Your volunteering while at University will count towards your Stellify Award.
The Stellify Award is the University's prestigious extra-curricular accolade, enabling you to stand out from the crowd.
If you’re a new undergraduate (from September 2016), you can complete The Stellify Award.
You can also gain recognition and achievement by combining your volunteering with an academic 'Leadership in Action' unit through the Manchester Leadership Programme (MLP).
It is a great way for you to develop skills such as communication, organisation, teamwork and time management that many employers look for in today's competitive market. Many of the skills that you will develop through volunteering will be transferable, demonstrating that you are adaptable and can bring key skills to a job immediately.
Volunteering is also an effective way for you to gain relevant experience. For example, if you are interested in looking for a graduate job in marketing, you could volunteer with a local charity helping with their marketing activities.
In addition to your academic achievements, employers are keen to know about other activities that you undertook at University. Always mention your volunteering when you apply for jobs (in your covering letter and on your CV), highlighting the skills and experience that you have gained. You can also apply your volunteering experience in an interview to demonstate your skills and experience.
We have developed Volunteer for your Career, an online toolkit to help you demonstrate how you can use your volunteering to improve your employability when seeking a graduate role.
The course specifically focuses on:
I am very aware that nowadays in this competitive and challenging work environment, I really do need a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience in any domain so that I can achieve a successful career. The MLP offered me the chance to boost my CV and gain some life experience through volunteering. I do feel that the MLP has given me an advantage when applying for internships, helping me to stand out from the crowd.