Where to volunteer to build up a resume?

Question

I want to start volunteering because I need to build up my resume; my ultimate goal is to be invited to the Peace Corps. Anytime that I have outside of school and work, I want to volunteer, but I don't know where to volunteer or how to really go about it. Help?

Answer 1

Have you checked out the PC website?  I would look there and find out what sectors of the community they work with.  You can then tailor your volunteer work to what they are looking for.  Do you want to work in the health education field?  Volunteer with the red cross or get your EMT certification.  Want to teach?  Tutor kids in math.  Want to do something in agriculture?  Work at a local organic farm or farmers market.  I honestly wouldn't just randomly choose a place to volunteer. It's much better if you show them that "this is what they want, so you'll give them exactly what they want."

Answer 2

Call  United Way at 211,let them know your strengths and area(s) of interest,they will put you in touch with the right jobs. You also have the ability to help only at big city events or once a week ,basically whatever you want/need. Also do you have something you believe in ( Read for Literacy,cancer awareness,...) the agency of your interest might be able to use your help,good luck,Robin

PS,I have volunteered at my son's school in many aspects,my church in hopes of resume building

Answer 3

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Answer 4

There are many local, domestic, and international on-line volunteer resources.

Before I focused my efforts on freelance resume writing, part of my career was in nonprofit administration. Here were two of my favorite sites to find volunteers (like finding an employee):

Idealist.org

http://www.idealist.org/if/as/vol

VolunteerMatch.org

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

If you're interested in board service:

BoardNetUSA.org

http://boardnetusa.org/public/home.asp

If you're interested volunteering internationally, check these out (there are many more). Volunteering abroad frequently costs money, though, so check thoroughly.  

International Volunteer Programs Association:

http://www.volunteerinternational.org/

Volunteer Abroad

http://www.volunteerabroad.com/search.cf...

International Student Volunteers

http://www.isvonline.com/

Google lists many opportunities if you key in "international volunteer" or "international volunteer students."

Depending on where you live, you might find local/city, county, or state volunteer opportunities. Here are a few examples that are local to me to get you started thinking about your own nearby resources:

California Volunteers

http://www.californiavolunteers.org/

The Volunteer Center (San Francisco Bay Area)

http://www.thevolunteercenter.net/

OneBrick.org (SF Bay Area, New York, Chicago, DC, Mpls/St Paul)

http://onebrick.org/

These all list formal opportunities. But as mentioned in another post, you can also simply visit or call churches, schools, soup kitchens, food banks, and any other organization that might be looking for volunteers. Many of them will gladly provide a letter for school about how many hours you contribute(d), your value, etc. And as you've noted already, you'll want to include all of your work on your resume.

A Google search such as "California Volunteer" (insert your own state, county, or city), "volunteer opportunities," or "volunteer in my community," etc, should yield some interesting opportunities.

A final place to find volunteer opportunities is the wonderful and ubiquitous Craigslist. http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.ht...

Do consider researching the Peace Corps. Read up about their requirements on-line. Get an application and see what they're looking for. It'll help you tailor your efforts so you're better poised for acceptance into the program. (BTW, you'd do this for a job, too. Job descriptions give a great deal of information about a potential position and/or career ... use http://www.indeed.com/ to enter interesting keywords, job titles, and areas of expertise to see what comes up.)

Remember, "luck" is when preparation meets opportunity, so do your homework and get prepared. Good things are clearly in your future.

Good luck!

Jared R.