PEOPLE are being urged to do more voluntary work if they want to get on in their job after a survey revealed that companies prefer employees who help others.

Research carried out on behalf of the national charity TimeBank by recruitment specialist Reed Executive found that all businesses questioned preferred to recruit candidates with volunteering experience on their CV.

The Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Council for Voluntary Service is helping people make the most of this new mood among employers after it was revealed that good qualifications and experience in the job are no longer the defining criteria for success in the workplace.

In the last survey to be carried out in Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, there was estimated to be a total volunteer workforce of about 9,081 clocking up enough hours worth the equivalent of £10.76 million a year.

On a national front, the level of volunteering dipped from 51 per cent of the adult population in 1991 to 48 per cent in 1997 -- forcing them to put in more than an extra hour of work every week.

The TimeBank survey showed that 67 per cent of North West employers were more likely to promote and give pay rises to staff who have donated time to other causes.

And more than 80 per cent of companies felt that staff who gave time to another job increased key skills, such as improved team work and communication.

Another 80 per cent of North West firms saw volunteering as a way of enhancing the community profile of their company.

Helen Barton-Hanson from the volunteering department hope the results will encourage more people to help local organisations. She said: "Businesses are realising that voluntary work benefits not only staff but the whole company. It's really satisfying to see it getting deserved recognition."

Anyone who would like to find out more about volunteering can contact the Ribble Valley centre on 01200 422721.