If you have a job doing something you love, consider yourself incredibly lucky. For most people, doing what you love or what you are passionate about is something reserved for evenings and weekends, and does not pay the bills — or usually, pay anything at all. If you are hoping to snag the job of your dreams, use social media as a tool for recruitment by volunteering your time doing what you love. Demonstrating your passion by “working” with recognized groups can have as much of an impact on your resume as a real, paid job.

To volunteer your time to do something you love, you will first need to decide what it is you love to do — and whether or not you want a job doing this, or something related. Then, consider what types of organizations offer an opportunity to volunteer your time to demonstrate not only your passion, but your expertise. If you are a writer and hope to work for a major publication someday, consider starting out as a guest blogger on other well known publications that accept posts by guests in addition to their paid staff. Almost every blog has this opportunity, but may not have it publicized. Consider reaching out to one of the managing editors via email or Twitter for an opportunity.

Similarly, if you’d like to volunteer your skills for any other type of company, you can utilize LinkedIn or Facebook to contact the organization and offer your time. You can send a hiring manager a message on LinkedIn, or engage with the company on their Facebook page to establish a trusting relationship and express your genuine interest in the company before pitching your idea. While volunteering your time may be free, any opportunity offered is given by the company the same way as a job, and so should be approached the same as job. Just as you would not beg for a job, but establish a professional relationship by an inquiry and/or cover letter, you should do the same when approaching a volunteer position to do something you love.