# 1 Why do it?

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## 1.1 Introduction

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Recent findings show that volunteers report higher ratings on the measures of life satisfaction, happiness, and feeling that the things they do in life are worthwhile. Last year the number of people volunteering at least once a month rose to 29%, which may be thanks in part to the high profile volunteering received during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Jennie Rayner, CSV Communications Officer, 2014

Volunteering is clearly a major concern, and can contribute to the development of skills to enhance employability.

The opportunities for volunteering can be very varied. The 2012 Olympics depended on 70,000 volunteers , and volunteering can also involve for example doing gardening for an old lady once a week.

Any voluntary work will help develop the skills to enhance your employability, but if you’re not already involved it’s worth taking time to assess what you’ve got to offer and what would suit you best. The more enthusiastic and committed you are, the more likely you are to improve your job prospects.

If you are already doing voluntary work, but want to explore how to use it to improve your job prospects, then just use Sections 4–7.

◄Contents►Next: 1.2 Standing out from the crowd

OpenLearn - Using Voluntary work to get ahead in the job market
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