Support your career growth beyond the workplace with extra-curricular activities
Career growth, development and progression is important to many of us, however the reality can sometimes be that it’s hard to get the career growth we need or want within our current workplace. These situations can occur for many reasons; you work for a small to medium business or team where there might be limited opportunities to step up and gain experience such as leading a team, the types or scale of projects and tasks don’t exist within your current workplace, or the opportunity to gain exposure to a broader range of industries, different stakeholders, business problems might not exist for your role. This is where extra-curricular activities can be hugely beneficial to your career growth and development.
Even if you do have exposure to all the opportunities I noted above, extra-curricular activities are valuable for career growth as well as personal growth and development. I often hear feedback from people who have been unsuccessful for a job they have applied for (or some don’t even apply because they feel they don’t have the experience) that they want to take this next step in their career however feel stuck because they apply (for an internal promotion or externally) and then miss out because they don’t have the experience, but feel there is no avenue for them to get that experience. That’s where you can lean into the value of extra-curricular activities. Extra-curricular activities are also valuable for building your networks, honing skills, learning new skills, delivering on your purpose, giving back to the community, finding new hobbies and contributing to helping you feel fulfilled.
Here are some extra-curricular opportunities that you can explore with career growth and development in mind:
Volunteering and Community Involvement
Getting involved in a community organisation or group and volunteering your time is a great way to gain exposure to a different organisation, develop and hone a wide range of skills such as interpersonal and communication skills, teamwork, strategic thinking, leadership and management skills. There are many organisations screaming out for volunteers and they rely on volunteers to survive. Volunteering can look like working in the canteen at a local sporting club, being involved in your children’s school committee, volunteer board of management or director roles with not for profit organisations, teaching people to drive as part of a local learn to drive program. The opportunities are endless. When considering volunteering and community engagement any experience is valuable, however based on my own experiences I would encourage you to choose an initiative that aligns well with your values and interests, and from a career perspective, allows you to hone the skills or get the experience that you aren’t getting in your workplace.
For more info on volunteering check out: The Ballarat Foundation – Volunteering Ballarat
Professional Associations and Industry Groups
This is one area that can often be overlooked when it comes to career development. Professional associations and industry groups can be specific to the industry you work in or might be location based. For example, industry wise it might be the Australian Institute of Human Resources (AHRI) for Human Resources and People and Culture professionals, or CPA Australia for Accountants, or Engineers Australia for Engineers. Locally, it’s associations and groups such as Commerce Ballarat, Tourism Midwest Victoria, the Australian Industry Group etc.
Joining industry specific organisations helps you stay in touch with the latest trends, attend conferences, and access exclusive learning resources. Membership often leads to networking opportunities, mentorship programs that can directly support career advancement, joining sub-committees to assist with particular events or initiatives, and advocacy opportunities.
Mentoring and Coaching
Many organisations and businesses run mentoring programs such as internal mentoring programs, industry specific mentor programs, alumni mentoring programs, and community mentoring programs. Mentoring and coaching can be very rewarding and allows you to share your knowledge and expertise. It allows you to demonstrate and strengthen your leadership, communication skills and emotional intelligence. In many cases it becomes a two way learning experience and it can allow you to position yourself as a thought leader.
Extra-curricular activities are viewed favorably when applying for roles and it’s important to ensure you highlight your extra-curricular activities in an application and at interview. Although you might not be looking to land that next job, extra-curricular activities are still a great way to challenge yourself, learn more about your community, give back and make an impact.
For me personally, the extra-curricular activities I have involved myself with have all been hugely rewarding and helped my growth and development both personally and professionally. I’ve learnt a lot about myself along the way while having the opportunity to give back, make an impact and build some lifelong networks and friendships; opportunities that would never have presented themselves had I only looked for career growth and development within the workplace.
