Will volunteering help get into work?

TheNightmare

I started some volunteering in a charity shop and just wanted to make sure it is helpful to get into a paid job. It's just a matter of weather they need anyone, I've only done 1 day this week and might not be garanteed to be anymore day, will it still help?

Amy22

Hi @TheNightmare well done for managing to volunteer in a charity shop, that's a very good thing to do actually in terms of looking for work. In fact I have had a similar experience myself working in a charity shop setting pre- pandemic times, and from my experience it was definitely helpful towards my work goals. It allowed me to be able to learn new skills alongside having it being put on my CV's and personal statement's, enabled me to say to future employers that I have got retail experience. Im still looking for employment myself at the moment and volunteering can be a great way of getting to make contacts while learning new skills as well as meeting people. I can imagine in your role, you would be working with customer's so your learning customer service which is often a skill that a lot of employers do *usually* tend to look for. Even if it's just for the one day, you still had that experience of working in a charity shop, you can still put it down on your CV.

How have you been finding work there?. Hope your doing okay this week .

Sending hugs,

Amy22

TheNightmare

Amy22 wrote: »

Hi @TheNightmare well done for managing to volunteer in a charity shop, that's a very good thing to do actually in terms of looking for work. In fact I have had a similar experience myself working in a charity shop setting pre- pandemic times, and from my experience it was definitely helpful towards my work goals. It allowed me to be able to learn new skills alongside having it being put on my CV's and personal statement's, enabled me to say to future employers that I have got retail experience. Im still looking for employment myself at the moment and volunteering can be a great way of getting to make contacts while learning new skills as well as meeting people. I can imagine in your role, you would be working with customer's so your learning customer service which is often a skill that a lot of employers do *usually* tend to look for. Even if it's just for the one day, you still had that experience of working in a charity shop, you can still put it down on your CV.

How have you been finding work there?. Hope your doing okay this week .

Sending hugs,

Amy22

Hi @Amy22 I hope you're all good, I have been finding the work I've only been there 1 day up to now but found it OK. Thanks a lot for all that information and good luck for you getting into work too.

shannon_164

it will help for sure as you’re getting experience still!! volunteering has helped me a LOT to get into employment, my voluntary experience is what meant i met the requirements for a job - i could tick of every requirement but if i hadn’t been volunteering then i wouldn’t have got the job! good luck with it all:)

ebyrne556

Hey @TheNightmare congratulations on the new volunteer role we are all so proud of u it’s not easy starting something newand glad it’s going alright so far! Cant wait to hear any updates on how it progresses!

In answer to your question I know that personally I’ve developed A lot of skills that have helped me to get into a job and I know that even some staff here at the mix started off volunteering and now work for the mix So it can definitely open a lot of doors and opportunities. I’ve also found out a lot of jobs in retail especially want some sort of experience so volunteering in a charity shop will give you this relevant experience and hopefully help develop your confidence

Keep being amazing

TheNightmare

shannon_164 wrote: »

it will help for sure as you’re getting experience still!! volunteering has helped me a LOT to get into employment, my voluntary experience is what meant i met the requirements for a job - i could tick of every requirement but if i hadn’t been volunteering then i wouldn’t have got the job! good luck with it all:)

Thanks a lot for this Shannon you're so kind

TheNightmare

ebyrne556 wrote: »

Hey @TheNightmare congratulations on the new volunteer role we are all so proud of u it’s not easy starting something newand glad it’s going alright so far! Cant wait to hear any updates on how it progresses!

In answer to your question I know that personally I’ve developed A lot of skills that have helped me to get into a job and I know that even some staff here at the mix started off volunteering and now work for the mix So it can definitely open a lot of doors and opportunities. I’ve also found out a lot of jobs in retail especially want some sort of experience so volunteering in a charity shop will give you this relevant experience and hopefully help develop your confidence

Keep being amazing

@ebyrne556 thanks so much for the kind words and everything. I know that a lot of staff here started of volunteering which is great, it's probably amazing working for The Mix. Thanks a lot for your answer too. Appreciate it all as always.