You've been in the same job for a while and you're ready to move on, but what do you do to make sure you'll have the skills and experience for the next phase of your career?
We've all been on the treadmill, and know how hard it is to stop what you're doing to try something else. But, now it's time, and whether you have retired or are finally ready to make the move, volunteering can provide the bridge that will help with the transition.
Today nonprofit organizations can only be successful when they are managed using business principles and methods. Many of the world's business schools are teaching classes in nonprofit management and their graduates are accepting opportunities in the sector as well as creating many new non profit organizations each year.
The business acumen of seasoned professionals is critical to the sustainability of nonprofits. So, there is a strong give-and-take and opportunity for personal and professional growth while helping to sustain these organizations with your years of experience.
Experience, skills and contacts
Volunteering in an organization can expose you to new industries, teach you new skills and create new contacts providing the interim step as you move towards the next phase of your career.
Helene Lauer, an experienced career management consultant in Wellesley, Mass., (www.helenelauer.com), has assisted many of her clients who are making a career transition, by encouraging them to develop new skills through volunteering.
- A recent client who was considering a counseling career found a volunteer opportunity as a grief counselor. With this experience she is confident that the counseling field is a good fit.
- A client considering a job in veterinary medicine was concerned that he would have trouble dealing with sick animals. Volunteering with a local vet cleared up this concern and now he is planning to take courses in a local community college to prepare for a position as a vet- tech.
- A client who volunteered to raise funds at a local charity discovered she did not feel comfortable asking others for money but would consider the event planning side of the field.
As a result of each of these volunteer experiences, these individuals learned new skills, imparted their knowledge to the nonprofit and were able to move forward with their career transition confident they had made the right choice.
Start with your own skills
If, on the other hand, you wonder how your years of training and expertise will translate into a volunteer placement, try taking a new look at your skills.
- First, make a chart with three columns.
- On the left side, write down every position you've ever held and every training program or class you've ever completed. Think about the skills you've acquired at each placement over the years. Think broadly. Perhaps you were an accountant, but also managed your office with aplomb. You probably could navigate the city with your eyes closed after your stint as a professional shopper. Then, there was the summer you learned to sew. Write these skills down in the middle column.
- Now, looking at the skills, alone, imagine where these skills might be useful in the community. Could you volunteer to set up the school's new after-school program office? How about driving cancer patients to appointments downtown? And, didn't you hear that the local shelter is looking for donations of handmade blankets?
By separating your skills from their original uses, you will see that you can re-imagine each one as a means to contribute towards the greater good.
Related Links:
Civic Ventures
Reinventing aging
Generations inc
Alliance boomer volunteers