Poll Question: How Should Your Company Give Back?

By Job Journey on Thursday, May 10, 2018

Most companies today understand corporate citizenship not only makes a difference in their bottom lines and communities, but also helps build a more engaged workforce. Employees like to give back, and it’s always great to see your company doing something for the greater good—that they’re committed to improving the community.

In fact, when companies make giving back a key focus of their business strategy, they often see less turnover and greater success overall.

For our May question of the month, we want to know which company-sponsored outreach programs you prefer. Let us know by voting in our poll.

The Job Search

Poll Results: What’s Your Favorite Way to Volunteer?

By Caleb Yen on Friday, August 4, 2017

Volunteering is a great way to network. You’re helping the community and your career, all while meeting people from various walks of life.

What are the best ways to volunteer? We asked our Movin’ On Up readers to share their favorite ways to volunteer last month to find out.

Results

Twenty-two percent of respondents chose “Other,” while 19% selected “With Your church or Faith Group.” “With a Service Group” and “Donating” came in at 12.5% each, with “Canned Food Drive” and “With a Professional Group” just behind them at 11% and 9%, respectively. “Charity Walk/Marathon” followed at 8%, while “With Your Business” only got 3% of the vote. “Building Homes” and “Volunteering Abroad” came in last, with just under 2% each.

Analysis

As you can see, our data was fairly spread out. “Other” was the top choice, and our top five answers all received over 10% of the vote.

When respondents chose “Other,” their responses varied from animal shelters and knitting for charity to prison outreach and helping the homeless. There are so many volunteer paths available. Go out there and find yours!

So what does it all mean? There’s no “right” way to volunteer. Some prefer to work with their church. Other’s choose to donate. It doesn’t matter how you volunteer—just go where you feel called. The type of volunteering you find interesting will vary depending on your own interests and personality.

Anything else you want to tell us about how you volunteer? Let us know in the comments below!

At Work Career Advancement

Poll: What’s Your Favorite Way to Volunteer?

By Caleb Yen on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

There are so many ways to help out our communities—what’s your favorite?

We all have skills. Some of us are athletic. Others have innate leadership qualities. And still others are handy with a toolbox. When we feel called upon to volunteer in our communities, we use our skills in unique ways to make a difference.

Athletic individuals can take part in charity basketball tourneys or marathons. Leaders can take command of canned food or donation drives. The handy among us can help build houses for the disadvantaged.

But you don’t have to have some incredible ability to make a difference. Passion and a cause are all you need. Volunteering can be as simple as donating gently used clothing, or as lofty as serving on the board for a non-profit organization or flying to another country to help the sick.

You can also volunteer with your business, church, school, or professional organization, or find a group of likeminded individuals and form a social organization with the sole purpose of volunteering. The sky’s the limit!

Regardless of how you’re doing it, we want to know how you volunteer. Let us know by taking part in our poll!

Express in the News Inside Express

Brand It Blue Day 2017 Recap

By Caleb Yen on Tuesday, June 20, 2017

On Saturday, June 10, in communities across North America, Express Employment Professionals offices came together to serve and give back as part of the fourth annual Brand It Blue Day.

More than 180 Express offices, from California to North Carolina to Ontario joined with more than 1,000 volunteers to provide tens of thousands of meals for those in need. If you were able to be a part of this amazing effort in any way, thank you for your support and hard work.Volunteering and serving in your community can do a lot for your career or job search. From an increase in networking opportunities to gaining leadership skills, serving others is a great way to improve your professional life.

Volunteering and serving in your community can do a lot for your career or job search. From an increase in networking opportunities to gaining leadership skills, serving others is a great way to improve your professional life.

But, did you know it can have an incredible impact on your health and well-being? A survey of more than 3,000 adults found that the majority of volunteers felt mentally and physically healthier after serving. Nearly 80% said volunteering lowered their stress levels, while 76% said serving made them feel healthier. And, a report by the Corporation for National & Community Service found that those who serve have lower mortality rates, more functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life.

