A full Volunteer journey in 9 steps developed by SkilledUp Life to be a win-win for you and the tech startup.

70% Profile completion to apply
3 Live applications
60 Volunteer days

The Volunteer journey

Nine steps to follow, no short cuts.

We live in a competitive world, and the same applies within SkilledUp Life. The more you do, the luckier you get. We create opportunities; it's up to you to seize them. Success comes from delivering results, not simply being busy.

1. Get started

Sign up as a Volunteer

Create your Volunteer account: It takes few minutes. We want to get you through registration process quickly so you land on your Volunteer Dashboard, your home base for everything that follows.

• Register specifically as a Volunteer (not a Company account).
• Verify your email, complete the mandatory fields and land on to your Volunteer Dashboard.
• Get oriented: Your profile, Applications and Direct Messages all live here.

2. The most important step

Build your Volunteer profile fully

Your profile must be 70% complete to apply for a Volunteer opportunity and that includes the fields marked "optional". Optional only means you don't need them to reach the Volunteer Dashboard; you do need them to apply. Fill every field, pick the most appropriate skills and be honest about your level of competency. The more effort you put in, the luckier you get.

Profile completion — how it adds up

70% required to apply

• Introduction 10%
• Aspirations 10%
• Ideal Opportunity 10%
• Experiences (full record) 15%
• Education (full record) 10%
• Skill & level (4% each) max 12%
• Social media (3% each) max 9%
• Profile picture 7.5%
• Video pitch 7.5%
• Tags 5%
• Website 2%
• Languages (2) 1.5%
• Award & year 0.5%

Tip: the biggest, easiest wins are your Introduction, Aspirations, Ideal Opportunity, Experiences and Education — together they're 55% of your profile, almost the 70% you need to apply.

Be thorough and be honest. Capture your full education and career history, and select skills that genuinely reflect your competency level. A complete, truthful profile is what gets you shortlisted.

3. Point yourself in a direction

Describe your ideal Opportunity and aspirations

Under Aspirations and Ideal Opportunity, describe in real depth the volunteering Opportunity you want and the career path you have chosen. This is what matches you to the right tech startup and the Opportunity, so make it specific and inspirational.

• Name your chosen career path (e.g. HR, Marketing, Product, Software, Strategy).
• Describe your ideal Opportunity in sufficient depth: be concrete about the experience you want.
• Frame it as a win-win: what you'll give the tech startup, and what you expect to gain in return.

Target early-stage tech startups only. Do not target charities, non-profits, NGOs or communities: those organisations are excluded from SkilledUp Life. Your volunteering must be a win-win for you and a tech startup.

4. Find your match

Apply to your 3 best-fit Opportunities

Browse listed opportunities and apply to the ones that genuinely fit your aspirations and chosen path. You can hold a maximum of three live applications at any time: so choose deliberately. If a better Opportunity arises, withdraw from a pending Opportunity before applying.

• Apply to a maximum of 3 Opportunities at any time: don't apply randomly.
• Prioritise fit with your aspirations and career path over volume.
• Answer the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) thoughtfully and in your own words.

Do not copy-paste your PQQ answers from Gen AI. Founders can tell, and it's the fastest way to be passed over. Write genuinely: it's your best chance to stand out.

5. Open the conversation

Respond to messages and a short interview

If a tech startup is interested, they'll reach out through Direct Messaging. Reply promptly and use it to communicate as much as possible, then go through a short interview so both sides can check the fit.

• Respond to Direct Messages promptly and professionally.
• Use messaging to ask questions and clarify the role and expectations.
• Attend the short interview: treat it as a genuine two-way conversation.

6. Make it official

Sign the Volunteer Agreement

Once selected, the company sends you a Volunteer Agreement. Review it fully and only sign if you're in agreement. This protects both of you and sets the terms of your contribution.

• Read the Volunteer Agreement in full before doing anything else.
• Raise any questions through Direct Messaging before you sign.
• Only sign if you genuinely agree to the terms.

Never start volunteering before the agreement is signed. Do not begin any tasks until the Volunteer Agreement is in place.

7. Settle in

Get onboarded by the company

The tech startup will onboard you into their team, tools and ways of working. Use this stage to fully understand your tasks and the outcomes you're expected to deliver.

• Complete the company's onboarding and get access to the tools you'll need.
• Confirm exactly what your tasks are and what success looks like.
• Agree how and when you'll communicate and review progress.

8. Make it count

Gain maximum experience and deliver results

This is where the value is created. Throw yourself in: build real skills and experience while reliably delivering the results you agreed. The more you put in, the more referenceable your term becomes.

• Deliver the agreed outcomes: reliability is what earns references.
• Stretch yourself: take on real responsibility and learn by doing.
• Lean on the Knowledge Base and support to extract maximum value.

Make it count. A few focused hours a day, used well over the term, is what turns volunteering into a genuine career accelerator.

9. Finish strong

Complete your term and extend if you wish

A Volunteer Term runs up to 3 hours a day, Monday to Friday, for 60 volunteer days over 3+ months. See it through to the end and if it's working for both of you, extend by mutual agreement.

• Complete the full term and hand over your work cleanly.
• Capture your achievements and request a reference for your results.
• Extend by mutual agreement if you both want to keep going.

The rules, in brief

What a Volunteer Term means.

• Voluntary throughout: you cannot earn financially or gain any taxable reward in kind during the Volunteer term. There is no paid jobs via SkilledUp Life.
• 3 hrs Per day, maximum: Monday to Friday: a manageable daily add-on to your life.
• 60 days Over 3+ months: A clear, bounded commitment with a defined end point.
• ∞ Extend if you wish: Continue by mutual agreement when it's working for both sides.

Start at step one now.

Create your Volunteer account, build a complete profile and take the first step on your SkilledUp Life Volunteer journey.