everyone says "volunteer"

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everyone keeps saying that i should volunteer somewhere, theres a chance that they could hire me at some point. but the thing i find wrong about volunteering is that who knows how long it will take for them to hire you, if they hire you at all. i want to to things, but i need a actual job for me to do things. i want to travel, save up for a car, things like that and the time i would be volunteering is the time i could be actually working and getting paid to do the thing i want to do.

If you're 16, it makes sense. If you're 20 and you get college credit, it makes sense. If you're out of college, it makes no sense.

If you're in or recently out of school, does your college have a career center with counselors? That's where I would start.

My suggestion is try several different routs at the same time and see what clicks. So I agree, volunteering would be a bad idea if it is your one and only thing you count on. But if you do 10 other things then it would be also good to add volunteering as item number 11 on the list. Whatever the 10 things you are trying, the attitudes of ppl involved will be somewhat better if they know you are volunteering as well. Thus it would increase your chances slightly. Not cure all solution, but a slight increase of your chances. And like I said dont put all eggs on one basket. Each little thing on its own might be meaningless, but a habbit of doing several different little things (volunteering being one of them) will produce big results.

^^^i agree. i always do some kind of volunteer work as part of my regular activities, even for a few hours a week. it makes a person more interesting to employers, and it provides valuable experience. i've never had a job come out of it directly, but it indirectly helps employers to see that i'm well-rounded and have a philanthropic side.

Volunteering fills a gap in a resume.

If you have, or can get, paid work experience, go for the paid work.

If you have no experience or a gap in work history or no work-related skills, volunteer to get those skills. Then, update your resume. Then, apply to the jobs.

Most volunteer groups don't necessarily hire their volunteers. Volunteers get experience to list on their resume, potential networking connections, and a pat on the back.

I never did see the value in social networks. Why should I kiss someone's arse for the privilege of a job that doesn't pay well? Judge me on what I can do (as long as you don't overload me), not how well I schmooze.

When you hire someone, your taking a risk. At the low end, you could get a bad employee who costs you money. At the high end, you could get a professional plaintiff or a thief, or a bad employee who looses a major contract.

The social network aspect removes some of that fear; because that person is not a complete stranger anymore.

Yeah it confuses me as well.......volunteering=using the time and energy I could be spending either finding part time work that pays or going through the process of SSI if I cannot function well enough for part time, to work for no pay.

I mean volunteering is great if you have your sh** together and have some spare time on your hands....not so much when you have to figure out how to get an income to live on.

It's another one of those expectations that employers have these days. It's not enough to just volunteer, it has to involve doing something that is related to the work you're trying to find.

Another bad thing is that organizations are so overwhelmed with people wanting to volunteer now that they have become as picky as regular employers, so it's almost as hard to find a volunteer position as it is an actual job.

I think you may misunderstand slightly.

People suggest volunteering often when you can't find a job because you don't have experience. Volunteering will get you the experience you need. It may or may not lead to a job at the place your volunteering at, but it will give you the experience you need, and hopefully a good reference.

If you can work, you don't need to volunteer unless you have spare time, but if your getting no where with working because of a lack of skills/experience, volunteering can give you a boost.

Volunteering can also lead to social opportunities but that is outside the scope of this sub-forum.

Well...yeah... I mean if I'm hiring you to do job A, and you have all this great experience but it's in job B, it's not really relevant.