Using volunteering as a pathway to transition into a new job or career can be a strategic and fulfilling approach at any age.

Can volunteering help you transition to a new career or help you find employment?

The short answer is yes; yes, volunteering can help you with your employment goals.

The longer answer involves some steps you can take which are laid out below.

And then, further down, you can glean some inspiration from some real-life examples of retired adults who either returned to employment, changed careers, or created for themselves a flexible, fulfilling mix of employment, volunteering and retirement-like pursuits. 

Here are some things to think about when volunteering with an eye to a career change or employment:

• Highlight your volunteer experience in your employment applications and job interviews — volunteer involvement is highly esteemed by prospective employers. Be sure to talk about what you learned from volunteering and what you’ve contributed.
• Make sure to demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment to your volunteer role, —your supervisor and those around you can be valuable bridge-builders to your employment by vouching for your work ethic, skills and dedication.
• Be sure to get the contact information for your supervisor, so you can contact them when needed for a reference. In fact, let your supervisor know you are interested in getting a reference from them. Positive references can be valuable when applying for paid positions.
• Showcase volunteer experience on your resume and LinkedIn* profile: Emphasize the skills you’ve gained, projects worked on, and the impact you made.
• If you are keen to become employed by the organization you are volunteering with, a great track record goes a long way in your favour — you have a leg up over the competition that has no prior experience with the organization. Quite often, employers would rather hire a “known quantity” over someone who has no history with them.
• Realistically, keep in mind that volunteering is no guarantee or promise of employment.
• If no job opportunities are available with the organization, you are currently engaged with as a volunteer, consider talking to your supervisor about increasing your level of responsibility or leadership as a volunteer so that you continue building your resume.
• If you aren’t interested in working for the organization where you have volunteered, your experience will still be valuable in your job search. Volunteering demonstrates to potential employers that you take initiative, are interested in contributing, learning new things and showing dedication to your work!

 Here are some steps you can consider on the journey to finding fulfilling employment:

• Identify Your Interests and Skills: Assess your interests, passions, experiences and skills. What do you enjoy doing? What are your strengths? This will help you find volunteer opportunities aligned with your goals.
• Research Target Industry or Career: Explore the industry or career you want to transition into, understand its requirements, skills needed, and the types of roles available.
• Volunteer in Your Field of Interest: Look for volunteer opportunities related to your target career. This allows you to gain hands-on experience, learn more about the field, and expand your network.
• Network with Professionals: Use volunteering as a chance to network with professionals in your desired field or industry. Attend events, connect on LinkedIn, and pursue informational interviews to learn more about a field. (An informational interview is like having a friendly chat with someone who has a job or works in a field you’re curious about. You can ask questions about their job, how they got there, and what advice they might have.)
• Acquire New Skills: Volunteer roles often provide opportunities to learn new skills. Use this time to acquire skills that are valuable in your target career.
• Explore Internship Opportunities: Some volunteer roles may lead to internship opportunities. Internships can bridge the gap between volunteering and paid employment.
• Attend Industry Events: Attend industry-related events and conferences. This helps you stay updated on trends, connect with professionals, and increase your visibility.
• Seek Career Advice: Talk to mentors or career advisors in your chosen field. They can provide valuable insights, guidance, and advice on your career transition.
• Apply for Paid Positions: As you gain experience and confidence, start applying for paid positions within your desired career field or with an organization you like.

Remember, volunteering is not only good for your physical, mental and emotional or spiritual health, it is also enhances your skills, allows you to build a network and demonstrate your commitment to a new field. Be proactive, stay persistent, and leverage your volunteer experience as a stepping stone to your desired career.

*Read our article “LinkedIn – Getting Started” found HERE. ADD LINK

Watch this video to get some post-retirement ideas for employment “10 Great jobs for seniors and retirees” found HERE.

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The “retirement ideal” has been changing for years. Older people are increasingly un-retiring, changing the shape of this life stage. 

Here are some stories of some folks who have returned to work, changed their career, found new employment or have found a happy new life mix.

Unhappiness in retirement is a well-documented issue. Michelle Silver, of the University of Toronto Scarborough, says retirement can be “an incredibly dissatisfying experience” for those whose personal and work identities are intertwined. She suggests the pandemic offered many people a preview of retirement — being with your partner all day, or alone all day, without the traditional structures of work — and that some people who traditionally would have retired by now realised the lifestyle didn’t appeal to them.

While there are several factors behind retirees’ return to the workforce, it’s clear that concerns linked to the cost of living are currently a major motivator.

Gaëlle Blake, UK and Ireland director for permanent appointments at recruitment firm Hays, says she believes “this is the start of a phenomenon where people are feeling the pressure financially, so they will come back to work.” Whether that’s part-time, full-time or a side gig, people are increasingly expecting and needing to work past traditional retirement age —perhaps permanently reshaping our idea of what this life stage might look like.

While returning to full-time employment may work for some older workers, other retirees are seeking more flexible employment. In the UK, of the 50-to-70-year-olds who left the workforce during the pandemic, 69% of those looking to come back want to work part-time — planning a semi-retirement, rather than a fully-fledged one.

New Jersey-based Richard Eisenberg, who started his semi-retirement from journalism in January 2022, divides his time among writing part-time and volunteering, mentoring and experimenting with new challenges he didn’t have time for when he was in full-time work.

Eisenberg says he’s “glad to have the extra income,” because the possibility of running out of money is always a back-of-the-mind concern, even though he and his wife have built up solid pension pots. But he’s also keen to keep working for mental stimulation. “I’m not somebody who plays golf,” he says, “so I just felt like if I wasn’t going to be doing some kind of work, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. And I would get pretty bored, possibly depressed, and I didn’t want that to happen.”

“I think it’s really important to recognise that retirement is just a phase that was invented, it’s not a natural progression or an essential stage of life,” says Michelle Silver. “I think that now, lots more people will questions what it means, and whether it is really a life goal for everyone.”

Read the full article “Is this the end of retirement as we know it?” HERE where some of these stories of real people comes from.