Volunteering in tech - How to find a position and make the most of it
Why you should volunteer
Many professionals work for the financial reward which is okay. But sometimes, it is worth doing the work without an immediate financial reward because you set your eyes on a bigger goal.
Although the fields in tech are growing, the public’s interest has also significantly increased. This means the opportunities are less than the demand, especially for entry-level roles.
Many employers today demand work experience for entry-level roles, which makes it even more challenging to land your first(ish) job or transition to a new job.
Volunteering is one way to develop skills and work experience, although it’s typically an unpaid opportunity. If you are financially able, I’d recommend volunteering while you apply for paid positions.
Here are some reasons why you should consider volunteering:
1. Gain real-world experience
Volunteering allows job seekers to apply their skills in real-world projects, adding tangible experience to their resumes. For aspiring product managers, developers, or designers, contributing to non-profits or startups can help build portfolios and showcase problem-solving abilities.
2. Build your professional network
Volunteering connects you with professionals in the tech industry, opening doors to mentorship, referrals, or job opportunities. Many roles are filled through relationships, and volunteering helps expand your network authentically.
3. Learn new skills and tools
Volunteering exposes you to practical tech tools, agile workflows, and collaboration processes you might not encounter with personal projects. Whether learning project management software like Jira or understanding product design tools like Figma, it’s a great way to upskill or gain complementary skills.
4. Bridge gaps in your resume
For job seekers with career gaps or transitioning into tech, volunteering shows initiative, drive, and a commitment to self-improvement. It demonstrates that you stayed engaged, productive, and growth-focused.
5. Build confidence and clarify your path
Stepping into a volunteer role helps you gain confidence in your abilities while exploring different career paths in tech with less pressure from the employer. Whether it's coding, product management, or analytics, volunteering helps clarify what you're passionate about.
What does a good volunteering opportunity look like?
Volunteering has benefits, but some opportunities can be more disadvantageous than beneficial.
How do you recognise a good volunteering opportunity so you do not waste time? Look out for these attributes in the company and amongst the organisation leaders:
Alignment with your goals
Ask: Does this opportunity align with my career objectives?
If you’re aiming to become a product manager, look for roles that offer exposure to product-related tasks like roadmap planning, stakeholder communication, or using collaboration tools. Likewise, if you are interested in an industry, seek opportunities there.
The scope of responsibilities
Ask: What will I actually be doing?
Clarify your role and expectations. Volunteering for a “Product Manager” position involving only admin tasks won’t help you develop the right skills.
Time commitment and flexibility
Ask: Does the opportunity fit with my schedule?
Be realistic about the hours required. Ensure the commitment is manageable alongside other priorities like job hunting, studying or other part-time paid opportunities.
Organisation goals and commitment
Ask: Does the organisation have clear goals and ability to accomplish them?
If the organisation leaders are yet to set SMART goals, or do not have the resources to accomplish them, you may want to consider other opportunities. Their lack of direction or commitment will unlikely change when you join the team.
Opportunity for feedback and mentorship
Ask: Will I receive constructive feedback?
Select roles with mentorship opportunities, especially if you are in an internship or entry-level position. A mentor is an experienced professional in the same or related position. Ensure that leaders or teammates have the domain experience necessary to guide you to grow in your role and upskill.
Potential for future paid opportunities
Ask: Is there a chance this role could lead to paid work?
While volunteering shouldn’t be solely about landing a job, some opportunities can transition into full-time roles or lead to strong recommendations for future positions.
How to find a volunteer position
There are two tracks to explore if you are looking for a volunteer position:
Applying for open roles
Search for volunteering opportunities. Check out these job sites:
Indeed. Select “Volunteer” as the Job type.
Online communities. Join communities such as Unstoppable PM (if you are in product), Code First Girls or others for those in tech to learn about volunteer roles
Consider applying for jobs that are related to your desired role. Volunteering is a great way to learn complementary skills.
Apply for opportunities
Tailor your application to the job requirements by highlighting key skills and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet the requirements.
You should still put in a good application even with less competition.
Network and ask for a recommendation
Reach out on LinkedIn: Share a post expressing your interest in volunteering in tech. Tag connections who might know of opportunities.
Join tech communities: Being a community member allows you to ask for referrals when there is a job opening.
Creating a job opportunity for yourself
Even when companies do not have a public job opening, they may still be open to hiring if they find the right talent. Creating a job opportunity for yourself means you reach out to an organisation to seek a job opportunity, even without a job post. It’s beneficial to explore this route because there is little or no competition with other candidates.
Here’s how to create an opportunity for yourself:
Get ready.
Get your CV ready and tailored for your desired opportunity. It helps to have a portfolio linked in your CV to showcase your skills and a strong interest in the organisation.
