When was the last time you offered to lend a hand? Recently I have started suggesting that people literally do something for nothing. Not just lending a hand or doing a good deed, but actually committing to unpaid work. The look of horror on most faces is amusing, but I am in fact deadly serious about the benefit that is there to be gained. Far too many job hunters are of the opinion that sitting back and conducting online job searches is the most valuable thing that they can do. Visiting each individual job site in turn and reading the same vacancy adverts posted by the same recruitment agencies is not going to get you any closer to finding a new job, and it certainly won’t fill that ever increasing gap on your CV. If your time is filled with nothing, then why not go out and fill it with something? Networking is regarded as one of the best ways to secure new opportunities and whilst we all seem to be focussed on online activity and social media, there is nothing wrong with good, old fashioned face to face interaction. As companies cut costs and in many cases staff, there is a world of opportunity to lend a hand and develop your own skills and knowledge. Small companies in particular are often appreciative of someone who wants to gain experience or volunteer to learn about their business – they may not be able to offer you a job but if you impress them, then they may know someone who can! In an ideal world, we would all be paid handsomely for our efforts, but the world as we know it, at the beginning of 2009 is far from ideal. Whether it’s filing, photocopying or working as a general dog’s body, any exposure you can gain to an industry that interests you is better than nothing. Perhaps when you do secure an interview for your dream role, the knowledge or skill you developed when volunteering could swing it for you! So if there is a company or organisation that you may be interested in, why not ask the question – what have you got to lose?
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