By Vladimir Stroe ’16
When you’re looking to gain valuable experience, develop your skill sets and enhance your resume, Bucknell’s Office of Civic Engagement has fantastic options for volunteering. Getting involved in community service programs fosters development of leadership skills and connections between classroom learning and real-world experiences.
Volunteering not only allows you to make a significant impact, but also gives you the opportunity to network with alums and other stakeholders which may refer you for other jobs later on. Alums and other donors are highly involved with Bucknell’s service learning program. One example is the Shassian Family Fund which supports student travel and participation in international service-learning trips. Employers are also highly interested in students who engage in volunteering activities. Not only does volunteering show what social or environmental issues you are passionate about, but also communicate that you have a proactive attitude, making you stand out from other candidates.
The skills that you can gain while volunteering are an immense boost to any candidate’s resume. Through their nature, volunteering jobs put you in the position of working with other people, which is the number one most valuable skill that employers are looking for according to a report done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. In this teamwork based environment, you will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and experience in the career paths you are interested in pursing. For example, imagine how valuable experience working with the Katrina Recovery team if you are interested in a career in urban planning or anything sustainability related.
Having a noticeable impact on the surrounding community is one of the most valuable reasons why students choose to volunteer. Many of the programs, such as Community Harvest, a member of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, works to provide a weekly meal that serves around 100 people in the local area. Similar events such as The Giving Tree and Turkey and Trimmings gave 500 local residents in need the possibility to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. Disaster relief and encouraging economic recovery is another area where the Office of Civic Engagement coordinates efforts: the Katrina Recovery teams helps rebuild in New Orleans, and students in Nicaragua have been providing basic shelters and addressing acute health concerns with the Bucknell Brigade since 1999.
The Office of Civic Engagement website has a variety of resources which can help you decide which position fits your skills and passions best. The ongoing programs section shows the permanent programs in which Bucknell participates and links to getting more information about them. The upcoming service events page shows events that will occur in the near future, as well as how to sign up for them. There are even options to volunteer during breaks with the alternative break programs, including the previously mentioned Bucknell Brigade and Katrina Recovery Team. No matter where you live in the country you can search for university partners through the community partners database. This will allow you to filter for a specific area, interest or particular skillset that you can offer.
Certain positions also give you the option of covering your work-study requirements. Some of these positions include: the Evangelical Community Hospital, The Lewisburg Prison Project, Buffalo Valley Recreation or the Community Harvest Hot Meal Program. One way of pursuing these opportunities is by going on the CDC’s BRIDGE, clicking the work-study link and searching through the available community service federal work-study positions.
In conclusion, volunteering is an around-the-year opportunity to make an impact on the local community, gain new skills, establish new friendships and become a more competitive job applicant no matter where you are in the country.
That wraps up our series on how to build resume depth on-campus by Vladimir Stroe ’16. To recap you can: get involved in clubs and organizations, find an job on-campus, and/or volunteer!
Related Posts:
- Peer Perspective: How to Build Resume Depth On-Campus Part 2 (on-campus jobs)
- Peer Perspective: How to Build Resume Depth On-Campus Part 1 (clubs and organizations)