All Experience Is Valuable
Sharon, 56, has a background in human resources. She has worked with Marks and Spencer and local government. She volunteers with Norfolk Citizens Advice two days a week as an adviser.
“I suppose the important thing is being able to communicate, being able to listen, because you need to be able to build a rapport with the people you meet. You need to make them comfortable and feel they can trust you.
“They’ve made a huge step by recognizing they need help by walking through that door (or picking up that phone). It’s then up to us sometimes to help them pinpoint exactly the root cause.
“A person may come in asking for help with a relationship problem, but then you start talking to them and find there’s a money problem behind it which needs dealing with – and all that takes a certain amount of people skills. It’s gaining their trust to enable them to unburden themselves and tell you the full story.
“It’s being able to give them the confidence to act for themselves, give them the helping hand - the reassurance they need - to take control of their lives again.
“Yes, there are some people who perhaps need to take responsibility for the position they’re in, but it’s great when you can help them and show them how they can take that responsibility.
“I don’t want to put people off but there is an element of commitment. You have to be willing to go through the training if you want to be an adviser – but a lot of that that can be done at your own pace and in your own time at home on the computer.”
Sharon believes that the wider the volunteer’s life experience, the better – and it doesn’t have to come from a high-powered job: “Take benefits, for example: if you’re a volunteer who’s been through the benefits system with all its pitfalls, you can use that knowledge to help someone else in a similar situation. All experience is valuable.”
