Laid Off? Volunteer!

I’ve been laid off and am trying hard to get re-hired. But the prospect looks pretty dim for the next few months, and the lack of productive things to do is getting to me.

I need to feel valued, and I got that from working. –Elizabeth H.

One problem we can develop in our fast-paced, job-focused society is to link who we are with what we do for a living. Some people like to define themselves in terms of their work or career. But there’s trouble when they’re told they’re no longer needed—they begin to think they’re not very important as individuals. That’s not healthy—or reasonable.

It’s important for you to develop a vigorous action plan to get a new job. And you should work as hard at getting a job as you would actually working for someone else. Maybe even harder. To overcome your natural feeling of not being valued, why not take some time and list all your qualities—work-related as well as personal? Developing such a list should help you focus on many talents you have that you may have forgotten about in the trauma of losing your job. And consider re-inventing yourself—waking up talents you may have put aside for several years. One way to use those talents is through volunteering. You also may find that volunteering is deeply rewarding and renews your sense of self-worth.

Writing in CBS.MarketWatch.com, Alisa Weinstein says that volunteering helps jobseekers network and sharpen skills—it isn’t just for do-gooders anymore. “For people who've been laid off, working without compensation can be a critical step in landing a new job,” she finds. “Beyond spiritual rewards, volunteer work offers the ability to network, learn new skills, demonstrate leadership or test out a new career track.”

"Anything that you do productively in life helps augment your career, whether it's paid or not," said Peg McCallister, general manager at Lee Hecht Harrison, a New Jersey-based career development company.

In times when paid jobs are harder to come by, volunteer jobs offer a chance to showcase your skills to potential employers. And spending some time when you’re not actually job-searching is healthy behavior—instead of surfing the Web or being a couch potato. You send a strong message to yourself that you're self-motivated in creating a healthy career. It may also surprise you to learn that more than 40 percent of adults volunteered at least a few hours each week last year. And almost a quarter did it to make new business contacts, according to a study by Independent Sector, coalition of leading nonprofits, foundations and corporations.

You might start on the Web at VolunteerMatch.org. This site connects people with non-profit organizations in areas such as advocacy and human rights, sports and recreation, computers and technology and media and broadcasting. For example, if you’re an out-of-work graphic designer, you might create a newsletter for Big Brothers and Sisters; a computer programmer could develop a Web site for a local church; a journalist might be in great demand to write feature stories for a newsletter about parks and trails.

Volunteering also can lead to full-time employment. Teri Schroeder, president of I-Safe, a nonprofit Internet safety foundation, said she's hired volunteer database programmers, system analysts and engineers she found through Volunteer Match. “These workers have an edge over other applicants when it comes to hiring,” Schroeder says. "It's great for us because they're familiar with the project."

To keep your career-building focus, consider calling companies you want to work for to find out which organizations they support, and volunteer there. Then you can network within those organizations—often connecting with company managers you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. (But be cautious about volunteering for highly political or controversial organizations. A controversial organization could influence a potential employer positively or not, depending on who reads the resume.) But, overall, volunteering can make you a more well rounded job applicant, especially if you've been unemployed for an extended period of time. And feeling good about yourself during this difficult time is especially important for keeping a positive outlook. Good luck, and enjoy the many fresh experiences waiting for you.