When one considers growth, one may imagine it to be something that must come from the outside to change the inside. Something they must wait for to impact their lives dramatically. Some force of nature to elevate them. This is not how growth begins.

Growth first comes from the inside. It begins with your decision to be selfless. It shows in your work a desire to give much more than expected. To learn, unlearn and relearn, and always support the process. This is what starts off growth, and why only a few can truly claim to experience it.

Let’s meet Saloni Arora

In this episode, we have highlighted the story of India-based HR professional, Ms. Saloni Arora, whose life was positively impacted by her decision to volunteer for SkilledUp Life and Deal Lite. The result is amazing. Watch the video.

“My name is Saloni Arora. I’m based in India. Today, I just want to talk about my experience with SkilledUp Life as a Volunteer. I started volunteering with SkilledUp Life in June 2022 and completed my term in November of that same year. I was part of the HR team, and I was primarily handling volunteer recruitment, training and development, along with processes and documentation.

The chief reason I joined SkilledUp Life was that I wanted to work in a company that would allow me to work entirely remotely. The added benefit that I discovered here however, was that I got to work with people from all over the globe. They had very different experiences from my own, and that helped me to develop a global mindset.

Not only that. I was able to apply the Principles of Human Relations while working here; a lesson I learnt while also pursuing my masters degree at the time.”

The second Opportunity

This experience prompted Saloni to return for a second term at SkilledUp Life. She continued her HR duties until her transfer to Deal Lite, a company and investor intelligence platform that helps you discover the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies and investors who have backed them.

“My volunteering with Deal Lite began five months after volunteering with SkilledUp Life in my second term. I was asked to transfer from SkilledUp Life to Deal Lite and help build the HR team over there. I accepted the role and built Deal Lite’s HR team from scratch, while assisting other teams in building their own teams as well. The benefits I found in Deal Lite were that, while I was able to build my global mindset and better my communication skills and my public speaking skills, I was also able to develop my leadership qualities. I managed the entire HR function by myself for a bit, while collaborating with heads of various departments. These are the skills I still use to date, even in my current job.”

Monetising the experience and skills gained through volunteering

“The skills and experiences that I gained at SkilledUp Life and Deal Lite assisted me in landing a job”

“I want to talk about how the skills and experiences I gained while at SkilledUp Life and Deal Lite have assisted me in landing the job that I’m currently working in.

At the moment, I’m part of a company that is entirely remote while being highly global. The two opportunities that I had from SkilledUp Life and Deal Lite assisted me in gaining attention from recruiters and that is what I majorly talked about at interviews as well.

Furthermore, when you get to work with a global workforce, and that is an experience that SkilledUp Life and Deal Lite are unique in providing. That helped me stand out from my competitors during the job interview process.

Lastly, I was able to gain new skills and improve the existing skills I had in the HR function, and also connect with team members who were from different countries from my own and had different experiences from mine, and that helped me thrive in the current role that I have.”

Conclusion

“I feel SkilledUp Life along with Deal Lite provide very unique experiences not many companies are providing these days. Hence I wish to thank their management for the opportunities, and Manoj Ranaweera, for founding SkilledUp Life, and for allowing me to learn from him.”

If you’d like to know more about how SkilledUp Life can help you grow your career please join us at any of our speaking events on LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up as a Volunteer from the top right of the website.

Update: Saloni joined us during our weekly discussion on LinkedIn on 23rd Aug 2024. Hear her speak.

Author: Cashimear Oparah who authored the article is an experienced marketer and volunteering at SkilledUp Life as a copywriter focusing on capturing our story.