Voluntary work gives a sense of purpose to your life. It offers a variety of interesting challenges and the subsequent skills learnt, and experiences had, give you the confidence and resilience to face whatever life throws up.

Psychologically it is good for you as you maintain structure and routine in your life, which is necessary when you have an excess of free time on your hands. Essentially, the longer you remain out of a routine and inactive, the more difficult it is to get back into a routine and become active at a later date.

As well as keeping you mentally active and equipping you with skills, voluntary work improves your ability to problem solve, communicate with others, and work in a team. From helping out in the community to handing out flyers to raising funds, volunteering is a great way to improve yourself as a person.

From a practical point of view, volunteering counts as work experience. While qualifications are necessary for securing a job, voluntary work can help you acquire the skills and experience that make you stand out from the crowd. This is particularly important if you have just graduated, or if you have only had part-time / summer jobs in the past.

It is good for employers to know that you are not just sitting at home waiting for an opportunity to come to you, but that you have shown some initiative and used your time constructively. It is certainly a good topic to talk about at job interviews, and you can refer to real life situations when highlighting your strengths and abilities.

Finally, voluntary work is not just restricted to low skilled or manual labor roles, though, of course, such work is still very rewarding. If you feel you are experienced and well qualified, bear in mind that professional services, such as project management, accounting and financial consultancy, are equally in demand by not-for-profit organizations and charities.