Volunteering though Working and Volunteering to Work

“Is there any way that you can find more ways to beef up your resume?”  Advising job candidates, recruiters may often find themselves advocating that job seekers look into volunteering.  Often experiences volunteering can provide great experience to bring into the paid workforce. Volunteering to work also sometimes seems to be the only way to “break into” a new industry or entirely new type of job.

Sometimes people volunteer and don’t even identify as doing so.  Perhaps coaching your child’s baseball team or ushering at your favorite center for the arts have provided you with job skills worth mentioning to future employers.  Often volunteer work requires real leadership and initiative, and also develops real tangible skills that you wouldn’t be exposed to through your regular job.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has published its findings about what volunteering means to contemporary American life.  The charts highlight the difference in volunteer work that occupy the different sexes as well as indicating that workers find time to volunteer outside of their career work.