of your personality and core values. SEEK Volunteer research revealed that being motivated, socially responsible, and proactive were the top three personality traits associated with Australians that volunteered. These are also traits employers in any industry are likely to value highly.
   
   In addition to this, there’s hardly a job where being proactive and trustworthy won’t be useful, and think of all the jobs that require good people-skills! This is precisely where your volunteering efforts pay off.
   
   And how about this? Even employers who haven’t personally taken part in a volunteer activity still have an incredibly favourable attitude towards volunteering!

Find an opportunity for yourself.

But did you know that a whopping 92% of employers said relevant volunteer experience gives candidates an advantage in job interviews?

So, if you volunteer, it’s likely you’re the type of person willing to go above and beyond what’s expected, which is something worth celebrating wherever you go. And if you haven’t got any volunteer experience to share with prospective employers jump onto SEEK Volunteer and check out over 13,000 opportunities waiting to be snapped up!