VOLUNTEERING /SELF MARKETING

Lifestyle content

Volunteer to boost your creativity

Self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction can all benefit from volunteering. You are helping people and the community, which gives you a natural sense of achievement. Your volunteer work can also provide you with a sense of pride and identity.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT /

Image by volunteer mag/WV

           

"Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud." _ Helen Dyer

How would that be true that volunteering is an added value to my career development?

  

Written by: Charlene Mind'je F.

Most people will be perplexed by this and regard voluntarism as a difficult task, if not impossible. Simply because giving without receiving is no longer a part of our society full of advantages, nepotism, and selfishness. Some claim: "If I volunteer, they benefit, but I don't. Most of the time, I devote my energy, yet those who merely sit in rolling chairs get more money, so I find myself realizing other people's dreams rather than achieving mine."

Similar to professional advancement. The twenty-first century has seen an influx of young graduates looking for work. However, the unfortunate reality is that employment openings outnumber applicants. Despite the scarcity of job openings, I've seen that new positions are established or added to the labor market every day. Who will come out on top? Who will be hired?

Voluntarism is one way I have found successful for a person who wants to adapt to this changing world as far as career development is concerned. When you volunteer, you show up your abilities, your performance, your competence, your aptitudes, your skills, and your knowledge that can contribute to the improvement of the organization. “I call this self-marketing”. 

This has most motivated me, as I was able to obtain some opinions and experiments from students at Mount Kenya University of Rwanda, who have developed their careers in media through voluntary work.

                                  

Just with the two sides of a coin, volunteering exposes diverse challenges being faced and thus developing strategies to cope with them. And this is how you will be learning. It exhibits you to the organization's secrets and future plans in case they will need a new employee or create new posts. We never know!

According to the tech impact Organization, the following  are 6 hidden benefits of volunteering you might not have initially thought of:

1. Volunteers are 27% more likely to find a job after being out of work when compared to non-volunteers. (Source)

2. Volunteers without a high school diploma are 51% more likely to find employment when compared to those who do not volunteer. (Source)

3. Volunteers who live in rural areas, where there tend to be fewer jobs available, are 55% more likely to find a job when compared to those who do not volunteer. (Source)

4. Volunteering helps to combat depression. A major contributing factor to depression is isolation and volunteering encourages consistent interactions with others.

5. Volunteering can help to increase someone’s self-confidence and self-esteem. By volunteering, you’re being a part of something bigger than yourself, and actively making the lives of others easier. If that does not make someone feel good, what will?

6. According to recent research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), volunteering, especially among older people, can help to reduce mortality rates and help people live more fulfilling longer lives. Volunteering has also been shown to combat chronic pain symptoms and even heart disease.

Money? 

Do not be preoccupied with money, and do not put money first. It will arrive unexpectedly later, as long as you have been able to promote yourself. Your intellect is your initial investment, and your voluntarism is your first capital.

There are numerous opportunities. Break free from your comfort zone and routine to concentrate on your professional development. Finally, if you can overcome your fear and laziness and take action, your efforts will pay off.

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***Question of the day***

What do I need to think about before I decide to volunteer?