Hunger Has a Familiar Face

Giving back in your community, whether it’s through a group volunteer effort over the weekend, or by doing pro bono work from your home for a nonprofit, can have a positive impact on your attitude on life and hopes for your future.

We hope Brand It Blue Day gave you an opportunity to serve in your community, increase your happiness, and possibly make some new connections that will help you soon find a new job or further your career. If you didn’t have a chance to join Express for this year’s event, make sure to check back with your local office for information about Brand It Blue Day 2018 and how you can be involved.

Through the hard work and service of Express offices, we’ve been able to donate more than 300,000 meals to nonprofit organizations across North America through the efforts of Brand It Blue Day. Think of all the meals we can provide next year with your help!

Check out some of the photos from Brand It Blue Day!

Job Interviews Networking Resumes and Cover Letters The Job Search

Kick-Start Your Resume with Community Service

By Caleb Yen on Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Serve others and boost your resume at the same time

On Saturday, June 10, Express Employment Professionals offices across North America will gather together for Brand It Blue Day to help fill community food banks and pantries. The event is a day of service aimed to help in the fight against hunger, and you’re invited to join in.

Wondering why you might want to participate in something like this? Apart from the obvious reason of helping those who really need it, there are professional advantages as well.

1. Help Others

As noted by Feeding America®, 43.1 million people (13.5% of the U.S. population) were in poverty in 2015. About 42.2 million lived in food-insecure households. That means over 13 million children went to bed hungry at some point that year.

Summer is the worst time for child hunger, as the school meal program ends for most kids. In 2013, more than 21.5 million children received free or reduced-price meals through their school programs and only 2.5 million of those children took part in summer food service programs. Volunteering allows you to make a real difference and help those kids get three meals a day.

2. Enhance Your Resume

Being involved in the community also shows potential employers that you have interests and goals outside of work. In other words, volunteering could help you land your next job.

As noted by Fortune, a 2016 Deloitte study of 2,506 U.S. hiring managers found that 82% of interviewers held a preference for applicants with volunteer experience. 92% said such activities built leadership skills. This was in sharp contrast to the mere 32% of applicants that mentioned unpaid volunteer work on their resumes. So, at the very least, add volunteer experience to your resume to help make you stand out above other applicants.

But why do employers find volunteer work so attractive? 85% of the interviewers found that skills-based activities, including those used during volunteer work, increased candidate communication skills, while 88% felt it built “strong character.” For those whose volunteer work didn’t use their professional skills, those numbers decreased slightly to 77% and 84%, respectively.

What else can volunteer work do for your resume? It provides an opportunity to master more skills. Take lessons learned in the workplace or college and develop those skills in rea-life situations. Maybe you’ve written mock strategic plans for a promotions management class, but never had a chance to put them into action. Or perhaps you film weddings for a living, but want to expand to other events.

3. Network

Networking can be challenging, especially when you’re at an event where everybody else is there to network as well. These events can be helpful, but they can be tiring.

Community service allows you to network in a much more organic way. Everyone is serving the same cause—nobody expects the newbie to walk in with a killer smile and an even more killer resume. If you work hard and make a good impression on others, they may pass on future job opportunities or serve as reference contacts.

In addition, continued nonprofit work for a particular cause lets you build a reputation in that area, allowing for future networking opportunities further down the road. You can also see how an organization functions and interact with people from all levels of the organization. If you’re interested in a nonprofit career, even better—these could be future co-workers after all.

Brand It Blue Day

If you’re looking for a cause to work with, consider Express’ Brand it Blue Day on Saturday, June 10! Check out the nearest participating Express office today.

In 2016, more than 235 Express offices and 1,000 volunteers from California to North Carolina to Canada came together at local food banks and pantries across North America to help fight hunger. Over the past four years, Express offices donated 300,000 meals to nonprofit organizations across North America through their efforts on Brand It Blue Day.

Has community service helped your career? Let us know how in the comments below!

Tag Archives: Community Service