Okay I lied; volunteering can’t actually reverse the signs of aging, other than by making you feel young at heart. BUT volunteering is splendid and you have before you the five reasons why.

Volunteering looks awesome on your resume! It shows that you are passionate and that you have actually been involved in something. Volunteering can also give you transferable skills for your resume, things like communication, problem solving, time management or even office or marketing skills, depending on your position. By volunteering you are telling the world that you are a proactive person willing to do more than the bare minimum.

Volunteering allows you to try a variety of things. Some things you may like, even love, and some not so much. By volunteering for a variety of different causes you may discover things you love and want to be doing with your career. Albeit, you may find the things you want to stay clear of and that’s okay too. It’s all about discovering you! You will never know until you try.

Fact. It is impossible to not meet anyone while you’re volunteering. Who knows? Maybe it will be someone who could help you down the road. By getting involved in your community you open yourself up to so many more opportunities to meet people who could impact your life in a major way. They could help you get a job, gain you connections, become your friend or just be a nice stranger you spent some time with. Any way you look at it, it sounds pretty splendid!

Whether your volunteer experience is helping tutor a child, design a website for a non-profit organization or operating a crisis line; you are making a difference! It may seem big or it may seem small. Volunteering is something that makes you feel good about yourself and what you are doing.

“Golly, that volunteer experience looks so bad on my resume.” -Said no one. Ever. So get out there and try volunteering. It’s absolutely, one-hundred percent free! You literally have nothing to lose by volunteering and so much to gain.