Work Gaps? No Experience? Volunteer Positions Can Be Resumé Gold

Job Search Advice for the New Year: Volunteer 

If seeking a job is your goal for 2015, then you’re probably taking a hard look at your resumé this month. After all, the decision to hire begins with your resumé or application. If you’ve been out of work for a while, or if your skills and experience aren’t measuring up, you may feel caught in a vicious cycle. Without getting hired, those gaps only grow wider, consuming any chance you have of getting the job you want. If your resumé or application is coming up short, get ready for the best advice you’ll hear in 2015: Volunteer.

It may seem difficult to give your time away when what you really need is a steady paycheck, but believe us when we say that volunteering can work magic on a resumé. It can make work gaps all but disappear and put skeptical employers under your spell.

According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, volunteers have higher odds of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers, and that increase can go up to 51% for those without a high school diploma. So if you’re in the job market this year, sprinkle the equivalent of a little gold dust on your application and volunteer. Here’s the run-down on getting the most out of the opportunity.

5 Ways Volunteering Helps Your Job Prospects 

1. It eliminate work gaps. Volunteering can go on your resumé as work experience, and that means fewer lapses to answer for, especially when it’s been some time between jobs.
2. It builds self-esteem. Job searching is a confidence sapper. Continuing your work routine and providing value to an organization combats job search hopelessness in a way nothing else can.
3. It develops skills. By choosing an opportunity that puts your skills to work, your volunteer experience is as good as a paid position. Even skills like teamwork and punctuality enhance a thin résumé.
4. It shows you’re a self-starter. Volunteering means you’re ambitious, you’re a go-getter, and you take helping your community to heart. In short, employers love it.
5. It provides contacts. It’s a fact that most hiring is done by hearing about a job or knowing someone who has one. Volunteering puts you back in the work force network.

5 Things To Know Before You Volunteer

1. Do what inspires you. Your volunteer work should be something you feel passionate about says the Florida Times Union. It will help you stay committed if you are connected to the organization’s mission.
2. Use your skills. Organizations have many needs, so be determined about the role you want to play, and make sure it’s something that pushes you to use your skills. If graphic design is your interest, do the monthly newsletter at the local animal shelter, and say no to that job cleaning cages, at least for now. 
3. Seek out contacts. Volunteer where there are people in your line of work, even if you’re doing something else in the organization. Also, be sure someone in the position of authority can give you a letter of commendation for your efforts. 
4. Make sure it’s a formal position. Some organizations simply aren’t equipped take on volunteers. Make sure your volunteer position is with a medium or large 501(c)3, or with a business that accepts interns, where you can take advantage of training, get on a set schedule, get your name in the weekly newsletter, and have a manager or volunteer coordinator to whom you report. 
5. Take it seriously. Your volunteer work is a reflection of the kind of employee you are, so put your professional foot forward just as you would in a paid position.

5 Ways To Begin

1. In Maine: Start your position search at VoluteerMaine.org, or look for organizations that accept volunteers at the Maine Association of Nonprofits.
2. In New Hampshire: VolunteerNH.org can help you find opportunities or learn about AmericaCorps. You can also visit NH Center for Nonprofits to find a compatible organization seeking volunteers.
3. Anywhere: Start your search at Serve.gov, or find the right opportunity for you at Voluteermatch.org, where you can search for opportunities by state.  You can also search local job boards – they usually post non-paid, intern, and volunteer positions along with paid ones.
4. Teach a class. Whether you’ve got knowledge in accounting, hula-hooping, or creating a Facebook page, community and adult education centers and some local support organizations are open to hearing pitches to head up classes and workshops of all kinds.
5. Use your skills to make a difference. Media Cause has work for those with professional and marketing skills willing to donate their time to a good cause (and in some cases, they can lead to paid positions).

Overcoming Barriers to Employment

Conquering Obstacles in the Path Toward Getting a Job

For many job seekers, getting a job is not simply a matter of finding the right position. Barriers to employment can make looking for a job akin to running an obstacle course. Barriers can be logistical, such as scheduling issues, child care needs, or lack of transportation. They can be also be barriers that deny an applicant access from employers completely – things like a criminal record, lack of education, or glaring work history gaps.

Unless job seekers can prove these barriers can be overcome, usually through job experience, the cycle can be hard, dimming the job seeker’s prospects. And, when applicants are eliminated from the labor force, employers lose workers who can be productive members of their company as well.

Challenged Job Seekers Turn to Staffing Companies

Reputable staffing companies are in the business of helping turn job seekers into workers, even if they have challenging resumes.  “We want to make sure the fit is right, both for the applicant and the employer,” said Mandy Wertman, Human Resources Representative at BONNEY Staffing Center. Marketing an excellent candidate to a client, regardless of their challenges, benefits both parties, she said.

With their large network of clients, staffing companies can tap employers that offer alternative shifts and flexibility, for example – eliminating barriers for those with child care, transportation, or scheduling issues. They can also help job seekers communicate aspects of job history and experience in a way that employers will be receptive to. In addition to providing diverse hiring options, staffing companies also have the benefit of the worker—Staffing Supervisor relationship. Staffing Supervisors can serve as invaluable mentors to job seekers with hiring challenges, supporting them on the job and as their experience progresses.

For workers who have more challenging barriers such as skills deficits or work history gaps – even criminal records – good staffing companies can provide life-changing support to job seekers who feel like they are treading water in today’s job market.

