The holiday season is fast approaching, encouraging each one of us to be extra thankful for our blessings, and to celebrate the people in our lives with festive parties and thoughtful gifts.

For those in need, the holiday season can be an entirely different, much less positive experience. But it doesn’t have to be.

By volunteering, you’ll add lots of happy to the holidays for those most deserving of a helping hand and a generous dose of good cheer.

It’s understandable to focus on yourself when you’re looking for a job but, as we shared in a previous blog about the topic, volunteering helps those in need and it might even help you land a job. A Harris Interactive survey of 3,000+ hiring managers and HR professionals revealed 60-percent say a candidate that volunteers is more marketable due to a clear demonstration of positive characteristics.

At Masiello Employment, we recommend those looking for work include volunteering as part of the time between jobs. By helping others in this way, you’ll stay social and stay positive, two important elements of a job search. If you’re able to use job-related skills while you volunteer, you’ll also maintain professional strengths, eliminate work gaps, and preserve professional discipline—a win-win-win.

Here’s a look at some of the places we suggest volunteering in our hometown of Keene, New Hampshire (if you don’t live nearby, an easy web search should quickly reveal volunteer opportunities in your area):

  • Monadnock RSVP Volunteer Center: this one resource will put you in touch with a number of diverse volunteering positions, from mentoring small business owners to tutoring school children.
  • The Keene YMCA: volunteers are the heart of this local institution, and the YMCA is looking for volunteer assistance in several areas, from team leadership to class instructors.
  • The Keene Senior Center: there are plenty of unique opportunities to help seniors at the center, from a greeter in the thrift shop to a graphic design intern to help produce marketing materials.
  • Keene Community Education: if you’re able to volunteer at least two hours per week, you can serve your community by matching your strengths and interests with a student, to help him or her work towards important goals like improved literacy, citizenship, or an equivalency diploma.

Click here to see many additional volunteer openings within Keene, New Hampshire. 

You’ll never regret the time you spend in the service of others. Masiello Employment is certainly pleased to provide the service of helping you find your perfect job—just give our recruiting team a call.