Volunteering and your Career

In a highly competitive world, it's increasingly important that you give yourself the best chance to get the job that you want. Having a degree alone is often no longer enough; employers are looking for something extra....

Volunteering can help you...

  • Develop skills directly related, and complementary to, your degree
  • Reveal interests and qualities you didn't know you had
  • Help you stand out from the crowd after graduation
  • Meet new people and have fun!

Don't believe us?

Research has shown that:

79% of members from the Association of Graduate Recruiters believe graduates who possess skills gained through volunteering progress through a company more quickly. (Source: CSV)

According to Student Volunteering England, 40% of student volunteers are so deeply affected by their volunteering that their career path takes a new direction. (Source: The Art of Crazy Paving: volunteering for enhanced employability, published by Student Volunteering England - PDF File)

"Volunteering is work experience with the added possibility that the act of choosing to be a volunteer can show even greater initiative and commitment." Mike Killingley, HSBC Bank

"It doesn't matter if it's paid or not but voluntary work would count just as much as paid work in our eyes." (Source: Student Volunteering England)

"When recruiting graduates for Marks and Spencer we look for the skills to help them and our company successful. Volunteering can be a great way to develop these skills." Helen Feltham, Marks & Spencer (Source: Student Volunteering England)

What's more, as well as demonstrating initiative and improving your work skills, volunteering can help you loose weight, combat stress, improve your health and self-confidence."

  • 42% of volunteers say volunteering has helped them to lose weight
  • 61% say volunteering helps them combat stress
  • 100% say their health and self-confidence improved and feel more positive about themselves
  • 94% say that taking part is valued by the local community and the organisations.

We have worked with our network of local and national partner organisations to select a huge range of voluntary posts for you. Varying in terms of role, time commitment and location, each one has been chosen with YOU in mind, so we can be sure of finding something that you enjoy and that you're able to do alongside your University, home and paid-work commitments.

Whether you want to gain practical experience linked to your degree or just fancy spending an hour a week trying something new, we can help.

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