Skills You Can Gain From Volunteering

Have you been on an interview where you were asked to provide an example of when you had to “think outside the box”? Or perhaps when you’ve overcome a challenge with your team? These commonly asked questions can sometimes be difficult to answer based on your current skillset, which is where volunteering comes into play.

Voluntary work has been known to offer rewarding experiences and opportunities, especially in terms of gaining skills you may not get to practice in your daily routine. If you're looking to broaden and diversify your competencies, below are a few transferable skills you can gain from doing voluntary work:

Time Management
You have a full time job, participate in extracurriculars, attend graduate school at St. John’s - and now you have to add a new volunteer effort to your already filled schedule. By learning to juggle multiple responsibilities, you’re better prepared to manage multiple tasks in your career setting.

Problem solving & adaptability
Doing volunteer work can be an eye opening experience in many ways. Not only will you encounter different walks of life, but often times you’ll have limited resources and be put in scenarios that will challenge you to think creatively. By applying the skills you do have to this new environment, you’ll learn to challenge yourself to do the best you can with what you have.

Confidence & passion
Whether you are a seasoned expert or just starting in your career, volunteering helps boost confidence - both in the ideas you present and in the work you are doing. The more you work hands on with a charity or organization, the more you learn about its people, mission, and values, enabling a more passionate work ethic.

Communication
Whether you are mentoring youth, cleaning up your community, or volunteering at your local shelter, you will need to communicate effectively. You may need to practice a variety of  communication methods (phone calls, emails, public speaking, etc) during your volunteer experience, which can enhance such skills in the business setting.

The graduate schools at St. John’s University in New York City offer more than 60 graduate degree and professional certificate programs in five acclaimed colleges, a School of Law, and institute dedicated solely to the growing field of biotechnology. Our highly competitive advanced degree programs will challenge you to become the very best you can possibly be!