Hi smjennings:

Wow, I did not realize that this was going on as it has been years since I volunteered.

No you do not sound like a Scrooge - I am so over this recession, it is like it is making it so much more of a challenge to live!

You may have already done this, so pardon me if you have - try to volunteer in an environment that you are familiar with.

For example - do you attend a church, maybe ask if they need help?

When you deal with the HOT volunteer spots like the Red Cross, they are a total trip right now as they have so many folks wanting to help out.

LOL, but just wait for when the recession ends - they are going to REGRET big time how they treated folks.

Please let us know how you are doing...

Hi Chuck:

Personally, I believe you can do both - just make sure the job search is first.

Volunteering serves two purposes:
(1)Fills in those gaps in your resume in between jobs.
(2)Helps to keep depression away

And finally, some folks have gotten REAL jobs through volunteering - either from the organization or folks they run into while working there.

I have found that job applications are now asking what have you been doing in between jobs. Volunteering when you can, has helped make those explanations more positive.

And if you volunteer in a field you either have an interest in or would like to get into, is a win win situation for everyone. Hey, FREE on the job training and a chance to network (lol).

some of these volunteer jobs like with the red cross can turn into full time positions, happened to my cousin. she really enjoys it now.

As someone who volunteers anyway (my dog is a therapy dog and we visit nursing homes) I agree with Angela's post.

There are many positive aspects to volunteering, but like many things, it is not for everyone. Many people feel as though they should be compensated for everything they do. Many people are uncomfortable around the sick or disabled. And many people are are just plain selfish and don't care about helping the less fortunate. These are general comments not about people on this thread.

I can say in health care, drug screening and background checks are protocol across the board for employees and volunteers equally.(in most cases) Being close to a vulnerable population such as sick, dying, disabled needs standards. Ask yourself, would you want someone who was not screened to have access to your loved one?

As a personal note--- when I come home from volunteering it shows me that no matter how many crappy things are going on, I am fortunate and it gives me pause and I count my blessings.

Thanks
C.

Wow I feel your anger. I am enraged to be unemployed for a long time myself.

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a great book called "Nickel and Dimed" about the working poor. At this point, I will feel lucky if I GET to be one of the working poor.

Anyway, I read an essay of hers somewhere (maybe in this book) that refers to the "shame industry" around joblessness, which involves all the advice to "network, network, network," and volunteer blah, blah etc.

I have belonged to two unemployment "support" groups during this long spell of unemployment. One of them folded because few people came any more.

Both of them involved so-called "experts" telling us that if we were still unemployed then we were doing it wrong. It is emotionally debilitating enough to look for work without seeking out chances to be told we are screwing up.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Catmom

I must admit I was all for volunteering having secured my last job this way, but this time it's been different.
I've been out of work now for 6 months. The first thing I did was set up a few voluntary positions to keep myself busy.

At first I was brimming with enthusiasm, eager to do anything, sure that it would lead to great networking opportunities and openings. Within weeks this started to wear off. Perhaps I had the wrong attitude. I wasn't there for the good of volunteering. It wasn't about helping people and being charitable. It was all about me plugging gaps in my resume, expanding my skills and getting another job!

I came across several problems with my experiences:

1) Having the 'volunteer' tag. This frustrated me if I was out doing outreach work and trying to network. People are interested if you have a job title and are part of an organisation. People often thought I was staff until I told them otherwise, then I'd see them glaze over and move on to someone 'professional'. This happened more than once and the vibe was definitely volunteer = not someone I am interested in, probably some hapless low life who doesn't know anything about anything, only here to serve tea. It wasn't intentional but it was there and a stark contrast to when I did have a job and was doing very similar work.

2) Feeling undervalued. It was usually the case that I would end up doing very boring work. Data entry, filing, ringing out with a script, making tea etc. I'd suck it up if I was being paid, but it is hard to motivate yourself to do these things for nothing and they certainly weren't improving my skill set! My worst experience was being asked to man a deathly quiet reception area. It was a tiny box room away from all the other staff and only received about three visitors and two phone calls during my half day. I was bored out of my skull and ended up sitting there sobbing as it didn't even provide any social interaction and the expenses didn't even fully cover the cost of getting there. I figured I might as well be sitting alone in the house and quit after four visits.

3) Feeling invisible and unappreciated. Oftentimes I would arrive at places with a cheery hello but would receive little in the way of a response. It felt like people didn't care whether I was there or not. I am quite a social person and don't find it difficult to chat to people but in one charity office it was like pulling teeth. I felt very excluded as the staff were more than happy to chat among themselves. They often wouldn't even say goodbye when I left. That post was ditched after two months. Same with the 'reception' job. They'd joke about how awful and lonely their reception area was, but after a quick hello in the office they would never bother to come and see me until I popped my head in to say I was going, 5 hours later...

2) Not being 'in the loop'. I was only volunteering for a day a week at most places and this wasn't enough for me to infiltrate into the workplace, keep up to date with day to day business and learn about the organisation. I always felt like an outsider. As such I found it harder to make a case for myself and get beyond doing the boring jobs. I don't think places are keen to let volunteers take on more demanding roles anyway because a)they don't want you to feel like you are being used b)your time there is limited c) you are not trained, insured or bound by their regulations etc and d) you can leave at the drop of a hat. It's a two way thing.

5) False promises and false starts. Your perception of time becomes skewed when unemployed and patience drops. I tried to organise a project lead position before I even finished my old job, hoping I could start it straight away. Fast forward 9 months and I find the project has only just got going and the work is now being undertaken by a staff member. Talk about being sidelined! All this after frequently touching base to check on updates. Sometimes people just don't want volunteers!

So as it stands I have dropped three of my four voluntary positions and I am far less enthused about the one I am still doing. I only go because I like the people and it gets me out the house for a little while. Some days I cancel, as it is easy to feel used at times. I've long since stopped thinking that volunteering will build my skill set and open doors this time around.