Alternate avenues for professional development (employee, interviews, non-profit, work)

[jade408]

I was really thinking about this the other day. I am currently interviewing for a volunteer position. To join a non-profit board. (I know, it sounds very lady who lunches)

It is for a cause I care about. And even though I want to take part, because I think the organization could use my help, I realize that it could have the opposite effect.

I could do things that really would help in my career. And work on projects that are not available to me in my day job. That's pretty cool!

And it got me thinking, about other things I have done, that really have professional implications.

Planning my family reunion, helping friends promote their events or schools, volunteering at events.

And I remember, a while ago, when I was a hiring manager. I was looking for candidates, for an entry level position. While we were reviewing candidates, most had limited work experience. But one stood out to me. He has one of his hobbies on his list. I asked him about it, and we had a great conversation about it. It made up for his lack of direct experience for the position. I identified him to my boss as the number one candidate, precisely because of his hobby. My boss was on the fence, but gave in. He turned out to be an excellent employee for the company. And he was an asset to his nxt organization as well, so much so he started speaking at his company-sponsored conference because he was a subject matter expert.

He stood out as a candidate because his hobby required him to develop the skills we needed in our role. And it served him well, he is one of the best in his chosen career.

So how are you developing your skills, while you aren't at work? Any suggestions for our entry level job-seekers?

[maus]

What was the skill of this person you mention who was a good fit for the job? This is a good story to share for those seeking work. It depends on your interests.

You can try to market your skills for a small business on the side if you have artistic talent such as drawing or painting. I believe volunteering for a non-profit of some sort where they can use your skills helps build up your resume over time. For instance, if you like web design, you can build your portfolio by making websites for free at first. Since you mention event planning, that is definitely a skill one builds up. It is a great organizational skill to have that could land you a marketing or administrative type of job.

[jade408]

Oops got side tracked.

This was an entry level marketing job.

The candidate was a music producer and he took a chance one summer and moved to promote his music and break into the industry. He independently released a few tracks an had some interesting collaborations. As well as a few gigs.

He performs occasionally now to, but less so now that he is older.

So during our hiring process I explained to my boss how that experience was super relevant since he had to work with a minors budget (his own savings) and get traction. Sounds like marketing to me.

Later we had a talk and I told him he should use that in future interviews.


I am on my phone, please forgive the typos.