Lone Star Travelers Blog

This is especially important when you are away from home. First dump the junk and spend more time on your own meal preparation. The basics of the mediterranean diet are a good place to start. Emphasis on fish, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Less red meat and low in dairy. You are what you eat. For your volunteer career you want to be healthy, energetic, active and strong.

By now you may be thinking that it is difficult to secure a position with the National Park Service as a volunteer. This is not true. They want and need volunteers and actively recruit for volunteers. Positions however can be highly competitive especially at the more popular well known parks and at certain times of the year. If you are just starting out on your volunteeer career path consider applying to a lesser known park or reverse the seasonal trends. For example when all the northeners head South for the winter you could try applying for the summer months when there may be openings just waiting to be filled. After a season or two you will have a strong background and good references to compete for any park at any time of the year.

This will be your final and most important piece of paperwork.  The terms of agreement for Individual Voluntary Services protects you under Worker’s Compensation in the event of an on the job injury. Spelled out is the fact that you are not a Federal employee for any purpose other than for claims of injury while performing duties. It is a legal agreement between you and the park service. Also included will be a description of the work you are to perfrom and the minimum time commitment required. This agreement may be cancelled at any time by either party.

The written application is almost always followed up by a phone interview. This is very informal and will give you the opportunity to ask any additional questions that have not already been answered, as well as highlight any experience you think will help the recruiter in his or her screening process . The volunteer recruiter will be able to quickly assess your personality. Most important tips are sound interested, keep it upbeat and cheerful. At the conclusion of this conversation you will either be offered the volunteer job or advised when you will hear of the decision. Either scenario is typical and one is not better than the other. If the recruiter is not ready to offer you the position it may just mean she needs to look at how to fill in the schedule. Thank the recruiter for his or her time and make sure to close with “I look forwards to hearing from you soon” or a similar phrase.

Entirely optional but a very nice touch.  A well written resume can be sent to the recruiter first as an introduction or along with your volunteer job application to enhance it. As with any resume keep it to one page and make it relevant.  A resume builder on your computer can help you find a format you like and you just fill in the various fields.A basic resume will include fields such as OBJECTIVE, QUALIFICATIONS, HOBBIES AND SKILLS, and EXPERIENCE. Adjust these fields to fit you personally. The last category should be REFERENCES and read “available upon request.” Note: have them ready for when they are requested. Make it easy for the recruiter and include phone number with area code as well as e-mail address. Tip: As a courtesy always check with your references before you give out their names and get their OK.