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Virtual Careers Fairs: Volunteering Opportunities Fair

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The University of Leeds Volunteering Team organised a Virtual Volunteering Opportunities Fair on the 20th of October 2021 with around 30 employers offering either group or one-to-one sessions. Volunteering is a fantastic way to develop general transferrable skills such as teamwork, communication, and time management. Also, depending on the volunteering role, specific skills such as marketing, fundraising, event planning and customer service. Volunteering as a student gives you the opportunity to meet new people while making a difference within the Leeds community.

Link to Leeds Ambassadors Atiyah and Shanté took part in the Volunteering Fair and will be sharing their experiences with those who might be interested in attending the fair in the future.

Shanté
Three weeks before the Volunteering Fair, I attended a webinar on the 30th of September organised by the Careers Centre entitled “Meet the Myth-Busters |Cracking down on the Misconceptions of Virtual Fairs.” This session was extremely helpful as I had never attended a virtual fair before and was unsure of what to expect. However, some of the tips that I took away from the session were:

1) Research the employers before booking a meeting,

2) Ensure that the technology (I.e., microphone, sound, and video) is working before the day of the event and,

3) Follow up with a thank you message to the recruiter for their time.

After browsing through the list and researching the charities, I booked one-to-one meetings with St. Gemma's Hospice, Leeds Hospitals Charity and CATCH. I also booked a group session led by the Leeds Volunteering Team. During the group session, two things stood out to me. Firstly, there are several types of volunteering opportunities such as micro-volunteering, one-off volunteering, regular volunteering, and international volunteering. As I am in my final year, I was looking for more micro and one-off volunteering opportunities that would not hinder my scholastic responsibilities. Secondly, the skills gained from volunteering roles can be added to our CVs.


The one-on-one meetings that I booked were immensely informative as I found an online document that listed questions to ask at a volunteering fair. Thus, during my meetings, some of the questions I asked were, “Do I need any experience before volunteering? What do people enjoy most about volunteering at your charity? What roles are available? What are your expectations of volunteers? These questions allowed me to gauge which of the charities would be a good fit for me. My first one-on-one session was a bit nerve-racking, however, after 5 minutes I became more comfortable, and I enjoyed the conversation with the recruiter. At the end of the session, I was more knowledgeable about the charity’s mission and the flexibility of the roles available. In the other two sessions, I learnt more about the work that these charities do within the community and the ways that I could get involved.

One of the recruiters was a graduate of Leeds University who studied History and Spanish and it was great to have a brief conversation about studying Spanish and the pressures of being a student. However, during one of my meetings, the fire alarm went off. Therefore, one tip that I would like to share is to double-check that there will be no maintenance, construction, or fire alarm testing on the day of your virtual fair. At the end of the fair, I was truly inspired to be a volunteer and after some reflection, I have decided which of the charities would be best for me considering my interests and availability.

Atiyah
Having only attended one Volunteering Opportunities Fair organised by the Careers Centre in my first year back in 2019, I was not sure what to expect. The first fair I attended was held in the historic Parkinson building and the several charities were invited to tell us about the causes they supported and how we as students could get involved. Like Shanté I had never attended a virtual fair before and was not sure on how we could get to meet with the different charities and speak to them directly. Luckily, without struggling too much I was able to figure out that we could book a one-to-one session with the charities of our choice before the actual day.

There were an extensive range of charities participating in the event including Active Row Leeds, Age UK, Bookmark Reading, and Flourishing families. After conducting my own research on these charities, I thought it would be useful to book one-to-one sessions with them so that I could find out more about the application process and how many hours we would be required to put in. The first Charity that I met with was Active Rowing Leeds. Their representative was extremely friendly, making it easy to ask as many questions as I felt necessary. I also found it useful that we got to speak a little bit about my hobbies, giving me the chance to reflect on what sectors I would be best suited to volunteer in. During the session, we covered the types of questions asked in the application process as well as the requirements I would need to meet. Upon completion of the session, I was emailed a document containing useful information such as links on where to apply and contact details.

The next session I attended was one held by Bookmark Reading. Unlike with Active Row, this was a group session, which luckily for me meant I just had to listen. The representatives from Bookmark Reading discussed their own experience and that all those looking to volunteer must complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. This is a crucial step for several charities as you are likely to be working with vulnerable groups like children and/or the elderly. To guarantee and ensure their safety, it is important that as volunteers we pass this check.

I can safely say that the Volunteering Opportunities Fair this year did not disappoint. The Careers Centre at the University has put in place measures to ensure that students are still able to make the most out of the event and learn of the different organisations working to make a positive impact. I may even go as far as saying that this was one of the most organised fairs I have attended in a long time. It can often be quite awkward to approach charities in person particularly if they are already speaking to someone else. With this however, I did not have to worry about that as I was able to book sessions, with an email being sent out to remind me of the exact time my session was due to start and end. I hope that in reading this you found the motivation to attend some of the events being held by the Careers Centre at the University of Leeds alongside taking some steps to work with and volunteer at the amazing charities, I know I will!