Volunteering helps more than others

  • Published
  • By Jerry Marlett
  • 17th Force Support Squadron
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) --  You see them every day answering phones and directing visitors at the Airman and Family Readiness Center or base clinic. Some help organize community bazaars or orchestrate a play at the base theater. Some even coach your kids in soccer and lead food drives for the food bank. These people form partnerships between military and civilian communities, strengthening bonds and building relationships. They are volunteers.

Even though volunteers don't get a paycheck, their willingness and dedication to the job helps programs continue regardless of funding. They also help communities enjoy a quality of life that they otherwise would not.

Volunteering is a selfless act and, while there are many benefits, it's also an incredibly savvy career move. It helps those new to a community network and make contacts that could be crucial to landing a paying job. This is especially true for those stationed overseas.

Another benefit of volunteering is the opportunity it provides to develop valuable, transferable skills, which can lead to a paying job. It helps individuals keep their skills sharp and even learn new ones. Volunteer work represents credible, on-the-job experience that can be used to help people progress through their career.

People can list volunteer work on their resume to show potential employers they have the necessary skills and experience to do the job for which they are applying. For example, a Parent/Teacher Association fundraising committee chair volunteer is organizing a bake sale and must ensure it all comes together successfully. He launches an advertising campaign by posting flyers throughout the community and coordinates the sale location and details, including working with others to get the proper approvals. He recruits volunteers and supervises work at the sale. When wrapping up the event, he accounts for monies collected and acknowledges other volunteers for their time. In the end, his bake sale increased the organization's bottom line by a significant percentage, a transferrable skill in high demand by any employer.

Get the big picture? Volunteer work experience is much more than just "putting on a bake sale."

Volunteers should pick the right volunteer opportunities by knowing what type of job they ultimately want and the skills needed to do it. For example, if someone wants to work in public relations, he needs to have excellent writing skills. He could improve his skills by volunteering with the installation's public affairs office, the base newspaper or other places that offer a writing experience.

The military One Source web site, www.militaryonesource.com, has numerous articles and advice on finding the right volunteer opportunity and how to relate volunteer skills to job skills.