Volunteering

What about volunteering? Could that help me find a job?

Yes! Though volunteering for an organization will not land you a regular paycheck, it has many other benefits:

• Many organizations draw from their volunteer pool in selecting people for paid positions.
• Volunteering helps you to network.
• Volunteering allows you to demonstrate many skills that are basic to establishing yourself as a good employee—reliability, a positive attitude, and an interest in the organization.
• Many organizations offer free benefits to volunteers—these perks range from free parking to free meals.

Virtually all non-profit organizations use volunteers (on the Internet, these are organizations in which the website address ends in .org). Offer your time and talents to an organization that may not have used a volunteer in the past. One of the best sites to check for volunteer opportunities is VolunteerMatch [1]. The city of Kansas City also maintains a site called KC Serves [2].

Many schools (with websites ending in .edu) also use volunteers. And don't forget to consider volunteering at the Library! Go to our Volunteering [3] webpage for more information.

Check the Library’s catalog [4] under the subject headings “Volunteer workers” and "Voluntarism" for books about volunteering. Here are a few to get started:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Giving Back [5]. 2009. Call number: 365.92 S54Z

Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures that Will Benefit You and Others [6]. 2009. Call number: 302.14 M16V

Crossing the Yard: Thirty Years as a Prison Volunteer [7]. 2007. Call number: 365.92 S54Z

For additional information, contact an H&R Block Business & Career Center librarian by phone, 816.701.3717, or by e-mail, bcc@kclibrary.org [8].