Find the right organisation.
Target organisations with 3 to 20 employees. You don’t want the organisation to be too large because it makes it a bit complicated for the leaders to make a hiring decision.
To find these companies, you can search for companies that recently completed a startup school, such as Y-combinator, Techstars or Antler, as they are generally small organisations. On LinkedIn, these companies add their startup school to their name, so it’s easy to identify them. Try searching for “Techstars ‘23”, “co-founder YCW23”, “YCS23”, etc. ‘W’ stands for the Winter class, while ‘S’ stands for the summer class. The last 2 digits are the graduating year. You’ll get a list of companies, mostly startups, that meet the criteria.
Try a similar search on Twitter.
Contact employers.
Contact organisation leaders to let them know you are open to joining their organisation. Target startup founders, c-level employers, heads of product teams, or other leaders on LinkedIn or X (Twitter) to pitch yourself.
You can send a connection request or opt for LinkedIn Premium to get 5-10 Inmail credits.
Pitch yourself.
When pitching yourself to an employer that isn’t hiring, the cold message must be well-written.
There are a few important elements in a good cold message. Add a personal touch to your message, for example, something you have in common or admire about their work, why you want to work at their company specifically, and why you would be a good fit.
State that you are open to volunteering.
Here are three sample cold message to send an employer.
Example 1:
Hi Kathryn,
While slightly out of place, I attended the Women 2.0 conference yesterday with EatDrinkJobs and had the chance to see you pitch. I was blown away by you, your team, and most of all, your company.
I spent six years at Seamless.com, working closely with amazing leaders like Jason Finger (who you know well). I see such amazing potential in your company, and I would love to be a part of it in any way. My primary focus is in marketing, with a lot of experience marketing to the same corporations and users you seem to be attracting. I'd love to tell you more about how my skill set could help you all reach and exceed your current growth goals.
Congrats on all your current success. Again, I'd love to find a time to chat more about the company and tell you how I could help.
Best,
Elliott
Written to Kathryn Minshew, cofounder and CEO, The Muse. Reference.
N/B: The candidate did not state that they are applying for a volunteering role (although I highly recommend that you do); I added this example because it is a real example of a successful cold message.
Example 2:
Hello Chineze,
I checked out your product, X and I find it interesting that you are solving for freelancers in africa. As an ex-freelancer, I would have found it useful to manage all my accounting and taxes in one place. I believe you are tackling with a real problem and I’d like to be part of the team developing an innovative solution for millions of africans.
I’ve been in the product tech space for 2 years and transitioning from customer success to product management. My experience in fintech and as a freelancer, plus commitment to your mission makes a great addition to your team. I’d be happy to join your team an volunteer so I have the opportunity to work with your team at no cost to you.
Here’s my CV attached. I’d appreciate some time to chat about your company’s goals in the next 6 months and how I can support. Please let me know what date/time works for you.
Eitherway, I wish you and your team good success.
Cheers,
Uju.
Example 3:
Here’s a good post on X (Twitter) by @DaveyHert explaining how to find startup organisation leaders and a sample message to send: https://x.com/DaveyHert/status/1627963390768324609?s=20
Making the most of the opportunity
Once you land a volunteer opportunity, it’s up to you to make the most of it. Follow these guidelines to ensure you achieve your goals:
Be open about your goals: If you want to transition to a paid role at the organisation, I suggest you inform your manager after 1 or 2 months of working there. If you’ve been working for more than 2 months and you haven’t been clear about your goal, your next best time to now. Enquire what it would take to land such a position and develop an action plan with your manager.
Take on challenging projects: Don’t shy away from challenges because that’s where growth happens. If you feel the work assigned does not challenge you enough, talk to your manager about other work assignments that enable you to meet your professional goal.
Focus on accomplishments: Future employers want to know what you accomplished for the organisation, not your responsibilities. Ensure you track quantitative success metrics you can brag about.
Document & share your wins: Write about your contributions to the team’s success in your CV, portfolio and publicly (e.g. on LinkedIn). Also, share your accomplishments with your manager weekly, monthly, or quarterly, depending on the job length, so they know your worth to the company.
Seek feedback: Regular feedback will help you grow. Proactively reach out to your peers and leaders for feedback on your work, identify improvement areas and actively work on them.
Stay connected: Build relationships with your teammates and leaders to remain connected after the job ends. These folks may be in a position to help you progress your career in the future.
Talk to external mentors: If you feel uncomfortable sharing your challenges with your team members, speak to an external mentor about navigating them.
In summary, explore volunteering opportunities to upskill and develop complementary skills while seeking a paid job. When you get an opportunity, ensure you actively seek feedback, track your wins, and build your network.
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