Deciding whether to include volunteer experience on a resume depends on your career stage, professional history, and the relevance of the work to the job you are targeting. This experience can be a strategic addition that strengthens your application, but in other cases, it may be less impactful.
Benefits of Including Volunteer Work on a Resume
Including volunteer work on a resume provides a more complete picture of you as a candidate. It indicates your character and work ethic, showing a commitment to your community. This can be particularly appealing to employers who value corporate social responsibility and a strong company culture.
This experience is also a way to showcase a range of skills. Many volunteer roles provide opportunities to develop soft skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership, which are transferable across most industries. Regular volunteering also demonstrates reliability and an eagerness to learn new things.
Volunteerism can highlight specific, transferable hard skills that may not be evident from your paid work history. For example, organizing a charity fundraiser develops skills in event planning, budget management, and public relations. Similarly, managing a nonprofit’s social media account builds tangible marketing experience.
When You Should Add Volunteer Experience
For individuals with limited or no professional work history, such as recent graduates, volunteer work is an effective way to build out a resume. This experience, even though unpaid, demonstrates that you have been involved in an organizational setting and can be a reliable contributor.
If you have a significant gap in your employment history, volunteer work can show that you remained active and productive. Listing relevant volunteer activities can fill what might otherwise be a void, demonstrating your continued commitment to professional development. This can reassure an employer that you have maintained your skills and work ethic.
Making a career change is another instance where volunteerism can be beneficial. If you lack paid experience in your desired new field, volunteering provides a direct path to gaining relevant skills and demonstrating your interest. For example, someone moving into event marketing could volunteer for a nonprofit’s event staff, gaining hands-on experience that can be added to their resume.
The relevance of the volunteer work to the specific job or company is a primary consideration. If your volunteer role gave you experience directly applicable to the position, it should be included. Furthermore, if the company is a nonprofit or has a strong corporate volunteering program, highlighting your community involvement shows an alignment with their values.
When You Should Not Add Volunteer Experience
If your resume is already lengthy with relevant paid experience, adding more information can lead to clutter. When you have a robust professional history that directly aligns with the job, older or less relevant volunteer activities may not add significant value.
The age of the experience is another factor to consider. Volunteer work from many years ago, such as activities from high school when you are well into your career, may appear outdated. Focusing on experiences from the last five to ten years is often most effective, unless an older experience is exceptionally relevant.
Consider the nature of the volunteer organization. If the group has a strong political or religious affiliation, it could introduce unconscious bias into the hiring process. Unless you are certain that the employer’s values align with the organization’s mission, you might choose to omit this information to ensure your application is judged on your professional qualifications.
How to Format Volunteer Experience on Your Resume
Once you’ve decided to include volunteer work, formatting it correctly is the next step. There are two primary methods for presenting this information, and the best choice depends on the relevance and extent of your experience. Your goal is to integrate it seamlessly into your professional story.
The most common approach is to create a dedicated section titled “Volunteer Experience” or “Community Involvement.” This is an effective option when you have multiple volunteer roles to list or when the experience is supplemental to your main work history. This format keeps your resume organized and clearly distinguishes between paid and unpaid work.
Alternatively, if a volunteer role was highly relevant and involved significant responsibilities, you can integrate it into your “Professional Experience” section. When choosing this option, it is good practice to clarify that the role was on a volunteer basis. This method is useful for career changers or those filling an employment gap, as it places the relevant skills in a prominent position.
Regardless of where you place it, the entry itself should be formatted like any other job. Include the name of the organization, your title, and the dates of your involvement. Use two or three bullet points to describe your accomplishments, focusing on quantifiable achievements and the specific skills you developed.