Volunteering: Helping a Cause and Your Career

As we move closer to the holidays many of us will consider volunteering for various organizations.  If you have never volunteered before, you should.  Not only does volunteering make everyone involved feel good, but while you help a good cause, you also have an opportunity to add to your resume or enhance your current position.

When volunteering you can choose to donate your time in an area related to your current position, where your skills and expertise can be useful, or you may choose an entirely different area where you can develop new skills, abilities, knowledge, and work experience.  Volunteering is an opportunity not just to serve the greater good, but to explore other interests.  It can also be a way to learn and develop leadership skills.

You also have an opportunity to expand your network.  Volunteering exposes you to other organizations, businesses and employment fields.  You never know who you may meet while volunteering.  The people you meet during your volunteer experiences will come from all walks of life.  Networking with these people can be an added bonus to your service.  Building professional contacts as well as social relationships with other volunteers can lead to employment leads and opportunities.

In the Forbes article, “Proof That Volunteering Pays Off For Job Hunters”, Nancy Collamer stated, “...when you volunteer, you gain access to people you might not otherwise meet, creating opportunities to develop positive relationships outside a traditional work environment.”

In a study published last year by the Corporation for National and Community Service, it was reported that volunteering was associated with a 27% greater odds of employment.  Volunteerism can be used as a strategy to obtain new job opportunities, especially for recent graduates and others who are re-entering the workforce.

The reason is suggested by another study conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, “Does It Pay to Volunteer? The Relationship Between Volunteer Work and Paid Work” which concluded that “The volunteer experience conveys information to potential employers about the job applicant’s abilities, such as motivation, initiative, creativity, and reliability. This makes volunteering particularly relevant for job applicants with limited prior employment experiences, such as recent graduates entering the job market, and individuals who are re-entering the labor market after a longer break.”

So as the holidays near, look for the opportunity not only to help in your community, but to help in your career.  It is a win-win.

Find volunteer opportunities here:

https://www.volunteermatch.org/

http://www.idealist.org/

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Feeling Burned Out? Revitalize Your Job!

Once you've been in the same job for a long time, you might start to feel a little bored or burned out. However, you probably don't just want to quit and look for a new job, especially in this current economy. So what can you do to stay motivated?

Try implementing one or all of these three techniques to regain your passion for your job.

Job Enlargement Restructure your job by restoring the wholeness of the job. This means that you take your job and fit it into the bigger picture of the organization.

Maybe you've been working on one particular part of a project. Ask to see the other sections of the project in order to see how everything, including your part, fits together. It's motivational when you can see the bigger picture, or the finished product, rather than just your individual part in it. Recognizing how your work fits into the whole will also help you to understand the value of your job, and recognize the areas where you can improve or expand on to better fit the organization.

Job Enrichment Increase your personal responsibility for your work. Increase your authority (the right to act, decide, and command) to make decisions about your job, and make sure to participate in the planning process. This can give your position more value, helping you to reinvest yourself in the work.

Job Rotation Learn the job of another employee. If you and another employee are both burning out, then switch jobs! This allows you to challenge yourself and stay interested by learning all about a new position. Plus, you increase your own versatility by increasing your knowledge of the organization. In familiarizing yourself with other jobs, you also learn how your work relates to other positions in the organization.

For more tips on how to stay motivated, check out our fun new course on the Art of Motivation, and be sure to take advantage of the first 3 FREE tutorials!

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5 Reasons to Quit a Job and Start Choosing a New Career

Yes, the U.S. economy is in an economic crisis and jobs are hard to come by, but is it enough reason to stay at your current job position that is making you dread the weekdays? Start considering a mid career change when you start to feel these five factors…

Dreading work: If you can’t stand the people you are working with or the job itself is causing you chronic headaches, loss of sleep, constantly feel stressed, than it’s time for a new career exploration. Your mental/physical health, overall well-being is more important than any one position. Do not compromise your health. Quit before the job burns you out.

Find yourself marginalized: Marginalization is another good reason to quit a job when your responsibilities are slowing taken away or downsized by the upper management. Career exploration is needed when supervisors are excluding you from important discussions, meetings etc.

You outgrew your job: It’s time for a new job search when there are no more advancement opportunities within an organization or field. You may have started your current position as a novice, but now you have a lot of experience—more than your current position requires. To move up in your career, you must at times, quit.

A better offer is on the table: Money is another big factor when it comes to staying or going. If you’ve been stuck at the same salary level for a while with no hope of a pay raise, then it’s time for you to leave your current job position. When changing careers, if there’s an offer you are find difficult to refuse with all other prospective being a good fit, give the offer serious consideration.

There is a breach of trust: Do not get caught constantly waiting on the promise of “next time.” Voice your displeasure if you find yourself in a situation where your supervisor shows a lack of good faith toward you by failing to follow through on his promises. Trust is an unspoken contract and a violation of such should include reparations of some sort. If you find yourself in a situation similar to this, it is time for you to start packing your bags and looking elsewhere.

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