Volunteering can pay off in job

Value of volunteering: Doing volunteer work can pay off with a full-time job — and more, says Deborah Frandsen, development director for Missoula Aging Services in Missoula, Mont.

By Carol Kleiman Seattle Times

"I’ve gotten two jobs at nonprofits after volunteering at the agencies," said Frandsen, whose agency helps low-income seniors earn a tax-free stipend by volunteering as a foster grandparent or senior companion. "The first was from a political campaign I worked on and the second is my present job. The value of previously having volunteered is enormous."

Here’s why, according to the director: "You have test-driven one another: The employer knows you’re a good fit and you know it’s a good place to work. You already believe in the organization’s mission, which is why you volunteered there, and have the fire. You need less training and already know how the copying machine works. If your work is with volunteers, you already know how to inspire them."

The secret of success: What do employers want? It’s a vital question in today’s job market, where valued employees get to keep their jobs. That’s where training comes in, especially in communication, diversity studies, computers and foreign languages, particularly Spanish.

Hot hospitality jobs: Though jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry have taken a heavy hit in the past two years, graduates of at least one hotel-management school are doing fine.

Because of the school’s active placement office, 49 of 52 new grads of the University of Central Florida’s hospitality-management school in Orlando had jobs by the time they got diplomas in May. They’ve been hired for management positions in hotels, restaurants, theme parks and convention bureaus. Starting salaries range from $35,000 to $38,000 annually.

State of the unions: Though many of the benefits and protections U.S. workers enjoy today were fought for and won by organized labor, union membership continues to decline, according to the Monthly Labor Review, a publication of the U.S. Department of Labor.

In 2002, only 13.2 percent of workers were union members, a decrease from 13.4 percent in 2001. In real numbers, there were 16.1 million union members last year, a decline of 280,000. Union membership was highest in transportation and public utilities, according to the Review.

E-mail questions to Carol Kleiman at [email protected]. Copyright 2003, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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