Let’s face it. Sitting at home watching TV while you wait for job interviews isn’t much fun. And the longer you sit, the longer the gap gets in your resume and the more your mind rots.
Here’s a quote from Career-Line.com:
“Volunteering shouldn’t be an afterthought. If you’re unemployed and an interviewer asks ‘what have you been up to?’ your answer better not be ‘looking for a job.’ one recruiter told me recently. You need something to show for your time. Write a blog, start your own business, volunteer. You need some way to account for your time, and why not have something that will impress them?”
Why it works: it’s not your Grandmother’s volunteering
Many people have an out-of-date view of volunteering. Some think it’s “busy work,” or that volunteers always get stuck with menial tasks. But that is far from the truth. Cristen Kane, Director of RSVP, Lake County’s senior volunteer coordinating program, says:
“We’ve reached a point these days that we have big needs for two kinds of volunteers: high touch and high tech. Our biggest needs are for volunteers who have strong skills in interpersonal relations, marketing, administration, public relations, and accounting. We need board members as well as food bank drivers; writers as well as receptionists.”
RSVP of Lake County, for instance, matches the skills and experience of adults age 55 and over with important community volunteer opportunities. More than 800 volunteers serve over 70 non-profits and health care agencies tutoring children, repairing roofs and garages, serving on boards of directors, helping with fundraising and publicity, and driving invalids to medical and other appointments. The program is funded locally by the Lake County Senior Citizen Services Levy, federally by the Corporation for National and Community Service, and by the Ohio Department of Aging. RSVP has been sponsored since its inception in 1973 by the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District.
Mrs. Kane also said,
“Time and again, I’ve seen seniors jump-start their job search and their lives when they start volunteering with us. Because employers often look down on time gaps in resumes, I urge everyone who has been fired or laid off to make one of their first appointments an RSVP Lake County orientation meeting. That shows that you’re a go-getter, and that you like to work.”
Central organizations like RSVP help make ends meet while you volunteer.
Many of those out of work are concerned about the cost of volunteering, with gas prices out of sight. But RSVP’s belief is that volunteering should not cost you money when times are tough. RSVP of Lake County can, when economically necessary, provide mileage re-imbursement, meals in some cases, as well as out-of-pocket medical coverage while volunteering with RSVP.
RSVP of Lake County is located in the W-E Technical Center School at 25 Public Square in Willoughby, OH. Contact them at (440) 269-3015 or Cristen.Kane@WeSchools.org. More information is at their website: www.rsvplc.org.
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