Can you include volunteer work on your resume when applying for jobs? Adding volunteer experience to your resume can help you land a job – especially when you don’t have much paid work experience.
How to Include Volunteer Work on Your Resume
Including volunteer work on your resume is a particularly important strategy for any of the following reasons:
You are a student with little work experience (or no work experience at all).
You are a recent college graduate with limited professional experience.
You are considering changing your career to a different profession or industry.
You have spent a long time away from the workforce to raise small children or care for an ill family member.
You have experienced a long period of unemployment due to a downturn in the economy in your state or region.
The goal is to integrate your volunteer experience into your resume to highlight the skills that qualify you for a job. The method you use to achieve this will somewhat depend on how closely related the volunteer experience is to the career goal you are targeting.
Relevant Volunteer Work
Relevant volunteer work can be integrated with relevant work experience under a category heading such as “Relevant Experience.” If the volunteer work demonstrates a critical skill area, it can be listed under a category with a job title such as “Fundraising Experience” or “Event Planning Experience.”
In either case, the volunteer experience should be listed in the same way as job experience, with a title summarizing the essence of your role and a description highlighting applied skills and any achievements.
When listing your accomplishments, it’s also a good idea to quantify these contributions with tangible numbers (dollar amounts or percentages).
Here’s an example:
Example of a Relevant Experience Section
Fundraising Experience
Volunteer Fundraiser, American Association, Montclair, New Jersey, Fall 2019 – Present
- Recruited, coordinated, and trained 14 volunteers for fundraising efforts.
- Planned and promoted three successful fundraising events, including a silent auction, dinner, and concert, generating over $80,000 in pledges.
- Increased contributions by 25% over the previous campaign.
Unrelated Volunteer Work
If the volunteer work is unrelated to your career goal, you can include it in a separate category such as “Community Service” or “Volunteer Work.” Most organizations view positively employees who contribute positively to the surrounding community – this not only reflects well on the company but can also be an opportunity for employees to network with potential new clients for the organization.
Here’s an example of how to include volunteer work on your resume when it doesn’t directly relate to your profession or industry:
Example of a Volunteer Experience Section
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity, Birmingham, Alabama, Fall 2018 – Present
- Coordinated and led teams that built 15 homes for low-income families in need of housing.
- Designed and launched a successful initiative to collect gently used furniture and other household items to sell in the Habitat for Humanity store.
- Led the preparation of a float for the community work day to raise awareness of the organization and its contributions.
Example of a Resume Including Both Work and Volunteer Experience
Here’s an example of a resume that includes both work experience and volunteer experience:
William Applicant
123 Main Street
New York, NY 10036
(123) 456-7890
william.applicant@email.com
Website Management
Building and maintaining websites that increase traffic and revenue
Experienced web designer who builds and maintains sites with professional, engaging content.
Professional Experience
Tremain and Miller Communications, Sarasota, Florida
Web Editorial Assistant (January 2020 – Present)
Facilitate the design and maintenance of the company website skillfully.
- Increased daily site visits by 50% within 12 months of employment.
- Sourced an outside vendor for image provision at a cost reduction of 15%.
Company
Dolan Associates, Sarasota, Florida
Web Assistant (June 2018 – January 2020)
Hired to enhance the organization’s online presence and independently handle all website maintenance tasks, including content editing, image editing, and publishing.
- Consistently completing web development projects within productive timelines.
- Integrating Ad Sense into the website, resulting in a 30% increase in site revenue.
Volunteer Experience
Sarasota Rowing Association (January 2017 – Present)
Leveraging professional experience to design and maintain the organization’s first website.
Saving Homeless Animals (July 2017 – Present)
Ensuring the creation of a high-quality newsletter and timely email communications for staff, volunteers, and applicants; overseeing and managing the website.
Looking for a Volunteer Opportunity?
Volunteering is not only beneficial to your community, but it has the potential to enhance your professional life as well. Getting involved as a volunteer can be an opportunity to network with others, help you develop your skills, and be a safe way to explore a new industry.
Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity?
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Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-include-volunteer-work-on-your-resume-2063297
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