How I Landed My Dream Job from My WRJ Volunteer Experience

When it comes to personal and professional fulfillment, we don’t often recognize that volunteer experience can be invaluable on a resume, especially if you are changing careers, re-entering the workforce, or building your dream career path.

For 23 years and until the pandemic, I owned and operated my own company JD Sports, providing preschool sports lessons to more than 140 childcare centers in 30 cities throughout North Texas and Greater New Orleans, with a staff of 12 instructors. What was once the perfect fit, combining my love of teaching preschool gymnastics and a sports marketing/public relations degree, became more of a grind once the business hit its twentieth year. I had dreamed of working as a Jewish professional and March of 2020 was the kick in the tush that forced me to pivot with everyone else. What skills did I even have that gave me the courage to find a new career? The transferable skills I learned volunteering through my WRJ experiences.

While I was growing JD Sports in 2006, I became involved in Congregation Beth Shalom Sisterhood in Arlington, Texas. With a two-year-old and 14-year-old at home, I was encouraged to attend a WRJ Leadership Conference (now known as Fried Women’s Conference), and my world expanded exponentially. Not only did I come to understand that my women’s group was part of the bigger picture that is Women of Reform Judaism, but I was inspired by being part of a community of Jewish women connected by the bonds of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice.

After my first conference, I happily accepted positions on my Sisterhood Board as VP of Membership, VP of Programming, and eventually, Sisterhood President. And after moving to New Orleans, President again with Gates of Prayer Sisterhood. Thanks to WRJ leadership education, I constantly took advantage of workshops and resources including what makes a good program, how to attract inactive members, how to prepare a budget and run financials of a volunteer organization (different than my business), and how to make an ‘ask’ to someone I didn’t even know. As President, I was asked to conquer my biggest fear – public speaking – by being a panelist at a District Convention, highlighting some of the innovative programming we started implementing in our group. From there, I moved through the ranks serving on the WRJ Southwest District Executive Committee as an Area Director, Senior Area Director, and District President.

What Are Transferable Skills and How Do They Help Set You Apart?

Transferable skills are skills you possess based on all past life experiences, not only from paying jobs, but experiences you can carry over or ‘transfer’ into a new role. Future employers are looking to understand what you are capable of in your next role and help them predict your performance potential. While having a robust resume keyword strategy is crucial these days, transferable skill keywords are particularly valuable for those making a career pivot, such as myself. As volunteers, we sometimes forget the transferable skills acquired along the way that are most valued by employers. I’ve come up with a list of 10 transferable skills that you probably already possess from working in a volunteer group and helped me find my dream job:

1.  Ability to Collaborate

2.  Dedication

3.  Relationship Building

4.  Project Management

5.  Optimizing Limited Resources and Tight Budgets

6.  Communication

7.  Problem Solving

8.  Planning

9.  Organizing

10.  Leadership

Once you’ve identified a skill relevant to your volunteer work, all you must do is come up with a stellar example or story of how you demonstrated this skill as an on-the-job volunteer. I am told by my current employer that the following transferable volunteer skills from my WRJ experience sealed it for them and helped me land my dream job – my ability to create and foster a committee structure (ability to collaborate), develop innovative programming (project management), find underwriters for said programming (optimizing limited resources) and build a cohesive staff (leadership).

In July of 2021, my dream was fulfilled, and I became the Executive Director of Temple Sinai, New Orleans. All thanks to and in no small part to the mentors, friendships, and experiences I’ve gained through Women of Reform Judaism.

Jenn Daley lives in New Orleans and is a member of Gates of Prayer Sisterhood in Metairie LA and Temple Sinai Sisterhood in New Orleans LA. She is currently a member of the WRJ Executive Committee as the Marketing & Communications Chair. She is married to her husband of 25-years Ken, and has two children Eileen (31 years), Jace (17 years) and one pandemic puppy Exene.