Day 23...Volunteer

Three weeks until we close...is that right? I can't be sure. My count may be a week off. For those who know me...it's about numbers - not real good with numbers! At any rate, time is winding down.

A big thank you to everyone who is reading my blog!!! I am truly flattered. Everyday someone comes by and asks me a question about the job search and lets me know that they have been reading my blog. I can't thank you enough. I hope it is helping.

I continue to stress the importance of networking. In particular, volunteer your time. If you have PTO you can use, volunteer one day a week with some organization you feel strongly about. Whether it be St. Mary's Food Bank or the Animal Rescue, volunteer your time. In encourage volunteering anyway, but this is an both an opportunity to network as well as add to your resume - all the while doing something good.

Many times organizations hire from their volunteer base. If you have some special skills that you can offer an organization (Habitat for Humanity may need some CAD work done or someone who can read plans??), let them know. Provide them first with help in the areas where they are requesting help, then "in your travels" let them know you have other skills that they may be able to utilize. This works particularly well for admin staff, accounting, marketing, and graphic design staff, but I certainly wouldn't limit it to those areas.

Volunteer with your church. I keep bringing up church because I am surprised that many people haven't tapped into that network. A friend of mine mentioned prayer cards. If you aren't super outgoing, submit a prayer card for CMX and the staff looking for jobs. Be sure the pastor knows who has submitted the card so if someone wants to help, you can be found. Volunteer your time with the church. If your church has any intentions of expanding or building other churches, volunteer your design services. Sure, it's great to be paid for your efforts, but doing something good is good for the soul. When you do good things, good things will happen to you.

For those of you who don't already know, thanks to the kindness of others and their networking abilities, I have a job. So as I write, I am proof that networking works. Now that we have LinkedIn and Facebook (which by the way, I heard over the weekend that the average age of FB users is 35-56!! It's for adults!), you don't have to "exchange" information. You can just say, "look me up on Facebook." If you or the other person doesn't have a Facebook profile, it will encourage you to get one and "stay connected."

So get networking...however you have to do it. Volunteering or going to church are good options, but there are many ways to network. Good luck!!