Volunteering Can Lead to Employment - Report

Australians are seeing the merits of volunteering as a way to secure a for-profit job, with many of them mentioning it on their resumes, according to new research.

According to online job portal SEEK, while volunteer work was typically seen as a vocation for the part time worker, retiree or as part of a CSR program, it is now taking on a new life.

Released by SEEK as part of the 28th International Volunteer Day, the research indicates that volunteering is a career selling point.

It found that 83 per cent of people believed volunteering improved experience and skills, 69 per cent said it showed the type of person they really were and 68 per cent believed it showed an employer that they could roll up their sleeves.   

But while 66 per cent said volunteering is “something attractive” to add to their resume, another 39 per cent said that while employers might admire it, it doesn’t actually add much value to the resume.

Amanda Robinson, Manager of SEEK Volunteer, said it requires a lot more than just showing you’re willing to go the extra mile to help out a cause.   

“Similar to listing your achievements, tasks or responsibilities in different paid employment roles, you can add more value to your volunteering experience by scoping out what exactly it is you’ve learnt, the skills you’ve developed during your experience, or even fundraising targets you’ve met," Robinson said.

“If you’ve developed and implemented new initiatives to drive the objectives of the organisation such as awareness, donations or partnerships then include that on your CV as those are skills that can be directly applied into a business. Employers want to see what you can proactively and creatively bring to the table.   

“Volunteering is a great way to contribute to society and give back to the community but increasingly the skills that are developed through volunteering are being valued by employers.”

The report said that with 51 per cent of people believing that companies should have programs that allow staff to volunteer during business hours, many organisations are heeding the call.

One example is Medibank Community Fund which offers all employees the opportunity to take one community leave day per year, where they can carry out voluntary work for Not for Profit organisations.

“There is no doubt that giving is not only beneficial to our community, but to our people and Medibank as an organisation,” Kylie Bishop, Executive General Manager, People and Culture at Medibank said.

“Medibank’s volunteering scheme provides employees with the chance to develop new skills, build cohesive relationships and engaged teams, and allows them to give back to their local community in a way that reflects positively on them, and on Medibank.”