1. Volunteering

2. Volunteering?
“No thanks,” I hear you say, “I don’t really fancy having to sift through jumble in a charity shop.”

3. “But there’s A LOT more to it than that!”

4. “Put aside preconceptions. Volunteering
is work experience with the added
possibility that the act of choosing
to be a volunteer can show even greater
initiative and commitment”
(Senior manager, HSBC Bank)

5. What is it?
“Student volunteering covers a large range of activities and projects: there truly is something out there for everyone”

6. Employability development tool
A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses the following statistics were found:
(Timebank)

7. Employability development tool
“94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills”.
(TimeBank)

8. Employability development tool
“73% of employers would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without.”
(TimeBank)

9. “58% say that voluntary work
Employability development tool
“58% say that voluntary work
experience can actually be more valuable than experience gained in paid employment”
(TimeBank)

10. Volunteering as a Career Development Tool
“94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted”
(TimeBank)

11. Volunteering as a Career Development Tool
“Up to 60% of job vacancies are not advertised and end up being filled internally or through external networking”
-Network while you volunteer.
(TimeBank)

12. A Volunteer’s View
“Volunteering has given me exposure to other agencies and added to my education.
By shadowing managers in the organisation, I can observe strategies and increase industry awareness.
I now have confidence to contribute in team meetings and am comfortable with public speaking”
(Alissa, Bethany House)

13. “A Scottish employer survey (2002) found that 50% reported that employees lacked relationship and interpersonal skills.”
-Volunteering is a great way to gain these skills
Adapted from Knight P T and York M (2003) Assessment, Learning and Employability Maidenhead, SHRE and OUP

14. “The skills of the ideal 'self-reliant' graduate include: self-awareness,
self-promotion, exploring and creating opportunities, action-planning and networking.
(Hawkins and Winter, 2006)
-Volunteering activities can enhance these.

15. What employers want
“Employability skills are a top priority for business. Over three quarters (78%) of the firms who responded to the CBI’s education
and skills 2009 survey4 said it was one of the most important factors when recruiting graduates, along with a positive attitude (72%)”
(CBI “Future Fit 2009”)

16. Employability Skills
Employer research remains the same!

17. Volunteering Use it to develop employability skills
Use it as a career development tool
Employers’ want the ‘value -added - you’
Helps you build network links