Skills or Education Deficits. It’s a well-known employment trap: a worker who lacks job skills can’t get a job without them.  A good staffing company will work hard to evaluate each applicant individually, identifying strengths based on work and life experience. These strengths might fill in for any skills gaps.  Does the job seeker have experience that could translate to another field of work?  Are they an excellent candidate who lacks certain computer skills?  An applicant can be directed toward the appropriate tutorials or training material before being marketed to a client, increasing their chances of getting hired.

After a careful assessment, a good Staffing Supervisor will be able to communicate an applicant’s strengths to clients and help the applicant prepare to communicate them as well. Other skills-building options include on-the-job training, which not only helps overcome a skills barrier, but can eliminate it completely. Some employers in Maine and New Hampshire provide on-the-job training, which helps them move workers into positions fast, satisfying a client’s immediate need for workers at the same time.

When it comes to education, staffing companies have the luxury of working with many different clients and knowing their education requirements.  Depending on the job opening, a client may require degrees or specific technical expertise. But for less-skilled positions, some employers will welcome good employees no matter their educational shortfalls, even supporting workers in completing their GEDs while on the job.

Employment Gaps. One of the most common barriers to employment is a gap in an applicant’s work history. Unexplained gaps can put job seekers at a major disadvantage, and for those with employment gaps due to illness, inability to find work, or personal reasons, it can seem impossible to get back on track.

Overcoming Employment Barriers: Essential Strategies for Job Seekers

Address the barrier. “Successful people don’t let their roadblocks stop them; they turn them into assets,” said BONNEY Staffing Center’s Sarah Joy. That means meeting job challenges head on. Volunteer to help fill employment gaps, or find training to fill skills deficits. Career centers and staffing agencies can direct you to resources for help with scheduling and transportation issues, and they’ll work with you to help you address issues such as criminal records or disabilities.

Communicate. Get help communicating the nature of the barrier so you are prepared to address it in a conversation with a potential employer. Career centers and staffing agencies are trained to help you clearly articulate challenges in your job history and demonstrate the efforts you’ve made to overcome them.

Be open-minded. "You have to be open," said Joy, “You have to step back and say, ‘How do I retool?’” Sometimes that means doing whatever it takes, even if that means taking something that isn’t your dream job. Even small steps can get you back on track and make you feel like you’re moving toward your goal.

Be honest. Whether the barrier to employment is large or small, being honest when questions arise, either in person or on an application, is imperative. When a staffing specialist or employer knows your issues, they can help you address them.

The best way to overcome employment gaps is to address them head on. “Communication is key,” said Wertman. “We look at the whole employment history and take a holistic approach. If they have a solid work history before their most recent gap, that counts.  If they’ve been doing volunteer work, that will be taken into account.” If an applicant needs to build more or recent work history, Staffing Supervisors can provide resources for burnishing that history through volunteer work, referrals to their local Career Center, or accruing work experience through BONNEY’s S.W.A.T.  program that provides immediate short-term employees for employers with last minute or day-to-day needs.

Criminal History. At BONNEY Staffing Center, if a worker has a criminal conviction, they are not automatically turned away. BONNEY follows EEOC guidelines, and each BONNEY applicant receives an individualized assessment with regard to any criminal convictions.  With client consent, they will place individuals with a myriad of backgrounds. In many cases, employability depends on the offense. If an applicant has a theft conviction, they will not be able to work in a position handling money or in financial services, for example.

Personal & Professional Setbacks. One of the most challenging barriers for someone seeking a job can be a personal or career setback that wears away self-esteem and alters self-perception. “Self-perception can be a real stumbling block,” said BONNEY Staffing Center Portland Branch Manager Sarah Joy. Joy often sees job seekers who may be talented, but are frustrated because they are not where they want to be. “They may be timid, scared, not sure what to do next. They've lost their job, had some unexpected bad luck, had to take care of a sick family member, or had to relocate...they may feel defeated,” she said. “I want to help everyone see the opportunity available in any job opening they may be qualified for.”

Joy coaches individuals that fit into this category to keep an open mind about jobs that might provide a chance to lead them back up the professional ladder, even if the jobs are initially entry-level. She has seen many mended spirits in her career. She cites an applicant with a degree in Ecology who couldn’t find a job in her field. The applicant started building her career as a receptionist – at an environmental consulting firm. She was eventually hired and put her degree to use. Another applicant, a seasoned worker who enjoyed needlepoint, found she was equally suited to work in small-piece assembly.  An applicant who’d suffered a career setback took an entry-level Production job and worked his way up to Supervisor. Joy said if a worker is flexible, motivated, and willing to take a job that might not start out as their ideal position, they can often get back on track. “They can turn roadblocks into building blocks,” she said.

Turning Challenges Into Strengths

We all have unique experiences that make us who we are.  It is part of the mission of experienced staffing companies like BONNEY Staffing Center to help everyone who wants to find work get a job. If a Staffing Supervisor finds they simply can’t place a job seeker directly, they'll suggest other resources. That can include Social Services, Career Centers that offer workshops and seminars and job training, local Chambers – even other staffing companies.

For job seekers, relying on an experienced Staffing Supervisor to serve as liaison to potential employers and a focus on solutions instead of barriers can make the difference between being “screened out” and being given an opportunity to demonstrate their strengths. In Maine and New Hampshire, where employers often express concerns about a thin labor pool, that can be a win-win for employers and employees alike.