Volunteering. Whats in it for you University of Manchester Careers Blog

Volunteering. Whats in it for you University of Manchester Careers Blog Volunteering can present you with new challenges that will help you improve your employability. You could be organising a fundraising initiative, mentoring young people, helping  in a soup kitchen, or digging a community garden. All of these will encourage you to build on existing skills, including teamwork, communication and organisation. You may be faced with gaining new skills, such as leadership and negotiation.    It  can  be challenging and exciting as you develop your skills and your confidence grows you  will see  what you are capable of and what you can achieve. Stand out from the crowd in the job market Volunteering provides you with  real-life examples to demonstrate your experience and skills to  use on applications and in interviews.   It can enable you to get experience and skills that would be difficult to find in paid employment to fit around your studies,   for some careers voluntary experience is vital. Volunteering whilst at University is also an effective way to showcase to employers your time management skills. As well as juggling your studies with deadlines, revision and exams, plus  a part-time job and social life, making time to volunteer demonstrates to employers that you can plan your time effectively and can make a committment. You can also have lots of fun and make new friends  as you work together for a cause,  enhancing your time at University. It’s a great way for you to open your mind to new ideas and perspectives, in addition to gaining a great sense of achievement.  Want to get started? Volunteer For Your Career is nearly here (11 â€" 15 February) at University Place. This event gives you the chance to find out about volunteering in a specific sector, including volunteering with vulnerable adults arts, culture and media health environment and conservation volunteering with children and young people Full details of each day are included on Careerslink Simply click on events and put ‘Volunteer for your career’ in the search field for full details. In addition to meeting and chatting to representatives from each sector and finding out the opportunities available to you, ‘Volunteer For Your Career’ will also enable you to see how volunteering can boost your employability. To find out more, go to www.manchester.ac.uk/volunteers or email the Volunteering and Community Engagement Team at:   volunteers@manchester.ac.uk. There are loads of other opportunities available to you through the University and the Students’ Union to enable you to volunteer. For example: Manchester RAG   is a student fundraising group at the University of Manchester, and is a great opportunity to get outside the student bubble, meet different people and raise money for some really great causes. Student Action runs a range of student-led projects with different communities in Manchester. Sports Volunteer Scheme at the University enables you to engage with the local with the local Manchester community through volunteering in sport. The Manchester Museum can provide you with a wide range of cultural and volunteering roles. Widening Participation Programme offers you a wide variety of different opportunities volunteering with primary and secondary school children. So now  that you know what it can do for you, why not take some action, see what’s out there and go for it! Enjoy and have some fun! All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted