Linking volunteer activities to quality candidates follow this blog post

posted by Gerry Crispin on May 2, 2008

A link in a today's Interbiznet daily led me to download and read the 2008 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey

The survey's core quote is

?91 percent of survey respondents agree that skills-based volunteering would add value to (leadership) training and development programs, but only 16 percent of companies intentionally offer skills-based volunteer opportunities for employee development, on a regular basis.?

Let's assume for a moment that there is truth here (I do believe it although I am lacking validated data).

 

Assume further that corporations that support and nurture volunteerism are likely to increase their leadership bench strength and that employees engaged in volunteer activities (like those engaged in health related activities) generally perform at a higher level.

If so, I've several questions worth posing:

Do we as recruiters automatically add value/weight to resumes that include significant volunteerism without regard to whether it is relevant to the specific job?

 

Is that (above) taught or written anywhere? Is it discussed as a means to complement the selection process and differentiate between essentially equal prospects?

Does the algorithm in your ATS cause qualified applicants with significant volunteer activities to rise above those who do not - all other things being equal of course?

 

And do you even know what that algorithm is?

Does your online or paper application or profile even capture volunteer activities in a formal way?

 

Are recruiters who aspire to be team leaders, staffing managers, directors, global staffing vps encouraged and supported in your firm to get involved with volunteer activities?

 

I could go on but suspect that the first step is to confirm that some research has been done to even support such notions...or get it done.

 

An anecdotal approach anyone could examine- Take the profiles of the top 3 leaders in each function of your firm. Are they deeply involved in volunteer activities or hardly at all? And, if so, were they involved after rising to the leadership position or had they devoted time, talent and treasure to them before the climb?

 

Any other questions...or answers?

 

 

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•  William Uranga

  1 point 14 months ago

  Gerry,

  I would wonder for those who do track, "Does this show in the quality of the hire in any way (i.e. are they promoted more, score better on reviews, contribute more to the top/bottom line...)??

  I'll confess to reading their activities listed on their resume, but only for the impression of "Gee, they are truly involved in the community" and that they appear to be more established ? dare I say ?stable?. This does make them more ?fit? for our organization's culture as almost all the company?s philanthropic efforts are employee-initiated and only supported by management: a refreshing change from my other experiences.

  Great questions to be asking?

  William

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