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This cluster is about confidence: recognising skills you already have from school, sport, volunteering, and life, and learning how to build new ones before you even start applying for jobs.
Work through the resources below from top to bottom. They build on each other.
- Start with the Transferable skills checklist to identify what you already bring to the table. You'll probably have more than you think: school projects, part-time work, and sport all count. The digital literacy section is worth a close look if you're interested in tech, because skills like data analysis, software proficiency, and online collaboration are valued across a huge range of digital roles.
- Read 3 reasons volunteering can put you ahead to understand why volunteer experience carries real weight with employers. The key stat is hard to ignore: 95% of employers see volunteering as credible work experience.
- Follow up with How volunteering can help you gain new skills to turn that insight into action. This article helps you approach volunteering strategically, choosing roles that build the specific skills you want. If you're interested in tech, look for community roles involving website support, social media, or data management on SEEK Volunteer.
You don't need a qualification or a paid job to start building skills that matter to employers. Many tech and digital roles value transferable and people skills just as highly as technical ones, so this is where that journey starts.
Transferable Skills Checklist
Tool
Discover the skills you already have that employers value across almost any industry — including tech and digital — from communication and leadership to digital literacy.
What to know
- The article was written for people already in the workforce or changing careers.
- Some language (e.g. 'your current role') will need adapting for school leavers, but the skill categories themselves are just as relevant
- It's easy to underestimate how many transferable skills you already have. Think beyond paid work: school projects, leadership roles, team sports, and volunteering all count
- Having a transferable skill isn't enough on its own – you need a specific example to back it up. This is what makes the difference in a resume or interview
- The digital literacy skills listed here (data analysis, software tools, online communication) are foundational for tech careers, even if you don't yet see yourself as a 'tech person'
How to use this resource
- Read through the five skill categories (organisational, communication, people, leadership, and digital literacy) and identify which ones you can back up with a real example from school, sport, volunteering, or part-time work
- Download the checklist PDF to use as a self-assessment tool before writing a resume or preparing for an interview
- For each skill you tick off, note a specific example: where did you use it, and what was the result? Vague claims don't stick – concrete examples do
- The digital literacy section is worth a close look if you're interested in tech. Skills like data analysis, software proficiency, and online collaboration are valued across a wide range of tech and digital roles
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3 reasons volunteering can put you ahead
Article
Find out why volunteer experience is taken seriously by employers, including for tech roles, and how to make it count in your resume and interviews.
What to know
- The article is short and motivational rather than a practical how-to.
- Use it alongside the transferable skills checklist to identify and articulate what your volunteering actually demonstrates
- The employer statistics come from SEEK's own research.
- They're compelling but worth treating as directional rather than definitive
- The article doesn't cover how to list volunteer work on a resume.
- Pair it with the resume-writing resources in this hub when you're ready to take that step
- Volunteering is most effective when it's relevant to the role, so think about what kinds of community work or projects connect to your career interests.
- For tech-interested roles, things like website support, social media management, or data entry for a community organisation all count
How to use this resource
- Read the employer statistics – they make a compelling case that volunteer experience carries real weight with employers
- Think about what volunteer or community work you've done and how it maps to skills employers value
- Explore SEEK Volunteer for 13,000+ opportunities. Tech-related roles do appear here, such as helping community organisations with their websites, social media, IT support, or data management – directly relevant if you're interested in digital or tech careers
- Note the point about relevance: volunteer experience lands best when it connects to the type of role you're interested in
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How volunteering can help you gain new skills
Article
Discover how to use volunteering strategically to build skills employers value, including in tech and digital roles, and how to find the right opportunity for where you want to go.
What to know
- The article is written for career changers and people returning to work, so some framing won't translate directly to school leavers.
- The core advice about approaching volunteer searching strategically is still very useful
- The skills list is a helpful prompt if you're unsure what you want to develop.
- Use it alongside the transferable skills checklist to connect what you already have with what you want to build
- The case study features someone returning to work at 39 with no prior experience. It's still a useful story, but you may need to reframe it for your own context
- Volunteering works best when approached with intent. Think about what specific skills you want to gain, not just what cause you want to support
How to use this resource
- Read through the skills list to identify which skills you want to develop, then use that as a brief for searching for volunteer roles on SEEK Volunteer
- Follow the 'planning makes perfect' approach in the article: audit existing skills, identify the gaps, then search for roles that address those gaps
- The case study (Shelley, who secured her first paid communications job through a volunteer role) is worth reading if you feel stuck without experience
- If you're interested in tech, look for volunteer roles involving social media management, website updates, data entry, or digital communications for community organisations. These are common on SEEK Volunteer and build directly relevant skills
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