How to Volunteer and Learn Job Skills at the Same Time

Many people who've been out of the workforce for a few years make a huge mistake when they're ready to work again.

Deciding to volunteer to expand job skills is not the error. Selecting a position solely on the type of good the organization does is the goof.

For individuals whose goal is to give back to society, share expertise or fill some empty hours, what a prospective organization does and whom it serves are probably the first concerns. However, for anyone trying to gain additional skills or a different type of job experience, the foremost consideration should be what can be learned. Of course, finding volunteer jobs with the skills you want to gain and with groups you greatly admire is the ideal.

Bette had a tough time during her last few years as a Federal analyst. A disability resulted in periodic emergency care, including surgeries. As she neared retirement age, she lacked the stamina for many more days filled with eight hours of work plus two hours of commuting.

Thirty years earlier, Bette had entered Federal service in a clerical job, fresh out of college. She concluded her best bet was to volunteer part time for a year to update her skills. Fortunately, she was able to volunteer in a hospital where the staff knew her as a patient. She then supplemented her early retirement with paid part-time admin work for five years.

The most practical approach to get experience is to target groups with assignments that allow you to learn while you volunteer. For example, if you want to go into marketing, look for openings where you'll be giving presentations or promoting a project or program.

Make sure to clarify the expectations of a probable assignment. Before accepting it, consider how you would describe it and any new skills on your resume.

How do you find these openings? Beyond contacting relatives and acquaintances, post your resume or a descriptive paragraph on Craigslist. Select the correct geographic area and put volunteer in your heading. Refer to the skills or type of volunteer spot you're seeking in the text. Other great sites to get you started include SimplyHired and VolunteerMatch.