Level up your resume with volunteer experience
After a couple of long, hard years hitting the books, you're finally done school and ready to head into the working world. You were at the top of your class and you graduated with honours — companies are sure to be clawing at each other trying to recruit you. You print out a fresh resume, throw on your nicest duds and head down to your interview with full confidence. Everything seems to be going well… until the employer says the most hated phrase new graduates hear: “You don't have enough experience.”
“Trying to get a job without experience is the catch-22 almost all new graduates face,” said Brian Malott, a resource and information officer at Fanshawe's Community Employment Services, a resource centre that helps Londoners find jobs. “Most places are going to be posting that you need two to three years' experience for the job, but you can get that while in school with the wide range of volunteering opportunities.”
Larissa Campbell, a student services specialist at Fanshawe's Career Services department on campus, agreed that volunteering is definitely worth your time. “You get work experience that may or may not be related (to the field you're studying), you meet people, you make connections that could eventually help you in the long run with finding a job.” She added that volunteer positions often result in references from your employer, which can be another big bonus.
You can also use your volunteer position to strengthen your existing skills or even build new ones, said Malott. “You can ask to take on responsibilities that you want to do one day, such as payroll, marketing or using machinery to gain the experience.”
Fanshawe student Samantha Macfarlane volunteers as the president of the Fanshawe College chapter of Best Buddies. In the past, she's volunteered at other organizations with young adults who have disabilities as well as retirement homes. “I started out as a peer helper in my high school, as a lunch buddy, and partnered up to have lunch with a teenage girl with Down syndrome. She became one of my best friends and that brought me forward to start volunteering for organizations in the London area when I moved here for school,” she said.
Macfarlane found that by volunteering at different places through her Developmental Services Worker program at Fanshawe, she has developed excellent character traits that she has used for building her resume.
Volunteering or interning with a local organization is a chance to network with people in the field who can help you find a job, and getting to know a variety of people and building relationships while volunteering is one of the smartest things you can do while you're still in school. These people can also vouch for you for references and help you by keeping you posted for job openings. Don't overlook people close to home; your professors are another valuable resource (with valuable connections) for the inside scoop on internships and jobs.
You can also gain experience by getting involved on campus. Joining clubs, getting involved in school fundraisers and events, and even running for a position on the Fanshawe Student Union are valuable things to include on your resume or on your Co-Curricular Record (www.fanshawec.ca/ccr). Employers will be more impressed that you did this for free on your own time, than working at a job you got paid for.
“Don't get me wrong, good grades do go a long way,” said Malott. “Your grades are a reflection of how well you know the subject and how hard you worked to get those grades, but knowing people and having practical experience just puts you over the top.”
Macfarlane said volunteering is a fantastic thing to do, especially when you're a student. “It gives you opportunity for your future, gets you involved in your community, it helps you make friends and much more. I've learned so much about the city of London its citizens by volunteering,” she said. “I have learned more independence, responsibility and respect for everyone I meet by helping out and not wanting money in return. It makes you feel awesome to be able to spend your time wisely volunteering for a good cause.”
A 2013 LinkedIn survey found that many managers consider volunteer work experience a very valuable asset when evaluating candidates for the position. “If the next person didn't volunteer, but you did, it's a way of differentiating yourself,” explained Campbell. “It also shows that you have a variety of experiences and are multidimensional, and employers like that.”
Career Services posts volunteer positions on their job site all the time. For more information, visit Career Services in D1063 or check out their website at myfuture.fanshawec.ca.
“Trying to get a job without experience is the catch-22 almost all new graduates face,” said Brian Malott, a resource and information officer at Fanshawe's Community Employment Services, a resource centre that helps Londoners find jobs. “Most places are going to be posting that you need two to three years' experience for the job, but you can get that while in school with the wide range of volunteering opportunities.”
Larissa Campbell, a student services specialist at Fanshawe's Career Services department on campus, agreed that volunteering is definitely worth your time. “You get work experience that may or may not be related (to the field you're studying), you meet people, you make connections that could eventually help you in the long run with finding a job.” She added that volunteer positions often result in references from your employer, which can be another big bonus.
You can also use your volunteer position to strengthen your existing skills or even build new ones, said Malott. “You can ask to take on responsibilities that you want to do one day, such as payroll, marketing or using machinery to gain the experience.”
Fanshawe student Samantha Macfarlane volunteers as the president of the Fanshawe College chapter of Best Buddies. In the past, she's volunteered at other organizations with young adults who have disabilities as well as retirement homes. “I started out as a peer helper in my high school, as a lunch buddy, and partnered up to have lunch with a teenage girl with Down syndrome. She became one of my best friends and that brought me forward to start volunteering for organizations in the London area when I moved here for school,” she said.
Macfarlane found that by volunteering at different places through her Developmental Services Worker program at Fanshawe, she has developed excellent character traits that she has used for building her resume.
Volunteering or interning with a local organization is a chance to network with people in the field who can help you find a job, and getting to know a variety of people and building relationships while volunteering is one of the smartest things you can do while you're still in school. These people can also vouch for you for references and help you by keeping you posted for job openings. Don't overlook people close to home; your professors are another valuable resource (with valuable connections) for the inside scoop on internships and jobs.
You can also gain experience by getting involved on campus. Joining clubs, getting involved in school fundraisers and events, and even running for a position on the Fanshawe Student Union are valuable things to include on your resume or on your Co-Curricular Record (www.fanshawec.ca/ccr). Employers will be more impressed that you did this for free on your own time, than working at a job you got paid for.
“Don't get me wrong, good grades do go a long way,” said Malott. “Your grades are a reflection of how well you know the subject and how hard you worked to get those grades, but knowing people and having practical experience just puts you over the top.”
Macfarlane said volunteering is a fantastic thing to do, especially when you're a student. “It gives you opportunity for your future, gets you involved in your community, it helps you make friends and much more. I've learned so much about the city of London its citizens by volunteering,” she said. “I have learned more independence, responsibility and respect for everyone I meet by helping out and not wanting money in return. It makes you feel awesome to be able to spend your time wisely volunteering for a good cause.”
A 2013 LinkedIn survey found that many managers consider volunteer work experience a very valuable asset when evaluating candidates for the position. “If the next person didn't volunteer, but you did, it's a way of differentiating yourself,” explained Campbell. “It also shows that you have a variety of experiences and are multidimensional, and employers like that.”
Career Services posts volunteer positions on their job site all the time. For more information, visit Career Services in D1063 or check out their website at myfuture.fanshawec.ca.
