What Volunteering Can Mean for You

Volunteering comes in many forms and serves many purposes. It can:

• Boost your confidence if you have been out of the workplace for a while, perhaps due to sickness or caring responsibilities
• Give you an opportunity to give back and make a difference
• Help you learn new skills and give you an insight into a new sector or type of job
• Open up new horizons, including travel abroad
• Combat loneliness and help you re-engage with your local community.

The range of voluntary opportunities is huge these days and it's never been easier to find something that fits your skills, passions and experience. There are specialised websites to find volunteering opportunities near you or you can search for opportunities in a particular organisation. Gone are the days when volunteering just meant helping out at the local charity shop.

You can do everything from running a charity event to working in an animal charity, being a bereavement counsellor or serving as a mentor or a trustee. Some volunteering jobs provide training so check out what the requirements are and if you can meet them. For example, if you are volunteering alongside other work, consider the time you can devote to it on a regular basis. It is always good to be clear from the offset what you can offer.

Rebuilding Confidence

If you've been out of the workforce for whatever reason - be it due to caring responsibilities or redundancy - volunteering can help to rebuild your confidence and give you something to put down on your CV. It will also widen your network of contacts, If you are putting volunteering down on your CV, remember to try to link anything that you have achieved during your volunteer work to the competency skills required for the job. It's a great way to refresh your skills and stay in touch with the jobs-market.

Volunteering is something that is relevant at any age, which can open up new avenues to explore and new friendships.