????務必確保目標切實可行，別不好意思。不是每個人都可以加入和平隊(Peace Corps)，也不是每個人都能參與救援從飽受戰爭蹂躪的國家逃離出來的難民。對于馬倫來說，找到一種讓她有時間陪伴家人的貢獻方式非常重要。她說：“當然還有許多志愿活動比我做的事情更艱難，要求更高，貢獻更大，但我選擇了一種適合我自己的方式。”馬倫還指出，特殊的財務狀況允許她以一種不是每個人都有自由采用的方式參加志愿服務。“對于我來說，設法運用我擁有的資源去幫助他人是一件非常有意義的事情。讓我感到萬分幸運的是，我不必掙工資養家，所以我具備走這條志愿路徑的優勢。”

????想清楚你想實現什么目標之后，不要把這條信息隱藏起來。厄爾建議：“你應該與組織的聯絡人一起坐下來，好好討論一下你究竟打算做什么事情。”聯系志愿工作的協調人，一起討論你的目標和你希望獲取的成果。

????務必警惕不給你面談機會的組織。厄爾警告說：“這種對話必須是雙向的，同時還要確保你能夠傳達，并清楚地表述你期待這次志愿機會能夠讓你獲得哪些學習成果。如果你做不到這一點，那就是一個危險的信號，趕緊撤吧。”他還指出，組織渙散的機構所提供的志愿機會往往并不是那么有價值。

????如果面試官不能回答與你的責任或日常工作安排相關的問題，他們或許會打電話求助一位志愿者，但可能并不知道這個人能否幫到你。你或許可以利用這種情況，調整你的要求。對于一些人來說，這提供了一個做大事的機會，但這種不確定性并不一定適合每個人。

????但是，即使你已經采取了所有這些預防措施，你可能仍然覺得不滿意。在這種情況下，厄爾建議你有禮貌地退出。如果你已經表述了你希望達到的目標，退出就是一件更容易做的事情。他說：“現在你可以說，‘根據我們的談話，我原以為我可以做x，y和z。”如果這些服務崗位無法改變以滿足這些目標，“那就祝福他們的使命，以及他們正在社區從事的事業一帆風順，然后登錄志愿服務網站，重新尋找下一個機會。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：葉寒

????Don't be shy about making sure your goals are realistic. Not everyone can join the Peace Corps or rescue refugees from war-torn countries. For Marron, it was important to find a way to contribute that allowed her to spend time with her family. "There are harder ways to volunteer than I've done, and tougher ways where you can certainly make more of a difference, but I've chosen a way that seems to suit me," she says, noting that her particular financial circumstances allow her to participate in a way not everyone has the freedom to do. "To use what I've been given to try to help people really means a lot to me. And I am very lucky that I don't have to make a salary, so I've had the benefit of being able to go this route."

????After you've figured out what you want to achieve, don't keep the information to yourself. "You want to be able to sit down with the organization's contact person and have a conversation about exactly what you're going to be doing," Earl advises. Set up a meeting with the coordinator to discuss your objectives and the outcomes you want.

????Beware the organization that doesn't give you the chance to have that meeting. "Make sure that it's a two-way conversation, that you're able to convey and articulate what your learning outcomes will be from this opportunity. If you can't do that, it's an immediate red flag," Earl warns, noting that poorly organized institutions offer less worthwhile volunteer opportunities.

????If the interviewer can't answer questions about your responsibilities or your day-to-day schedule, they may have just put out a call for a volunteer without knowing how that person will help, and you may be able to adjust the situation to your advantage. For some people, that can offer a chance to do great things – but that kind of uncertainty is not for everyone.

????Even once you have taken all of these precautions, though, you may still find yourself unsatisfied. In that case, Earl recommends bowing out gracefully, something that is easier to do if you've already expressed the goals you want to meet. "Now you can say, 'Per our conversation, I thought I would be doing x, y, and z,'" he says. If the position can't be changed to meet those goals, "Wish them well in their mission and what they're doing in the community, and then go back to the websites and start over."