Volunteering

Finding Meaningful Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience working with a population or cause you are interested in, develop transferable skills, get involved in community, and build a great resume! Finding opportunities that align with your interests and career goals will help you:

• Gain diverse experiences
• Discover yourself
• Develop a sense of purpose
• Improve your health (social, mental, physical, spiritual)
• Identify new opportunities (for personal life & career)
• Have positive impact on the community

Volunteering can help you in your career preparation:

Career Exploration: Volunteering exposes you to the work of an organization in a deeper way than becoming a member, following social media, or conducting an informational interview with an employee. It also allows you to gain experience with the population you want to work with as well as gain experience working with diverse populations and teams.

Expand your personal and professional networks: People working in your target field are great sources of information about job/internship openings, affinity organizations, and people you should network with. In addition, your supervisor may be willing to serve as a reference for future internships, jobs, and graduate school.

Develop transferable skills: Transferable skills are skills that can be applied across industries and from one work environment to another. Skills that employers are seeing include:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Strong work ethic
• Analytical skills
• Initiative
• Flexibility/ adaptability
• Interpersonal skills
• Technology/Computer skills
• Problem solving
• Attention to Detail

Although your volunteer work may not directly relate to a potential employment opportunity, you can highlight the skills that you have gained and make them applicable to future employers.

Should students put unpaid work experience on their resume?

Yes! Just because a role isn’t paid, doesn’t mean you didn’t learn valuable skill. All of your experiences contribute different insight and understanding, making you a more dynamic contributor to any team.

Where to find opportunities:

• Hospitals and health care clinics
  • Using Google, search for hospitals or health centers in a particular geographic region – example Boston, MA hospitals or Boston, MA health centers
• Shelters and food banks
• Animal rescue shelters
• Schools
• Non-profit organizations focused on a particular health care issue or population, such as the American Cancer Society or the Arthritis Foundation
• Community Health Centers
  • Explore options at community health centers across Massachusetts
• Explore sites including:
  • Boston Cares
  • Idealist
  • Volunteer Match
  • Volunteer.gov
  • Do Something

Important Note: International students are required to check in with MCPHS Immigration & International Support Services before engaging in shadowing, internships, volunteer opportunities and employment.