Why Volunteer?

At a meeting of the St. Matthias Employment Ministry, an attendee told  the following story.

Some years ago, she decided to volunteer some of her time at a local medical center. While volunteering there, she met many new people. After a while, one of the hospital administrators said that they were so impressed by her that they were thinking of hiring her. Would she be interested? She said yes and ended up working there for years.

Her story illustrates something that we teach all the job hunters we meet with: make time to volunteer. It can be anything you are drawn to. Help out at your local food bank. Pitch in at your place of worship. Many such organizations can use the extra help.

And you benefit too:

First, it gets you out of the house! Many job hunters fall prey to isolation by spending too much time at home sitting in front of a computer.

Second, doing good is good for you! Giving to others feels good and boosts your mental outlook. Plus many employers are impressed to see that you volunteered while in transition.

And third, volunteering is a great way to meet people. And meeting people stokes your networking engine!

Terrence H. Seamon is an organization development consultant and coach who provides leadership and team development services to employers in New Jersey. His book Lead the Way explores the challenges of leadership. Additionally, Terry is a job search and career coach whose book To Your Success provides a motivational guide for anyone in transition. His third book, Change for the Better (forthcoming), will provide leaders with a guide to navigating through organizational change. An alumnus of PSG, Terry co-founded and co-moderates the St. Matthias Employment Ministry in Somerset, NJ. He can be reached at thseamon@yahoo.com and via his website:http://about.me/terrenceseamon