3 Benefits Of Working For Free

When I was a kid, my dad owned a corner shop in Birmingham (the UK's second city). Well actually, it wasn't exactly on a corner as such, but saying it was an Indian corner shop makes the story sound so much better!

Now, if you were an Indian whose dad owned a shop in the 1970s and 80s, it meant two things: firstly, you were guaranteed to have bad teeth because you had access to a whole range of the best sweets, chocolates and fizzy drinks. And secondly, it meant that you also had to work in the shop at weekends/holidays and help with everything from mopping floors, lifting and carrying stock, right the way through to serving customers, buying stock and helping with some basic accounting.

 

And like all good Indian kids, I did it for F.R.E.E. That's right, without pay (well apart from all the snacks and fizzy drinks I could consume).

This was something my English friends could never understand. After all, they got paid to clean the family car or do some gardening (which I found very strange).

At times, I'd wonder why I wasn't paid - and thought it was just part of being the son of a frugal shop keeper. But looking back, working for free was one of the best things I ever did and would encourage anyone to do it at some point. 

And if you're out of work in the current job market, it's definitely something you should be considering for a number of reasons:

 

1. You gain a wider range of experience
When you work for free, you often get exposed to wider responsibilities. Working with my dad, I got exposure to so many different areas from buying, accounting, shop keeping, negotiating, dealing with staff etc. OK, part of this came with being the boss's son - but a large part of it was also because I was a free resource.

 

That applies to you too. If you offer your skills and services for nothing, you'll often find yourself getting new experiences that you normally wouldn't get in a paid role with a tight job description. So if you're out of work or looking for a career change, there's a great advantage in working for nothing in a new environment.

 

2. It gives you a great selling point at interviews
When I graduated, most of my work experience was with the family business rather than in proper paid work. I thought this would go against me. But actually, when I got to interview stage, I totally sold myself on the work ethic I built up at a young age from working for free.

 

Whilst many of my peers had more corporate experience, working for nothing showed my hunger, commitment and character - which gave me an edge. You can similarly give yourself an edge in the ultra competetive job market we're in right now by working for free.

 

3. It builds humility
When I entered the corporate world, I was fortunate enough to join two top 100-listed firms with a track record of training and investment in their people - British Airways and Marks & Spencer were my first two employers. But both firms required trainees to be flexible in the early years and do work that many others wouldn't. Whilst some of my peers turned their noses up at some of the mundane activities, I was always happy to roll my sleeves up, work longer hours and do what was required to get things done and am sure this helped me settle into new roles and build credibility much faster. But I truly believe that this open-mindedness came from the humility I developed whilst working for free for my dad (there's nothing like sweeping floors on a Saturday evening without pay to build some humility!).

Having interviewed thousands of people throughout my recruitment career, I can tell you that humility is a wonderful quality in a candidate. Finding talented people with relevant skills who are confident in their abilities yet still humble - is like gold dust.

There may be lots of talk about economic recovery, but the job market has some way to fall before a sustained bounce back. So if you're out of work, you need to be looking for every opportunity to develop your skills and be actively working - even if it's for free. In the short term it will stop you going nuts whilst helping you build new skills and relationships. But as you can see from the above, working without pay can also yield many other benefits that will help you secure your next role and indeed enhance your career over the longer term. (And like me, you're bound to get some sweets and treats for working for free!).

 

 

By Sital Ruparelia

Comments

[Melissa]

I'm with you on this one. There's a lot to be said about doing work simply because it supports the family unit, not because there is a financial benefit (many farm kids in the US know about "doing chores" -- it's done because it's expected, period).

The working for free that you talk about can also be considered volunteering if its for a nonprofit. You can read more of what I wrote on this topic at http://rodneysjobquest.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/the-value-of-volunteering/.