Volunteering is an integral part of Canadian culture. Children are encouraged to do it, and high school students must complete mandatory volunteer hours. Adults volunteer their time and skills at charities, non-profit organizations, political parties, religious faith organizations, youth groups, and many other places. According to Statistics Canada, in 2021, 40 percent of the population, aged 15 years and older, participated in some form of volunteer work.
Volunteering involves giving personal time freely for the benefit of another person, group, or cause. According to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), volunteering is the time you give to strengthen your community and improve others’ quality of life as well as your own.
TLDR
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Volunteering can provide newcomers with opportunities to gain Canadian experience, grow their professional network, and an opportunity to build and showcase their professional skills in action.
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Engaging in volunteer work helps reduce feelings of isolation, fosters a sense of community, and provides a meaningful way to stay active and motivated.
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Volunteering strengthens your resume, offers reference letters, and can lead to job leads, increasing your chances of securing paid employment in your desired field.
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Use these resources to find volunteer opportunities that will benefit you while also giving back to your community
Why volunteer? 3 ways you can benefit as a newcomer
For many newcomers looking for a (paid) job, volunteering seems counter-intuitive. However volunteering and paid employment are not mutually exclusive, and in fact, volunteering can actively support your career in Canada, particularly for newcomers to Canada.
1. Build your network
Volunteering can be a key tool in building your Canadian network. When you first arrive in Canada, you may not know many people, and may be unsure of how to start connecting with people in your new community. Volunteering offers you an opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals – newcomers and locals alike – and build your social and professional networks.
Canada has a hidden job market: it is said that as much as 65-85% of jobs are filled without the employer advertising for it publicly. You can only find out about and apply for these opportunities through your network. This is why building your network is crucial, and volunteering is a great way to get started.
2. Gain Canadian experience
If you’re a newcomer looking for a job in Canada, you may want to enrich your profile with Canadian experience, which is valued by many recruiters. To make the most of your volunteer experience, try looking for volunteering opportunities in your field of work, which will give you an opportunity to showcase your skills in action, and to include the experience in your resume in a relevant way. Volunteering can also help you bridge gaps in your work history while you look for a job in Canada. Moreover, you can always ask the organization you volunteered with to provide reference letters, which can be useful in your job applications.
Volunteering also offers the opportunity to learn new skills and brush up on your English or French language skills. In a survey conducted by Statistics Canada, many stated that their volunteer activities had given them a chance to develop new skills. For example, as per the survey results,
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about two-thirds (64 percent) said their interpersonal skills had improved,
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44 percent said the volunteer experience had improved their communication skills,
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39 percent reported to have improved organizing skills,
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33 percent improved with fundraising skills,
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27 percent with technical or office work, and
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one-third (34 percent) reported that working as a volunteer had increased their knowledge of such subjects as health, women’s or political issues, criminal justice or the environment.
3. Keep yourself busy so you don’t get depressed
As many newcomers know, finding a job in Canada rarely happens overnight: it can take weeks or months to land your first job in Canada, and it’s important not to get discouraged during your job search. Volunteering can help you develop empathy and compassion and gather positive life experiences. As a newcomer in a foreign land, away from your friends and family in your home country, it’s normal to occasionally feel isolated, homesick or depressed. Keeping yourself occupied by being involved with and connected to your community is a good way to care for your mental well-being, and keep a positive outlook.
Volunteering is also a brilliant way to discover new interests and hobbies, visit different parts of the city and travel. It can help you reduce stress and provide a sense of purpose.
How can newcomers leverage volunteering for their job search?
There are many ways you can volunteer, depending on the skills you have, your available time, whether or not you have a vehicle, your language fluency, and more. Some volunteer positions, particularly those that involve working with children or the elderly, may require you to undergo a police check. ESDC has suggested some ways in which you can volunteer, however not all of these may serve the purpose of supporting your job search.
Newcomers who are looking to enrich their professional profile may want to prioritize volunteer opportunities that are in some way related to their work experience or that involve skills that are valued in the type of jobs they hope to get hired for. If you are unsure of what those skills are, you can look at job postings for roles you are interested in, and look for required skills and experience. Consider what volunteer experiences might help showcase those skills, or fill any skills gaps you might have.
If you are interested in connecting with a specific organization or person to grow your career, you may want to research what causes they consider important, using publicly available information on their website or LinkedIn profile. You may find that volunteer experience related to these same causes to be an effective conversation starter within networking settings.
How to find volunteer opportunities in Canada
Finding a volunteering opportunity that aligns well with your situation and experience might take a bit of research.
Here are a couple of action items to get you started:
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Research: Look up companies and organizations that are offering volunteering positions in your field or find ones that represent causes you (or the organizations you’re interested in) care about. Include positions that involve the skills you would use in your desired job — these may be skills that you’re already proficient in or are hoping to learn and improve. Another way to find volunteering opportunities is to keep an eye out for volunteer requests in your neighbourhood.
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Connect: Reach out to these organizations by sending an email, contacting them through their website or through their LinkedIn pages to learn more about their needs. Evaluate the areas where you might be able to offer your skills.
List of a few websites to find volunteer opportunities in Canada:
If you are looking for local volunteering opportunities, you can begin by checking out your city or province’s website for opportunities: check out the pages for Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario, and British Columbia.
Here are some additional sites that may have volunteer opportunities
Giving back to the community is usually well-regarded and valued in Canadian society. As a newcomer, volunteering is a great way to integrate yourself into the community, get to know the local culture, and even improve your chances of finding paid employment opportunities. Volunteering experience also adds immense value to your resume and could be a stepping stone in helping you reach your goals.
