One of the most important things you can do for your career is pursue and say yes to new opportunities even when you aren’t sure what the outcomes will be. Taking career action involves actively exploring your options, testing out alternatives, and intentionally meeting new people. Volunteering is one of the most effective ways you can generate new opportunities - as well as develop transferable skills, learn more about your work-related preferences, and build up your resume. This slideshare outlines why and how to get started volunteering, with resources targeting the region of Alberta, Canada. Brought to you by CAPS: Your U of A Career Centre, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For more information or resources, visit www.caps.ualberta.ca.

1. Thaw Out Your Career:
Volunteer!

2. This presentation will cover:
1. Why volunteering is
important for your
career
2. How to get started
volunteering

3. Getting settled
• Have you volunteered
before?
• Why did you decide to
volunteer?
• If so, how did it go?
What worked, didn’t
work?

4. Volunteering is part of a“planned
happenstance” approach to your career:
• Unplanned events (good and bad) more
often determine our life and career
choices than planning does
• We can control our reactions to these
unplanned events
• By meeting new people and trying new
things, we can create our own “lucky”
or “happenstance” opportunities

5. Should you just leave your future
up to fate, then?
No!
It’s okay to
make plans,
but be open to
plans changing.

6. Volunteering is just one way to
create our own career “luck”…
Lots of options!
Career information
interviewing
Work experience
programs and
internships
Volunteering
Career mentoring
Job shadowing
Undergraduate
research
Leadership programs Student group
involvement
Student government
Industry or
association events
Career fairs, mixers, and
employer recruitment events

7. Why Volunteer?
• Many reasons
• Career-related reasons:
• Make connections and contacts
• Develop and practice skills
• Access training opportunities
• Explore potential career options
• Gain relevant work experience
• Others?

8. CAPS Survey of Employers (2008)
Should a resume include…
• Volunteering related to the position?
86% yes 11% optional
• Volunteering not related to the position?
23% yes 63% optional

9. Build that Resume
• Include work experiences (paid
and unpaid) most closely related
to the work you are applying for
• It may not be appropriate to put
one-time or short-term
volunteering on your resume
• Volunteer work provides many
transferable skills that you can also
highlight in an interview

10. Getting Started
1. Clarify goals
2. Consider practical issues
3. Review options
4. Pick one!
5. Reflect

11. 1. Clarify your goals
• Why do you want to volunteer? What
are your career-related motivations?
• Connections
• Skills
• New opportunities and paths
• Work experience
• And so on…
• After volunteering, how would you be
different from how you are now?

12. 2. Consider practical issues
• Time commitment: what else have you already committed
to, what are your priorities, what are the expected hours,
for how long?
• Cost: are there any fees or incidental costs, can you afford
to spend time volunteering instead of earning money?
• Location and availability: can you physically get to the
location, are there distance options? Any deadlines to meet
or limited spots available?
• Motivation: are there specific client groups or causes
you’re interested in (e.g. seniors, violence against women),
are there specific skills you want to gain/practice or people
you want to connect with?
• Restrictions or eligibilities: do you have to be a certain age,
have relevant experience, know languages, have access to a
car, get a police record check?

13. 3. Review volunteering options
• Ask people you know for ideas –
where do they volunteer?
• Family, friends, professors, professionals in
the field
• Propose your own volunteer role
• Outline your motives, availability,
expectations, what you can offer
• Check online listings
• See the next slide for specific resources…

14. Where to look for volunteering options…
• Volunteer Edmonton: compiles resources on volunteerism, including many
smaller, specialized databases of opportunities
• Go Volunteer: the main volunteer opportunity listings for Alberta, Canada
• U of A Students' Union Volunteer Registry: focuses on on-campus, short-term
volunteer opportunities (including those with the Students’ Union)
• Connect 2 Edmonton: has an active volunteering discussion forum
dedicated to often more immediate, short-term opportunities
• Other avenues include:
– Join the executive of one of the 400+ U of A student groups
– Check out opportunities across Canada and abroad on Charity Village and Idealist
– Browse CAPS' Experiential Learning Inventory that lists volunteer and other co-curricular
activities students can engage in outside the classroom
• Inform Alberta: search for non-profit organizations that fit your philosophy
or interests (e.g. seniors, violence against women), and check their
website for opportunities

15. 4. Pick one!
• Treat applying for a volunteer
role like applying for a paid
position
• Applying may involve:
• Application form
• Security clearance
• Interview
• Resume
• Names of references
• Mandatory training or orientation

16. …continued
• Questions to consider asking
about volunteering roles:
• Time commitment and flexibility?
• Working alone or with others?
• Training required?
• Training offered?
• Volunteer role description?
• Supervisor or mentor?
• Room to grow, with new challenges?

17. 5. Reflect
• What were your original
reasons for volunteering?
• Is your volunteer role (still) a
good fit?
• What have you learned about
your personal work
preferences, values and
interests?

18. Questions?
Contact:
caps.infodesk@ualberta.ca
www.caps.ualberta.ca