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Here are the Coach Notes to help you SHIFT from viewing volunteering as “just helping” into seeing it as a powerful career-building tool.

📝 How to Use This Reflection Exercise

• Work through each section one at a time — don’t rush.
• Read the guiding questions slowly and reflect honestly on your answers.
• Write down your thoughts in the space provided beneath each question.
• Pause and revisit sections as needed to go deeper — this is about discovery, not speed.
• After finishing, review all your responses to spot recurring themes and insights.

The Power of Volunteering in Building Career Experience

Purpose: This reflection exercise helps you use the 3SHIFT framework (Letting Out, Letting Go, Letting In) to explore fears, release limitations, and embrace new opportunities in using volunteering as a stepping stone for your career journey.

Letting Out

Letting Go

Letting In

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(Express your fears & hidden thoughts)

• What fears or doubts have I held about whether volunteering truly adds value to my career journey?
• In what ways have I underestimated or overlooked the skills I gained through volunteering?
• What negative past experiences or judgments have I attached to “unpaid work”?

(Release limiting beliefs & reframe perspective)

• What limiting beliefs about career growth (e.g., “only paid jobs count”) am I willing to let go of?
• How can I detach from the pressure of needing immediate recognition for the skills I’ve gained?
• What old mindsets about success do I need to release to see volunteering as a stepping stone?

(Embrace strengths & possibilities)

• What new opportunities could open up if I intentionally leveraged volunteering in my CV or interviews?
• How can I embrace the confidence that comes from the skills and connections volunteering has given me?
• What new ways of thinking can I invite in to see volunteering as a pathway to leadership, not just service?