You’ve been laid off and it stinks, but it’s done and your first move is to move on—don’t lament over the event. And one of the most important strategies to employ is staying busy while you’re navigating the wilderness of unemployed status. Sure, you have to update and refine your resume. The same goes for your LinkedIn profile and, if you have them, your Twitter and Facebook pages. But once you’ve done all that, and, of course, uploaded your new info to every career site and company career platform you can find, what next? What comes after all that and the networking emails or calls to every person you’ve ever met?
Volunteering.
Giving of your time and abilities to a worthy cause does a lot of things to help you find your next working gig. First, it’s just a good thing to do—and it never hurts to bank some good karma. Doing something charitable also makes you feel good, which keeps you positive and helps people around you stay positive about you, too. Attitude is key while unemployed and, it comes through during job interviews.
Second, volunteering enables you to hone skills. For example, volunteer organizations are excellent testbeds for leadership, because there is no greater challenge than successfully leading those people who are in no way obligated or beholding to you. Philanthropic efforts can also help develop other skills not required by your last job. Take on a large project to hone project management abilities, or seize the opportunity to take on a task that is outside your comfort zone.
While this writer has a boisterous personality, client meetings and presentations were sources of petrifying stage fright. After having served as a cubmaster to a pack of about 120 boys and their families, requiring service as master of ceremonies for campfires, award ceremonies, devotionals, and pack meetings, stage fright faded. Ultimately, presentations skills dramatically improved, which fostered other public speaking opportunities.
A third benefit to working with other volunteers is the networking opportunity. You meet people you might not have encountered before. And they get to see you and how you perform, potentially serving as references and sources of openings not advertised.
All in all, volunteering is a win-win-win activity when you are in between jobs. It’s in every way a constructive strategy with more than one beneficial outcome. Stay on top of your resume and other job search tasks, but definitely find a worthy cause to support with your skills and time. And quickly enough, things will come full circle.
