Give and Take (Job Hunt)- MUST READ!!! Especially those who are landing soon!

Give and Take

Teamwork, problem solving, flexibility/multi-tasking are consistently among the top five skills that Canadian employers are looking for, across all occupational categories. Taking a voluntary position can help you to develop these skills and achieve a whole lot more. For example:

? gain work experience.
? build your resumé
? expand your network of contacts — for professional and personal benefits
? improve your English language skills
? enhance your self-esteem and self-confidence
? put some perspective and balance into your life
? contribute to your local community and get to know your neighbourhood
? clarify or affirm your sense of purpose
? learn about Canadian culture and customs

Volunteer work has been a core part of my life for the last 16 years. In that time, I had some challenging and varied learning experiences, my confidence grew exponentially, I finetuned my soft skills and, perhaps most importantly, made some lifelong friends. One of the first things I did when I arrived in Vancouver in January 2009 was to look for some openings for voluntary work.

What works for you?
It is estimated that in Canada, some 12 million volunteers give their time to 161,000 charitable organizations, which generate $112 billion a year for our economy. So, there's plenty of choice to suit your needs and talents. You just have to decide what will work best for you.

Here are three questions that can help you decide:

1. What do you want back, in exchange for your time and effort? Why do you want to volunteer? Remember it's perfectly acceptable to think about gaining as a volunteer, as well as giving.

2. What do you have to offer an organization? What transferable skills, professional competences and personal qualities can you put to good use? For example, are you good at organizing and planning? Artistic or technically minded? Good at working in a team? Do you enjoy research and data analysis? Great at problem solving or strategic thinking? Empathetic? Can you offer practical resources, like transportation?

3.What kind of volunteer role would be a good fit for you and your lifestyle? What are you able to commit to? Be realistic. What will you do for free? How many hours do you have to spare? What else is important to you? You might consider:

? distance and travelling
? working alone or in a team
? working with projects, animals or people (i.e., children, youth, adults, able-bodied, those with disabilities, etc.)
? telephone, computer or face-to-face work
? local community support or international issues
? indoors or outdoors

If you identify an unmet need in your community, maybe you could start up a new voluntary program. The possibilities are infinite.

More tips

Here are a few tips on getting the most out of your volunteer experience:
? Treat the voluntary work as if it's a paid job. People will be relying on you to fulfil your commitment.
? Be responsible for your actions and decisions.
? Be flexible and patient — your role may change at short notice; resources may be scarce.
? Ask for references and/or testimonials from your supervisor, after an appropriate time commitment.You can use these in your job search for paid work.
? And lastly ... enjoy yourself!