How to Effectively Include Volunteer Experience on Your Resume

The Importance of Including Volunteer Experience on Your Resume

In today's competitive job market, having a resume that stands out is essential. One often underutilized way to make your resume shine is by including volunteer experience. While traditional elements like education and professional work experience are crucial, incorporating volunteer activities can provide a comprehensive picture of your skills, interests, and character. This section explains why and how volunteer experience is not just a nice-to-have, but a valuable component of your resume.

Showcasing Your Skills and Interests

Volunteer work offers a unique lens through which potential employers can view your personal values and the skills you bring to the table. It's an opportunity to showcase your willingness to engage in community service, indicating a strong work ethic and a commitment to making a difference. Whether it's leading a team, organizing events, or working directly with beneficiaries, the skills developed through these experiences are often directly transferable to the professional environment. Additionally, the causes you choose to dedicate your time to can give employers insight into your interests and passions, providing a deeper understanding of what motivates you.

Building Your Professional Experience

For individuals early in their career or those pivoting to a new field, volunteer experience can be especially impactful. It offers a way to build and demonstrate professional capabilities outside of paid work. This is particularly beneficial for recent graduates, individuals re-entering the workforce, or those transitioning to a new industry. Volunteer positions can help fill gaps in your resume, providing concrete examples of your work ethic, leadership, problem-solving, and team collaboration skills. It's also an excellent way to network and gain references that can vouch for your abilities and character in a professional setting.

Including volunteer work on your resume is more than just listing the organizations you've helped; it's about strategically showcasing how these experiences have equipped you with the skills and knowledge that make you an ideal candidate for the job you're applying for.

Preparing Your Resume

A well-prepared resume is your ticket to standing out in the job application process. When it comes to incorporating volunteer experience, the structure of your resume plays a pivotal role. This section provides guidance on how to effectively structure your resume, ensuring that your volunteer work complements your professional achievements and showcases your potential as a candidate. Understanding which sections to include and considering optional ones can make a significant difference in how your resume is perceived by potential employers.

Key Resume Sections to Include

Your resume should paint a comprehensive picture of your qualifications and experiences. To do this effectively, certain sections are essential:

• Contact Information: At the top, clearly list your name, phone number, email address, and, if relevant, professional online profiles such as LinkedIn. Ensure that your email address is professional.

• Professional Experience: This is where you detail your work history, focusing on roles and responsibilities that align closest with the job you're applying for. If you're including volunteer work in this section, make sure it's directly relevant to the job.

• Education: List your most current or relevant educational achievements, including degrees, certifications, and significant coursework.

• Skills: Highlight skills that are pertinent to the job, including both hard skills (like software proficiency) and soft skills (such as communication and teamwork).

Optional Sections and Formats

Depending on your individual experiences and the specific job you're applying for, you might consider adding additional sections or choosing a particular resume format. Here are some suggestions:

• Volunteer Work: If your volunteer experiences are directly relevant to the job or helped you develop applicable skills, include them. Otherwise, consider a separate section for these experiences.

• Awards and Achievements: Recognition for achievements, whether in a professional setting or through volunteer work, can set you apart. Include any awards that highlight your suitability for the position.

• Choosing the Right Resume Format: Your experience level and career path may dictate the most effective resume format. Common formats include chronological, functional, and combination resumes. A chronological resume is typically preferred but consider a functional or combination resume if you’re changing careers or have significant gaps in employment.

Strategically Listing Volunteer Work

Including volunteer experiences on your resume can significantly boost your profile, especially when done strategically. It's not merely about listing the fact that you've volunteered; it's about showcasing how the skills and experiences gained through these activities align with the job you're applying for. Depending on their relevance to the job or the amount of professional experience you have, volunteer work can be integrated with your professional experience or highlighted in a separate section.

In the Professional Experience Section

For volunteer work that directly relates to the job you're seeking, consider integrating these experiences into your Professional Experience section. This approach is particularly useful for:

• Demonstrating relevant skills or expertise gained through volunteering that applies to the job you want.
• Filling employment gaps with meaningful activities that kept your skills sharp and current.
• Transitioning into a new career field where volunteer experiences are your primary source of relevant experience.

When listing volunteer work among your professional experiences, format it similarly to your paid roles: include the role title, the organization's name, the location, and the dates you volunteered, followed by bullet points that detail your responsibilities and achievements. Be sure to quantify your impact wherever possible, using numbers to add credibility to your accomplishments.

