Hippo Hot Tips for Finding Volunteer Work 2010 is already off to a flying start, and we're sure many of you are already hard at work hunting the perfect job for the new year. One problem plenty of job seekers encounter, especially when looking to find work in a new area, is lack of experience. This is where a few weeks or even days of volunteer work can come in handy. Here are Hippo's tips to get your volunteering career started:

- As with any job hunt, a bit of research to start with will pay off in the long run. Find out exactly what happens at the organisations you're interested in, and whether working with them will give you the experience you need.
- Once you've got a short-list of organisations to contact, check over your resume, and craft a polite cover letter explaining why you'd like to volunteer.
- Don't forget to specify how long you're willing to volunteer for in your cover letter. Of course, check to make sure you've included all your contact details.
- Follow up a few days later with a phone call to make sure your request doesn't get lost in someone's inbox.
- Once you've landed a volunteer opportunity, treat it like a paid position, remembering that the people you meet could be valuable contacts in future.

While volunteer work won't bring in the dollars, it will show how serious you are about finding employment in your chosen field, and might just lead to the job you've been looking for.