Recruiters
have a somewhat mixed reputation in the marketplace and are sometimes
seen to be overly focussed on the dollar. I would like to challenge that
assumption because in our office quite a number of our top performing
recruiters are also the ones putting back into the community by
volunteering.
Amongst
our staff we have people who volunteer their time willingly to
community organisations that vary from specialist needs, such as Downs
Syndrome and Autism Spectrum through to participating in professional
membership bodies such as the Australian Agribusiness Association and
the AIFST.
Encouragingly,
I was reading on the net last week that volunteering in the Australian
community is on the increase, for young and old and there are good
reasons to give some of your time to help others.
The
kind of volunteering you may do may vary at different stages of your
life. For example for young people attempting to join the workforce,
their volunteering could have a strong focus on building skill levels
for a career. Whereas an older person who has perhaps retired might be
more focussed on putting to work some of their talents in helping out at
the local community level, mid career people might be more inclined to
focus on volunteering work with the aim of building an extra interest
other than their work and so on.
The most common form of volunteering is focussed on the community level, what is often called Community Service.
Listed below are ten reasons why doing a bit of Community Service might be good for you and the community.
1 - It's good for you.
Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards. It:
· Reduces stress: Experts report that when you focus on someone other than yourself, it interrupts the usual tension-producing patterns.
· Makes you healthier: Moods and emotions, like optimism, joy, and control over one's fate, strengthen the immune system.
2 - It saves resources.
Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements.
3 - Volunteers gain professional experience.
You can test out a career.
4 - It brings people together.
As a volunteer you assist in:
· Uniting people from diverse backgrounds to work toward a common goal
· Building camaraderie and teamwork
5 - It promotes personal growth and self esteem.
Understanding community needs helps foster empathy and self-efficacy.
You CAN make a difference…Every person counts!
If you think that you may like to give Volunteering a try, then have a look at these sites:
