Wednesday 12-12-2018 - 12:25

“As the battle for talent continues, volunteering can be a strong leg-up on the competition for both prospective employees and employers. Companies that create a culture committed to making an impact and to tapping into their employees’ sense of purpose have the ability to attract and retain top talent.”

• Mike Preston, Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte LLP (https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/usdeloitte-impact-survey.pdf)

As 2018 draws to a close many of you are looking to your future after Kingston. The idea of job hunting can be daunting and it’s often difficult to stand out from the crowd, so when organisations like professional service network Deloitte publish research on how Volunteering can catch a prospective employer’s eye then it’s good to pay attention.

According to Deloitte’s research 82% of hiring managers are more likely to choose a candidate with volunteering experience, and 85% of hiring managers are willing to overlook other flaws on your CV when they see you have volunteering experience. Prospective employers like to see volunteering experience because it tells them about the sort of person you are. It demonstrates that you are hardworking, passionate about a cause, willing to go the extra mile for something you believe in, all of which are valuable traits to employers.

Having volunteering experience can also offer valuable skills for the future. 92% of hiring managers believe that volunteering improves employees’ broader professional skill sets and that volunteering is an effective way to improve leadership skills. 80% of hiring managers say that it is easier for employees who have volunteering experience to move into leadership roles.

As more and more companies develop volunteering programs to help with employees’ personal development having previous volunteering experience can also help you to portray yourself as a good fit for company culture with your new employer. When competing against a dozen equally qualified applicants the deciding factor on whether or not you get the role may be how well the hiring manager can see you fitting in with the rest of the team. Being able to demonstrate that you share the same values as the company can help you there.

So how can the Union of Kingston Students help you to develop these valuable attributes? Well, first of all, tell us what kind of volunteering experience you are after! We’re currently running a major survey on all aspects of Union life and we’d love to know what you think of the current volunteering service and what you want to see in the future. If there’s a skill you want to develop then tell us about it and we will see what we can do to match you up with the perfect volunteering opportunity. Take our survey here now: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/K67MK7M

If you’re looking for volunteering opportunities now then you can search for things to do on our opportunities board here: https://www.kingstonstudents.net/volunteering-opportunities

Or if you really want to develop your leadership and project management skills you can start your own student-led volunteering opportunity. Read more about that here: https://www.kingstonstudents.net/volunteering/student-led-volunteering

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all KU students

From your Unions Volunteering Team.