Creating a Separate Volunteer Experience Section

If your volunteer work isn't directly related to the job you're applying for but still represents significant learning or leadership experiences, creating a separate Volunteer Experience section is advisable. This method keeps your resume organized and allows employers to easily discern your professional work from your volunteer activities. Here's why you might choose this option:

• To highlight your community engagement and soft skills developed through volunteering, such as teamwork, leadership, or communication, when these experiences don't align closely with your professional career path.
• To keep your resume streamlined and focused, especially if you have a robust professional background that aligns closely with your career goals.

In this dedicated section, just as with professional experience, list the organization, your role, the duration of your volunteer work, and a few bullet points that describe your key contributions and what you learned. This separate section can go towards the end of your resume but should still be positioned to ensure its visibility and impact.

Tailoring Your Volunteer Experience

When applying for jobs, one of the most effective strategies to make your resume stand out is to tailor your experiences, including your volunteer work, to the specific position you're seeking. By customizing the presentation of your volunteer experiences to match the job description's requirements and language, you can significantly increase your chances of catching a recruiter's eye and demonstrating your fit for the role.

Using Keywords from the Job Posting

To tailor your volunteer experiences effectively, start by closely reading the job posting and identifying keywords and phrases that describe the skills and attributes the employer is seeking. These might include specific skills, qualifications, personal qualities, or experiences. Once you've identified these keywords, reflect on your volunteer experiences to find instances where you've demonstrated these attributes or developed these skills.

As you list your volunteer work on your resume, incorporate these keywords and phrases into your descriptions. This alignment not only makes your resume more relevant to the job you're applying for but also helps you pass through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that many employers use to scan resumes for keywords related to the position.

Highlighting Achievements Over Responsibilities

While it's important to describe the roles you've held in your volunteer work, focusing on your achievements within these roles can have a much stronger impact. Achievements are evidence of how you've made a difference, showcasing your ability to contribute meaningfully to an organization or cause.

• Quantify your impact: Whenever possible, use numbers to quantify your achievements. For example, "Organized a community clean-up event that attracted 50+ volunteers and collected over 200 pounds of litter" clearly demonstrates the event's success and your organizational skills.

• Showcase leadership and initiative: Highlight any roles or projects where you took on a leadership role or demonstrated initiative. These are highly valued qualities in any job and can set you apart from other candidates.

• Link achievements to skills relevant to the job: For each achievement, think about the skills you used or developed, and how they apply to the job you want. For example, if you led a fundraising campaign, focus on skills such as project management, teamwork, and communication, which are applicable in many professional settings.

Sample Resume Including Volunteer Experience

A well-crafted resume that incorporates volunteer experience can significantly enhance your job application. To help you visualize how to effectively integrate volunteering into your resume, below are examples illustrating two approaches: blending professional and volunteer experiences in one section, and creating a dedicated section for volunteer work.

Professional and Volunteer Experience Section

For those whose volunteer work directly relates to the job they're applying for, integrating these experiences with professional roles can showcase a seamless career narrative. Here’s how it can look:

Professional Experience

Marketing Coordinator
ABC Tech Solutions, New York, NY
March 2019 – Present

• Developed and implemented digital marketing strategies that resulted in a 30% increase in online engagement
• Managed a team of 4 to plan and execute quarterly marketing campaigns

Volunteer Social Media Strategist
Local Animal Shelter, New York, NY
June 2017 – February 2019

• Volunteered 10+ hours a week to manage and grow the shelter’s social media presence
• Increased social media followers by 50% and fostered community engagement through targeted campaigns

In this format, volunteer experiences are listed alongside professional roles, emphasizing the continuity of your skills and impact across different types of work.

Dedicated Volunteer Experience Section

If your volunteer work doesn’t directly relate to the job but still demonstrates valuable skills or showcases your character, a separate volunteer section might be best:

Volunteer Experience

Event Coordinator Volunteer
City Food Bank, Chicago, IL
January 2018 – December 2019

• Coordinated monthly food drives, resulting in 20% more food donations year over year
• Recruited and trained teams of volunteers, enhancing the organization’s outreach efforts

Habitat for Humanity Volunteer
New Orleans, LA
March 2015 – December 2017

• Contributed over 200 hours to building homes for underprivileged families
• Led a team of volunteers in constructing durable, affordable housing, enhancing leadership and project management skills

By allocating a specific section for volunteer work, you can highlight your engagement and contributions without mixing them directly with your professional achievements. This approach allows recruiters to appreciate the breadth of your experiences and the diverse skills you’ve developed through volunteering.