By Sarabeth Brownrobie, Volunteer Recruiter
I was completely lost after I graduated. I knew that I wanted to make a difference in the world, but I didn't know how. I knew that I wanted to try living in a new part of the country, but I didn't know where. And I knew I wasn't quite ready for the job market, but I had no idea where to get the skills I needed. I wish I had known that a year of service was available to me because I think that it would have clarified so much as I searched for the right career path.
Volunteer alumnus Kevin Walters says that taking a year to volunteer gave him the experience he needed to be a competitive applicant. “For me, volunteering in adult education gave me a year of professional experience that helped convince my next employer (a private school) that I actually knew how to teach.” Kevin continues, “Before CAP, I had been on the job market with the same undergraduate degree with little success. Employers often prefer to hire college graduates after they've accumulated a little experience.”
You might also be looking at the world right now trying to figure out where love and compassion fit into the bigger picture. According to Linkedin, employers in the current job market are searching for candidates that are creative, persuasive, collaborative, and adaptable with a high emotional intelligence quotient.
Choosing a year of service can help you to hone in on your passion, give you experience, and build the soft skills employers are looking for.
Expand Your Creativity
Sarah Smith said that, “CAP did a fantastic job at finding my gifts and using all of them. I feel more accomplished when I'm using as many of my gifts as possible, so you could say CAP helped me expand my creativity in the workplace.” Sarah also feels that she was given the tools that she needed to be accomplished and fulfilled in her volunteer placement.
Develop Your Ability to Be Persuasive
During his term in Volunteer Recruitment, Benny Mattis has practiced his ability to articulate the benefits of service to prospective volunteers. “This role has challenged me to think about what motivates people to undertake challenges like a year of service,” Benny reflects. “As an aspiring instructional designer, I believe this practice will enhance my ability to create compelling learning experiences for people with varied aims and interests.”
Enable Collaboration
Sarah Harp lived in community during her service year. She explains that everything about intentional community screams collaboration. “From cooking/buying vegan, sharing testimonies, figuring out what to do with our fun money, and car pooling to church, everyday requires collaboration and communication,” she said.
Encourage Adaptability
I think adaptability is what stuck out to me the most,” Sarah continues. “I signed up to volunteer with children at the Center for Child and Family Development and also ended up spending days building porches, stocking shelves, and cleaning buildings after WorkFest.” Through her experiences she was better able to see the needs of the organization itself. Sarah found that knowing where her contributions could make a difference made it easy for her to help out (even when it was cleaning up).
Whether marketing and recruiting volunteers, creating social media content, or repairing homes in our housing program, CAP is preparing you for life after your term. The variety of positions available give you ample opportunity to try out something new and there will be opportunities to volunteer alongside other programs throughout the year. We would love to help you begin your volunteer journey and help you to make that journey your own. Connect with us today to learn more!
Deadline for the August 2020-2021 cohort is July 10, 2020.
