Is your business missing out on talent by not considering volunteering experience when recruiting?

According to a recent publication by the CIPD and the #iwill campaign, employers who don’t value social action experience such as volunteering, fundraising, and campaigning are potentially missing out on candidates who have valuable skills.
 

The report was published as a response to a survey conducted by the CIPD, where 67% of employers stated that entry-level candidates who have experience in volunteering, fundraising, and campaigning demonstrate more employability skills.

The surveyed employers cited the employability skills demonstrated by candidates with social action experience were; teamwork (82%), communication (80%) and understanding the local community (45%). Even though crucial skills such as communication and teamwork can be acquired through volunteering, less than a fifth of employers enquire about the candidates social action experience in their applications forms and only 31% ask about it during interviews.

#iwill, who worked in conjunction with the CIPD to produce this report, is a nationwide campaign that aims to make social action part of life for as many 10 to 20 year-olds as possible by the year 2020. Their report suggest that employers should ensure social action is integrated into their recruitment practices, in order to allow potential candidates the opportunity to demonstrate the skills they have gained outside of education and traditional work experience. This will provide employers with access to candidates with improved work and life skills such as; teamwork, communications, and leadership. According to the report, incorporating social action into the recruitment process will also show young people that volunteering helps them to develop key skills that are valuable to employers.

The report has information and tips on how to effectively integrate social action into your company, with best practice advice from eleven leading employers, including PwC, Barclays, British Gas and National Grid.

If you’re an employer, how do you feel about skills gained through social action?

If you’re a jobseeker, do you feel participating in volunteering activities will help your job search?

Published by:                    Sion Jones, JVP Group