Boost your career through meaningful volunteer work
That's why I'm glad to tell you about LinkedIn's new Volunteer Marketplace. It's an online service from the social media business network, allowing its nearly 260 million members to search for opportunities and let nonprofits connect with people eager to volunteer. Two Ways to Use It: There are two ways to find, and apply for, opportunities at LinkedIn's Volunteer Marketplace. You can search all postings on its page, using the same search functionality and filters as other LinkedIn postings (job function, location, etc.) - including the ability to see who in your LinkedIn network is connected to nonprofits that pique your interest. How volunteering can boost your career: Becoming a volunteer can help you while you're helping others. As I've written often on Next Avenue, the skills, connections and experiences gained through volunteering can provide a big boost to your career. In fact, according to an internal survey of LinkedIn members, more than 40% of hiring managers consider volunteer work equivalent to full-time work; one in five hiring managers said they offered someone a paid position because of their volunteer experience. Ways the marketplace helps nonprofits: Now here's the flipside of the Volunteer Marketplace if you already work at a nonprofit as an employee or on its board: You may well find it to be a more efficient and cost-effective way to find qualified volunteers and people who'd like to become board members. A nonprofit can build a LinkedIn page and then list its volunteer openings on the Marketplace at a 90 percent discount off the standard job-posting rate that private companies pay. In addition, LinkedIn offers an impressive variety of support services on its nonprofit resource page, including advice on recruiting and building a board. Work in progress: One caveat: Since LinkedIn's Volunteer Marketplace is new, it's a work in progress. When I checked it out, there were just over 700 postings nationwide; 108 were specific to the Greater New York area where I live. That's not a whole lot, but I assume it won't be long until the site has thousands more, Kazinform refers to the Arab News. Two tips to use the volunteer marketplace effectively: 1. Complete the "Volunteer and Causes" section on your LinkedIn Profile. That's where you share with your network information about your volunteer experience, the organizations you support and the causes you care about. 2. Add a "signal" to your LinkedIn Profile. Within your Volunteer and Causes section, you can "signal" that you'd like to serve on a nonprofit board or do skills-based volunteering. This will help nonprofits find you and let members of your network know that you might be interested when they're looking for potential volunteers and board members. To set up a signal, go to http://volunteer.linkedin.com, scroll down to the section that reads, "Let nonprofits know you want to donate your time and talent" and click on the blue "Add a signal to your profile link." Once on your Profile page, you'll see a blue box where you can check off your interest in donating your time or serving on a nonprofit board.
